The Guidance recommends companies using trenchless construction techniques follow a process for planning their projects involving a site suitability and feasibility/alternatives analysis, detail risk evaluation and emergency response planning.
The Guidance was developed as a result of a settlement of litigation with the Clean Air Council, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, and Mountain Watershed Association related to DEP’s permits issued for the Mariner East Natural Gas Liquids Pipeline Project.
The construction of the Mariner East Pipeline across Pennsylvania resulted in Sunoco/Energy Transfer Partners being convicted of criminal charges for environmental violations and resulted in an additional $31 million in penalties. Read more here.
Impacts from Mariner East Pipeline construction include contamination of private water supplies and a major spill into the lake at Marsh Creek State Park in Chester County. Read more here.
The featured presenters for the webinar include Christine Vinciguerra, P.G. and Andrew McDonald, Water Program Specialist with DEP.
Click Here to register and for more information. The webinar will be held from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Visit DEP’s Trenchless Technology Resources webpage for more information on preventing problems with this technology.
Releases In 2025
“Inadvertent” releases of drilling mud and other contaminants from horizontal pipeline drilling related to shale gas development continued to be a big issue in 2025.
In a series of 18 incidents from October 2025 to January 2026, MarkWest Liberty Midstream reported the loss of 1,241,500 gallons of drilling fluids into abandoned mine voids under Mount Pleasant and Robinson Townships in Washington County. Read more here.
Blackhill Energy LLC had a series of inadvertent returns during a pipeline construction project in West Burlington Township, Bradford County. Read more here.
EQM Gathering Pipeline also had at least four releases and overflowing drilling mud tanks during pipeline construction in Nottingham Township, Washington County. Read more here.
Seneca Resources Co. LLC had a drilling fluid release during pipeline construction in Richmond Township, Tioga County. Read more here.
It isn’t known whether any of these companies were following the careful steps outline in the Trenchless Pipeline Construction Guidance.
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.
PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Jan. 3 to 30: 56 Conventional Abandoned Well Violations Start The Year; 1.2 Million Gallons Of Drilling Fluid Lost; Shale Water Pipeline Freezes; 1.5 Million Gallons Of Wastewater To Remove [PaEN
-- DEP: Day 455 And Counting: Seneca Resources Continues To Release Wastewater, Frack New Shale Gas Wells At Taft Well Pad In Middlebury Twp., Tioga County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Owner Of At Least 43 Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Issued Violations For 6 More On State Game Lands In Venango County; Efforts To Locate The Owner Have Been Unsuccessful [PaEN]
-- DEP: Eureka Resources Has Until Jan. 31 To Remove All Wastewater From Its 3 Closed Oil & Gas Wastewater Treatment Plants; About 1.5 Million Gallons Of Wastewater Remains In Bradford County Facility [PaEN]
-- DEP: Range Resources Force Heating, Cutting Apart Frozen Polyethylene Shale Gas Water Pipeline To Release Water, Ice In Mount Pleasant Twp., Washington County [PaEN]
-- DEP: Seneca Resources Failed To Submit Area Of Review Reports To Identify Possible Conflicts With Other Wells Prior To Start Of Drilling 4 Shale Gas Wells In Middlebury Twp., Tioga County.
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - January 31 [PaEN]
-- Governor’s Regulatory Agenda Includes Update Of Regulations For Conventional Oil & Gas Wells; New Injection Well Controls; Shale Gas Application Fee [PaEN]
-- DEP Issues Air Quality Permit For 15 Natural Gas Generators To Power Iron City Wells, LLC Data Center In Karthaus Twp., Clearfield County [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 75 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In January 31 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- You Need To Read This: Highlights Of Shale Gas, Conventional Oil & Gas Compliance Actions During 2025 [PaEN]
-- Major Challenges Faced By DEP’s Oil And Gas Enforcement Program In 2026 [PaEN]
-- DEP Eliminates Longstanding Permitting Backlog In 2025, Launches New Bureau of Permitting Coordination [PaEN]
-- Gov. Shapiro Renews Call On PJM To Extend Electricity Capacity Auction Price Collar Protection To Consumers, Build Lasting Grid Reform [PaEN]
-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - February 2 [PaEN]
-- PJM Interconnection Cold Weather Operations To Continue Thru Feb. 2; Electricity Demands Now Projected To Be Below Record Winter Peak [PaEN]
-- PJM Continues Cold Weather Operations, Projects Breaking Winter Peak Demand Record Jan. 28, 29, 30 [PaEN]
-- PJM Interconnection Issues Maximum Generation Alert For Jan. 27, Low Voltage Alert Thru Jan. 31 And Asked Data Centers To Go To Backup Generation Across Its Entire Footprint To Ensure Delivery Of Enough Electricity [PaEN]
-- North American Electric Reliability Corp Report: Electric Power Resource Adequacy Risks Intensify Across North America As Data Center-Driven Demand Surges 24% In 10 Years [PaEN]
-- New Legislation Announced To Strengthen Spill Response Law In PA After Energy Transfer/Sunoco Jet Fuel Pipeline Rupture In Upper Makefield Twp., Bucks County [PaEN]
-- DCED Now Accepting Applications For PA Solar For Schools Grants [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Williamsport Sun: DEP Conducts Follow-Up Inspection Of Closed Eureka Resources Oil & Gas Wastewater Facility In Williamsport [PDF of Article]
-- Courier Times: Cong. Fitzpatrick, Officials Still Seek Answers To Energy Transfer/Sunoco Pipeline Rupture In Upper Makefield Twp. Bucks County A Year Later [PDF of Article]
-- Republican Herald: House Passes Legislation To Address Natural Gas Safety After Fatal Reading Chocolate Factory Blast Killed 7 People [PDF of Article]
-- WNEP: Homes Evacuated After Natural Gas Pipeline Hit In Scranton
-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Can’t Accept Oil And Gas Companies’ Self-Reporting - By Chris DiGiulio, Physicians For Social Responsibility-PA
-- TribLive Guest Essay: Pennsylvania’s Energy Future Depends On Balance, Not Absolutes - We Need To Grow Renewables, Lead In Protecting Workers, Consumers, Health & Safety Of Our Communities - By Eugene Depasquale, Chair, PA Democratic Party
-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: America Needs Pennsylvania’s Natural Gas - Jim Welty, Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition
-- Marcellus Drilling News: Winter Storm Fern Stops Nearly All Natural Gas Going To Maryland’s Cove Point, Elba Island, Georgia LNG Gas Export Facilities Fed By Appalachian States Shale Gas [PDF of Article]
-- Marcellus Drilling News: Cove Point, MD, Elba Island, Georgia, Other US LNG Gas Export Facilities IMPORTED Natural Gas From Trinidad And Tobago Due To High Prices During Cold Weather [PDF of Article]
-- Reuters: US LNG Gas Export Plants IMPORTED Cargoes During Winter Storm As Natural Gas Prices Hit Records In US
-- Marcellus Drilling News: Winter Storm Fern Freeze-Off Leads To 10-12% Drop In Shale Gas Supply [PDF of Article]
-- Reuters Commentary: When The US Freezes, LNG Natural Gas Market Prices Spike Over 70%
-- Industrial Energy Consumers Of America Urge President To Suspend Spot LNG Gas Exports To Reduce Natural Gas, Electricity Prices And Ensure Grid Reliability
-- Utility Dive: US Coal-Fired Generation Jumped 31%, Gas-Fired Generation Increased 14% During Winter Storm Fern: US EIA
-- Utility Dive: Ratepayers, Don’t Expect Electric Bill Relief In 2026: ‘The Cake Is Baked’
-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs-- 19-- First Increase In 8 Weeks
-- Bloomberg: US Natural Gas Prices Hit Three-Year High After Powerful Winter Storm Disrupts Production, Boosts Heating Demand
-- Post-Gazette - Laura Legere: PJM Regional Electric Grid Withstands Strain Of Freezing Weather, So Far
-- Reuters: US Energy Sector Reels After Winter Storm Knocks Out 2 Million BPD Of Crude Output
-- Reuters: Oil Prices Rise As Harsh Winter Disrupts US Output
-- AAA Average Gasoline Price: National- $2.87 Ohio- $2.72 PA- $3.07
-- Bloomberg: PJM Gets US DOE OK To Divert Data Center Power To Households
-- Utility Dive: PJM Does Not Expect To Call On Data Centers To Go To Backup Generation To Get Thru Current Cold Weather Conditions
-- Utility Dive: US DOE Expands Use Of Emergency Orders Amid Winter Freeze To Keep Power Plants Running Regardless Of Emission Limits, Require Data Centers To Use Backup Generation [PJM Highlighted]
-- Inside Climate News: A.I. Data Centers On PJM Grid Can Rely Solely On Generators During The Cold, DOE Rules
-- NYT: Grids Are Surviving The Winter Storm, But NERC Warns The Next 5 Years Could Be Rough
-- Pittsburgh Public Source: Could Pennsylvania Run Out Of Electricity Due To A.I. Data Center Demands? PJM Won’t Meet Required Power Reserves Starting June 2027
-- Spotlight PA: PJM Predicts Data Center-Driven Energy Shortfall By Mid-2027
-- UGI Gas Seeks 8.7% Increase To Base Delivery Rate
-- National Fuel Gas Requests 7.4% Increase To Base Delivery Rate
-- National Fuel Gas Increases Default Natural Gas Cost 6.55% Starting Feb. 1
-- WFMJ: National Fuel Gas Increases Natural Gas Cost 6.55% On Feb. 1
-- Independent Fiscal Office Mid-Year Revenue Update: Energy Costs Up 10.6%
-- Reuters: New PJM Rules Favor On-Site Natural Gas Power Plants Over Renewables For A.I. Data Centers
-- PA Capital-Star: Communities Must Prepare If They Want Any Say Over A.I. Data Centers, Lessons Of Springdale, Allegheny County
-- Scranton Times - Chris Kelly Opinion: On A.I. Data Centers, Officials Need To Read The Room [PDF of Article]
-- WHYY: Delaware Lawmakers Want To Protect Residents From A.I. Data Center-Driven Electricity Rate Hikes
-- The Allegheny Front: Fracking Produces A Lot Of Wastewater, Millions Of Gallons Are Stored Under Eastern Ohio Thru Injection Wells
[Posted: January 29, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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