DEP originally issued the violation for abandonment on October 27, 2020-- 1,899 days ago and counting.
The well was drilled in April 2016 to a depth of 5,750 feet, but never finished beyond that point. The permit expired in January 2017, according to the October 2020 inspection report.
In 2020, EQT responded to the violation by saying “they intended to add this well to its plugging program.”
In 2024, EQT responded to a DEP inspection on May 1, 2024 saying “they added the well to their plugging schedule for 2025.”
DEP requested a response to the continued abandonment violation by January 26.
DEP inspection report and photos.
70 Abandoned Shale Gas Well Violations In 2025
So far in 2026, DEP issued or continued 1 violation to 1 shale gas drilling company for abandoning and not plugging their wells-- Rice Drilling B LLC [EQT].
In 2025, DEP issued or continued 70 violations to 21 shale gas drilling companies for abandoning and not plugging their wells-- [Anegada Energy LLC; Apex Energy (PA) LLC; Big Dog Energy LLC; Big Dog Energy LLC; Big Dog Energy LLC; Blackhill Energy LLC; CNX Gas Co. LLC; Diversified Prod LLC; Diversified Production LLC; Diversified Production LLC; EQT ARO LLC; EQT Chap LLC; EQT Chap LLC; EQT Production Co.; EQT Production Co.; EQT Production Co.; Frontier Natural Resources; Hilcorp Energy Co.; Hilcorp Energy Co.; LPR Energy LLC; LPR Energy LLC; LPR Energy LLC; LPR Energy LLC; LPR Energy LLC; LPR Energy LLC; Rice Drilling B LLC [EQT]; MTN V Oil & Gas Inc.; Rice Drilling B LLC [EQT]; Roulette Oil & Gas LLC; STL Resources LLC; Taft Operating LLC]; West Texas Operating Co LLC
In 2024, 47 violations were issued or continued to 12 shale gas well owners for abandoning and not plugging their wells.
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.
[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 Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - January 17 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 63 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In January 17 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
-- DEP To Hold Feb. 17 Meeting/Hearing On Revised Water Quality Permit For 1,300 Acre Project Hazelnut A.I. Data Center Project In Hazle Twp., Luzerne County [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Federal Coastal Zone Consistency Determination For The Canada-US Lake Erie Electric Transmission Line Project, Landfall Erie County, PA [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Jan. 29 Hearing On Water Withdrawal Requests, Including Amazon Data Center; And Statement Of Investment Policy [PaEN]
-- DEP Issues Air Quality Permit For 176 - 3.25 MW Backup Diesel Generators For A.I. Data Center Project In City Of Lancaster
Related Article This Week:
-- DEP: Rice Drilling (EQT) Failed To Plug Abandoned Shale Gas Well For Over 5 Years In Washington County [PaEN]
-- DEP: MarkWest Liberty Midstream Reports 5 More Drilling Fluid Losses Into Mine Voids In Washington County; Total Losses Now 1,241,500 Gallons [PaEN]
-- DEP: Truck Loses Load Of Shale Gas Wastewater On Access, Local Road To EQT Sarah Well Pad In Union Township, Washington County [PaEN]
-- DEP Day 239: Seneca Resources Wastewater Cleanup, Monitoring Efforts Continue At Vandergrift Shale Gas Well Pad In Charleston Twp., Tioga County [PaEN]
-- PennLive - John Beauge: DEP: Eureka Resources Is Not Complying With Order To Safety Dispose Of Millions Of Gallons Of Oil & Gas Wastewater At Closed Facilities In Lycoming, Bradford Counties
-- Action Needed Now! Western PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation Urging Pennsylvanians To Contact PA US Senators And Oppose Raid On Abandoned Mine Reclamation Funds [And Abandoned Oil & Gas Well Plugging Funding] [PaEN]
-- PUC Approves $35,000 Penalty Against Pronto Plumbing For 2022 Natural Gas Home Explosion In Dauphin County [PaEN]
-- Gov. Shapiro Secures Federal Support To Extend PJM Electric Generation Auction Price Cap; Call For Emergency PJM Auction To ‘Build Big Power Plants Again’ [PaEN]
-- PJM Interconnection Board Proposes Its Own New Plan To Integrate A.I. Data Centers, Large Loads Into Grid To Maintain Reliability [PaEN]
-- House Energy Committee To Consider Bill Giving PUC More Authority To Regulate A.I. Data Centers Jan. 26; Hearings On Related Bills Jan. 26 and Feb. 2 [PaEN]
-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - January 16 [PaEN]
-- Utility Dive: PJM Updates 20-Year Forecast Of Electricity Demand Growth, Reducing Short Term Growth Estimates By Up To 2.6%, Increasing 2035 Estimate By 3.3% [PaEN]
-- PJM Interconnection Issues Cold Weather Alerts For Jan. 19 - Western Region; Jan. 20 Entire Regional Electric Grid [PaEN]
-- Penn State, USC Partner On Center For CO2 Storage To Develop Practical Strategies For Underground Carbon Dioxide Storage [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- E&E News/Politico: Energy Set To Dominate State Politics In Runup To Midterm Elections [PA Highlighted] [PDF of Article]
-- AP: How The White House And Governors Want To Fix A.I.- Drive Power Shortages, Price Spikes
-- Reuters: White House Seeks Emergency Power Auction For Largest US Electric Grid [PJM]
-- Bloomberg: President Says He’ll Make Tech Firms Pay For Power; Calls For Emergency Electricity Auction In PJM
-- PA Capital-Star: Federal Budget Bill Would Raid Fund For Cleaning Up Abandoned Coal Mines, Plug Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells - Pennsylvania Would Be Hardest Hit By Cuts
-- Reuters: US Shale Producers Devon Energy, Coterra Energy In Merger Talks, Sources Say
-- Marcellus Drilling News: US EIA Predicts Price Of Natural Gas To Dip 2% In 2026, Increase 33% In 2027 Driven By LNG Gas Exports [PDF of Article]
-- Marcellus Drilling News: Expand Energy CEO: Natural Gas Drillers Won’t Add New Production At $3.50 Gas Price-- $4.00 to $4.50 Is Needed To ‘Activate Supply Growth’ [PDF of Article]
-- YaleEnvironment360: US LNG Gas Exports Are Pushing Energy Bills Higher, Report Finds
-- E&ENews/Politico: Pipeline Safety Enforcement Cut In Half In President’s First Year
-- Post-Gazette: How Will President’s Actions In Venezuela Impact Pennsylvania?
-- NYT: President’s Plans For Venezuelan Oil Run Headlong Into Reality
[Posted: January 12, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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