PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP Orders Stonehaven Energy To ‘Immediately Cease And Desist Producing, Extracting, Or Injecting’ Oil, Natural Gas, Wastewater From 551 Conventional Wells In Clarion, Clearfield, Forest, Indiana, Jefferson, McKean, Venango, Warren Counties

On April 23, 2025, the Department of Environmental Protection issued an Order to Stonehaven Energy Management Company, LLC and Jeremy Graham, individually, to “immediately cease and desist producing, extracting, or injecting as, petroleum or any other liquid related to oil and gas production or storage, including brine or other produced fluids” from 551 conventional oil and gas wells located in Clarion, Clearfield, Forest, Indiana, Jefferson, McKean, Venango and Warren counties.

The Order specifically required the company to plug the abandoned Latshaw 9 oil and gas wastewater injection well in Cranberry Township, Venango County by September 30, 2025 and listed other violations at that well.

With respect to the other 550 conventional wells, Stonehaven Energy was required to--

-- Submit replacement bonds for all the wells;

-- Inventory the wells to determine which ones are abandoned and not plugged;

-- For wells determined to be abandoned, submit a well plugging plan and schedule; and

-- Submit production, waste generation and well integrity reports on the wells.

A list of the 551 conventional wells and their locations is included in the Order.

Click Here for a copy of the Order.

A copy of the Order was obtained through a Right To Know Act request by the PA Environment Digest.

Attempts To Get Stonehaven To Comply

The April 23, 2025 Order contains a timeline of previous attempts by DEP to get Stonehaven Energy to comply with the law--

-- March 27, 2023 Administrative Order covering multiple violations, including wastewater discharges, failing to plug abandoned wells and failure to submit annual reports;

-- August 16, 2023 petition to Commonwealth Court to enforce the Order;

-- December 13, 2023 Commonwealth Court order to enforce DEP Order;

-- January 30, 2024 DEP forfeit the $25,000 plugging bonds covering the 163 wells;

-- June 3, 2024 Commonwealth Court finding Stonehaven in contempt of court for failing to follow the Court Order and DEP Order.

Latshaw 9 Injection Well

In a follow-up inspection on October 1, 2025 of the Latshaw 9 conventional oil and gas wastewater injection well in Cranberry Township, Venango County, DEP issued a violation for failing to plug the well as required by the April 23, 2025 Order. DEP inspection report.

Photos from the October 1 inspection shows wastewater remains in a storage tank at the site.

A November 27, 2024 inspection shows the same violation at the Latshaw 9 well. Read more here.

Inspections Since April Order

Since the April 23, 2025 Order, DEP has inspected Stonehaven Energy conventional well sites three times focused on the Shaffer Nancy 2 (Brady Township, Clearfield County) and Latshaw 9 conventional wells for compliance with the Order.

The inspection records show Stonehaven failed to comply with the Order with respect to these wells.

Click Here for inspection records.

DEP inspected Stonehaven facilities and wells 117 times since the original March 27, 2023 Administrative Order was issued.

Click Here for an Excel file of those inspections.

Report Violations

To report oil and gas violations or any environmental emergency or complaint, visit DEP’s Environmental Complaint webpage.

Text photos and the location of abandoned wells to 717-788-8990.

Check These Resources

Visit DEP’s Compliance Reporting Database and Inspection Reports Viewer webpages to search their compliance records by date and owner.

Sign up for DEP’s eNOTICE service which sends you information on oil and gas and other permits submitted to DEP for review in your community.

Use DEP’s Oil and Gas Mapping Tool to find if there are oil and gas wells near or on your property and to find wells using latitude and longitude on well inspection reports.

(Photos: Latshaw 9 injection well October 1, 2025 DEP inspection photos.)

[Note: If you believe your company was listed in error, contact DEP’s Oil and Gas Program.]

[Note: These may not be all the NOVs issued to oil and gas companies during this time period. Additional inspection reports may be added to DEP’s Oil and Gas Compliance Database.]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Sept. 27 to Oct. 3 - 940,000 Gallon Shale Gas Wastewater Spill; Order Ceasing Production Of 551 Conventional Wells; Is Conventional Well Owner Abandoning 475 Wells In 6 Counties? [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - October 4 [PaEN]

-- DEP Opportunity To Bid On Plugging 15 Abandoned Conventional Oil, Gas Wells At Taxpayer Expense In Butler County

-- DEP Invites Comments On Air Quality Permit For 77 Emergency Power Generators At The Amazon Data Center In Salem Twp., Luzerne County [PaEN]

-- DEP To Hold Nov. 14 Hearing On Renewal Of An Air Quality Permit For The Coal, Natural Gas-Fired Brunner Island Power Plant In York County [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On An Air Quality Permit For The Tenaska PA Partners, LLC Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant In Westmoreland County [PaEN]

-- DEP Accepting Comments On The Renewal Of An Air Quality Permit For The Wolf Run Energy, LLC Natural Gas Power Plant In Bradford County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Comments Now Being Accepted For An Air Quality Permit For The Hunterstown Power, LLC Peaking Electric Generation Facility In Adams County [PaEN]

-- DEP Sets 3 Hearings On Air Quality Standards For Plastics Resin Manufacturers Shell Chemical Appalachia, Rohm & Haas Co. Multi Plastics Extrusions [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 74 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In October 4 PA Bulletin [PaEN]