Follow these links to spreadsheets showing the violations and inspections occurring between March 7 to 13--
Click Here for violations issued. Click Here for inspection entries.
[Note: There were many more violations issued by DEP than PA Environment Digest can highlight here.]
Enforcement Actions Taken Last Week
So far this year, DEP took these actions as of March 6--
-- NOVs Issued In Last Week: 108 conventional, 11 unconventional
-- Year To Date - NOVs Issued: 759 conventional and 195 unconventional
-- Enforcements 2025: 60 conventional and 45 unconventional (orders, agreements)
-- Inspections Last Week: 309 conventional and 348 unconventional
-- Year To Date - Inspections: 4,095 conventional and 4,797 unconventional
EHB Approves Intervention In 940,000 Gallon Spill Case Appeal
On March 9, the Environmental Hearing Board granted a request by the Center for Coalfield Justice to intervene in an EQT Production Co. appeal of a DEP records request in an ongoing investigation of a 940,000 gallon shale gas wastewater spill in North Bethlehem Township, Washington County and similar failures at at least six other EQT well pads. [EHB Docket: 2024117] Read more here.
21 Abandoned Conventional Wells
Allegheny County - Benjamin I. Davis, Jr.
February 27, 2026 routine inspection of the McMichael 1 conventional well in Findlay Township found the well abandoned and not plugged and leaking gas. Owner failed to submit production, waste generation and well integrity reports. Response requested by March 25. DEP inspection report. Davis holds 1 permit.
Fayette County - Diversified Prod LLC [2,555 Days]
March 5, 2026 inspection of the Kubala 1 conventional well site in Springhill Township found the plugged well site was not restored by the deadline established in a March 7, 2019 consent order with the owner. Violation issued for failure to comply with order. Response requested by March 26. DEP inspection report.
Other similar violations issued to Diversified--
-- Fayette County, Springhill Twp.: Robinson 13
-- Fayette County, Jefferson Twp.: Chubby 7
-- Fayette County, Jefferson Twp.: Bird 1
-- Fayette County, Luzerne Twp.: Stewart 9
Warren County - Joanne R. Tudor [306 Days]
March 9, 2026 follow-up inspection of the Thomas Carroll 1 conventional well in Brokenstraw Township found the well abandoned and unplugged and fluids continue to leak onto the ground. Owner also failed to submit production, waste generation and well integrity reports. Original violations issued May 7, 2025 with no action to address the violations. Fresh violations issued with this inspection. Response requested by April 6, 2026. DEP inspection report. Tudor holds 1 permit.
Venango County - Carol A. Morrison Baker (deceased)
On March 9, 2026, the Department of Environmental Protection posted March 4 inspection reports on 14 abandoned conventional oil and gas wells owned by Carol A. Morrison Baker on State Game Lands in Cranberry Township, Venango County saying the agency is working with the heirs of the deceased owner to clarify the status of the wells. Morrison Baker held a total of 217 permits of which there are 43 abandoned conventional wells. Read more here.
121 Abandoned Conventional Well Violations In 2026
So far in 2026, DEP issued or continued 121 notices of violation for conventional oil and gas well abandonment.
2 Abandoned Shale Gas Well
Fayette County - LPR Energy LLC [374 Days]
March 9, 2026 compliance evaluation of the Humberston Unit 1H shale gas well in Henry Clay Township found the well was abandoned and not plugged and leaking gas. Owner continues to be in violation of a DEP consent order to plug three shale gas wells in calendar year 2024. February 28, 2025 violation continued for failing to comply with DEP consent order. No response requested of owner. DEP inspection report. LPR Energy holds 42 permits.
Sullivan County - Expand OPER LLC
Feb. 17, 2026 inspection of the Signore Unit 1 shale gas well in Elkland Township found inactive status expired on Oct. 7, 2025 and the well is now abandoned and not plugged. The well was found shut in. Response requested by March 25. DEP inspection report.
7 Abandoned Shale Gas Well Violations In 2026
So far in 2026, DEP issued or continued 7 notices of violation for shale gas well abandonment.
Shale Gas Well Spills/Releases
Bradford County - Expand OPER LLC
February 26, 2026 inspection of the Wygrala shale gas well pad in Wysox Township in response to a notification of a release of “frack water” found an unknown amount of frack water mixed with stormwater had been released through a ripped seam in pad wide containment. The same containment was in place during fracking operations in January and earlier in February. An area 75 x 150 feet seemed to be impacted and was blocked off by barricades. Violations issued. Response requested by March 30. DEP inspection report.
Lycoming County - EQT ARO LLC
March 9, 2026 incident inspection of the DCNR Tract 027 South 731 shale gas well pad A in Cummings Township in response to a notification on March 7 of a spill found there was a release of approximately 840,000 gallons of freshwater from an aboveground storage tank. The cause of the release is still under investigation. The release impacted areas up to 261 yards from the pad causing erosion along its path. Field conductivity testing found no elevated readings. Response requested by March 30. DEP inspection report.
Washington County - Range Resources Appalachia LLC
March 10, 2026 inspection of the Burnsworth S&T Unit 14H shale gas well pad in Amwell Township in response to a notification of a spill on March 9 when the spill occurred on March 7 or “sometime over the weekend.” By the time of DEP’s onsite inspection the 25 x 20 foot area impacted by the spill had been cleaned up. The material was identified as 25 gallons of defoamer in a tote that high winds blew over. The tote was placed in secondary containment but the labeling on the tote did not match a Material Safety Data Sheet given to the inspector. Violations issued. Response requested by March 27. DEP inspection report.
Conventional Well Spills/Releases
Erie County - Thomas & Kimberlie Dawson [113 Days]
Feb. 27, 2026 follow-up inspection of the Troyer 3 conventional well in Union Township found no actions had been taken to cleanup release at the site or submit annual production, waste generation and well integrity reports. Original violations issued Nov. 6, 2025, including unlawful conduct for dumping waste. Attempts to reach owner unsuccessful due to incorrect contact information. Violations continued and will be mailed to owner. DEP inspection report. Dawsons hold 1 permit.
Erie County - Niche Energy LLC
Feb. 17, 2026 routine inspection of the Lewis Rea 125 conventional well in Wayne Township found evidence of a production wastewater release from a storage tank. Multiple violations issued, including failure to notify DEP of the spill. A copy of the inspection report was sent to owner. DEP inspection report. Niche Energy holds 191 permits.
Somerset County - Oil & Gas MGMT Inc. [34 Days]
March 10, 2026 follow-up inspection of the Neilan 1 conventional well in Somerset Township found no steps had been taken to remediate the spill and other violations found at the site on Feb. 4, 2026. No response was received to those violations from the owner within 7 days as requested. Violations continued and sent to the owner. DEP inspection report. Oil & Gas MGMT holds 163 permits.
Injection Well Monitoring
Allegheny County - Penneco Environmental Solutions LLC
March 12, 2026 routine inspection of the Sedat 2A conventional well in Plum Borough found the owner beginning to prep the well to turn the producing well into a monitoring well. Penneco operates the Sedat 3A oil and gas wastewater injection well in Plum Boro that DEP inspected on March 4 as a result of a seismic event at a monitoring station for the well on Feb. 7, 2026 at 5:26 a.m. [Read more here] No violations, no requests made of owner. DEP inspection report. Penneco holds 6 permits.
Cementing/Casing Failures
Bradford County - Expand OPER LLC [New]
Feb. 17, 2026 inspection of the Tanner & Hanna 25H, 101HC, 102HC, 105H, 124HC shale gas wells in Wyalusing Township found gas in one or annulus spaces indicating casing/cementing failures in each of the 5 wells. Wells drilled in 2022. Violations issued. Response requested by March 23.
Bradford County - Expand OPER LLC [New]
Feb. 28, 2026 inspection of the Brown Homestead 1H shale gas well in Wyalusing Township found gas in one or annulus spaces indicating casing/cementing failures in the well. Well drilled in 2012. Violations issued. Response requested by March 18. DEP inspection report.
Sullivan County - EXCO Resources PA LLC [5,105 Days]
March 5, 2026 inspection of the Wistar Shaffer Tracts Unit 1H shale gas well in Shrewsbury Township as part of monitoring for casing/cement failure found gas continued to be present. Original violation issued on March 13, 2012. Violations and monitoring continued. DEP inspection report. EXCO Resources holds 272 permits.
Susquehanna County - Expand OPER LLC [406 Days]
March 12, 2026 inspection of the Masso 24HC shale gas well in Auburn Township to observe pressure test as part of monitoring for casing/cement failure. Gas was present. Original violations issued on Jan. 30, 2025. Violations and monitoring will continue. DEP inspection report.
Wyoming County - Expand OPER LLC [2,208 Days]
February 25, 2026 inspection of the DPH NE 1H shale well, DPH NW WYO 4H shale well, DHP S WYO 5H shale well in Windham Township as part of monitoring for casing/cement failures found no gas present. Original violations issued Feb. 10, 2020. Violations and monitoring continued.
Shale Gas Water Withdrawal Exceedences
XTO Energy Inc.
On Feb. 23, 2026, DEP issued violations to XTO Energy Inc. for exceeding water withdrawal limits for shale gas development at two locations. Copies of the violations were not posted and locations unknown.
Erosion & Sedimentation Failures
Note: Spring always brings lots of erosion and sedimentation violations. Check the violations spreadsheet for many more.
Bradford County - Blackhill Energy LLC
March 6, 2026 routine inspection of the Lee North 2H shale gas well pad in Springfield Township found multiple erosion and sedimentation failures at the pad, sediment laden fluids escaping the site and flowing into a wetland and Mill Creek. Multiple violations issued. Response requested by March 24. DEP inspection report. Blackhill holds 102 permits.
Butler County - EQT Prod Co
March 4, 2026 inspection of the F.I. Moninger shale gas well pad in Amwell Township found multiple erosion and sedimentation control measures at the site, including accelerated erosion, sediment laden water and pooling water on the access road. Multiple violations issued. Multiple violations issued. Response requested by March 27. DEP inspection report.
Fayette County - Diversified Prod Inc.
March 2, 2026 follow-up inspection of the Ronco/USX 3A conventional well in German Township found continued erosion and sedimentation control measure failures and absorbent pads in a flow channel leading to wetland. E&S Plan fails to identify wetland. Response requested (including why the absorbent pads are there) by March 16. DEP inspection report.
Fayette County - M4 Energy LLC [119 Days]
March 2, 2026 inspection of the MAWC 7020 1H shale gas well and 3H shale gas well in Springfield Township found the owner still in violation of a May 1, 2025 amendment to a December 16, 2021 DEP order requiring the restoration of wells sites by October 30, 2025. Original violation for failing to comply with the order issued November 3, 2025 and now continued. M4 Energy holds 3 permits.
Greene County - Equitrans LP [EQT]
March 9, 2026 incident inspection of the Swarts and Hunters Cave Natural Gas Storage Area conventional well replacement project in Center Township found multiple instances of non-compliance, ineffective and overwhelmed erosion and sedimentation control measures. Multiple violations issued. Response requested by March 27. DEP inspection report. Equitrans holds 567 permits.
Washington County - Columbia Gas Trans LLC
March 3, 2026 routine inspection of the Donegal Gas Storage Area conventional well project in Donegal Township found multiple failures of erosion and sediment measures with erosion flows. Multiple violations issued. Response requested by March 23. DEP inspection report. Columbia Gas Trans holds 779 permits.
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 Weekly Compliance Dashboard - March 7 to 13: Spring Break Out Of E&S Violations; New Shale Casing/Cementing Failures; 840,000 Gallon Freshwater Release; 21 Abandoned Conventional Well Violations [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - March 14 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 77 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In March 14 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
-- DEP Receives Act 2 Land Recycling Notice On Former Cheswick Power Plant To Be Converted To Springdale A.I. Data Center In Allegheny County [PaEN]
-- DEP Published Notice In March 14 PA Bulletin Of Title V Air Permit Renewal For Homer City Coal-Fired Power Plant Covering Shutdown, Emission Reduction Credits At The Site Of Proposed A.I. Data Center Campus. (PA Bulletin, page 1506)
-- DEP Reaches $11.4 Million Settlement With Four Companies For Bishop Tube Site Cleanup In Chester County; Public Comments Due May 14 [PaEN]
-- DEP Sets April 9 Hearing On Proposed Hazardous Sites Cleanup Response At The Mahoning Street Milton Radioactive Materials Site In Northumberland County [PaEN]
-- DEP Accepting Comments On Proposed Consent Agreement On Landis Creek Hazardous Site In Montgomery County; Comments Due May 14 [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Proposed Purchase/Cleanup Agreement For The Waynesboro TCE Hazardous Site In Franklin County; Comments Due May 14
-- DEP To Hold April 8 Informal Public Conference On Adding 4,380 Acres To Consol Coall Enlow Fork Coal Mine In Greene County [PaEN]
-- DEP Sets April 16 Hearing On Wastewater Permit For PA American Water Manwalamink Treatment Plant In Smithfield Twp., Monroe County [PaEN]
-- Philadelphia Air Management Services To Hold Virtual April 30 Hearing On Air Quality Permit For Children’s Hospital Of Philadelphia Parking Garage [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- DEP’s Initial Findings In First Report On Sampling Landfill Leachate For Radioactive Radium-- 'No Significant Risk To Human Health’ Based On Concerns About Radioactive Materials In Oil/Gas Drilling Wastes; ‘Limited’ Data Means More Sampling Needed [PaEN]
-- Environmental Hearing Board Grants Request By Center For Coalfield Justice To Intervene In EQT Production Co. Appeal Of DEP Records Request In Ongoing Investigation Of 940,000 Gallon Shale Gas Wastewater Spill In Washington County, Six Other Well Pads [PaEN]
-- DEP Tells Environmental Quality Board It Is Looking To Make A Recommendation On Petition To Increase Setbacks From Shale Gas Wells By The End Of 2026 [PaEN]
-- DEP Working With Heirs Of Deceased Owner Of 43 Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells On State Game Land In Venango County To Clarify Current Status [PaEN]
-- DEP Citizens Advisory Council Invites Comments On DEP's Act 54 Report Documenting Adverse Impacts Of Longwall And Underground Coal Mining On Structures, Surface And Ground Water; Report Says 20% Of Undermined Streams Damaged [PaEN]
-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewsClips From Last Week - March 16 [PaEN]
-- Residents Protest Outside Invite-Only Meeting Between Washington County Commissioners, Developers, A.I. Data Center Reps [PaEN]
-- University Of Scranton, Partners Host March 30 In-Person Program On How A.I. Data Centers Are Reshaping Pennsylvania's Energy Landscape, Pearn Auditorium, Scranton [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension Hosts March 31 Webinar - A.I. Data Centers In Pennsylvania Part 2 - Why Here? Why Now? [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves Water Withdrawal Requests, Including An Increase For The Amazon Data Center In Luzerne County [PaEN]
-- PJM Interconnection Latest Power Auction Results In $164.70/MW-Day Clearing Price, Well Below $329/MW-Day Price Cap, Below Collar Floor [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Bloomberg: US Natural Gas Prices Following Global Prices Up And Down During President’s War With Iran
-- Bloomberg: President’s War On Iran Is Good For America’s Natural Gas Industry
-- Post-Gazette/Inside Climate News: Price Spikes Caused By President’s War On Iran Could Have Major Repercussions For US Electricity, Natural Gas Prices [60% Of PA’s Electric Is Generated Using Gas, But The Price Is Set By International Markets]
-- Reuters Commentary: Tracking LNG Natural Gas Flows As Key Global Prices Go Haywire; Prices Likely To Be Elevated For Some Time [60% Of PA’s Electric Is Generated Using Gas, But The Price Is Set By International Markets]
-- Wall Street Journal: Oil/Natural Gas Markets Brace For Lasting Turmoil In The Gulf
-- Financial Times: Iran War Energy Shock Will Force Businesses To Rethink Energy [Beyond Oil/Natural Gas] ‘No One Will Leave Themselves Exposed Like This Again’ [PDF of Article]
-- The Economist: An Attack On The World Economy - Whatever Happens In The Strait Of Hormuz, Energy Markets Have Been Changed For Ever [PDF of Article]
-- AP: As Iran War Shakes Oil/Natural Gas Energy System, Some See Powerful Argument For Renewable Energy [Homegrown Renewable Energy Has Never Been Cheaper, More Accessible Or More Scalable]
-- Wall Street Journal: Oil Prices Spike As IEA Declares Biggest-Ever Supply Disruption
-- TribLive: US DOE Secretary - $6 A Gallon Gasoline Not Ruled Out
-- Bloomberg: $5 Heating Oil Arrives In US In Latest Fuel Pain Point Resulting From President’s War On Iran
-- Financial Times: Iran War Causing Largest Disruption In History To Oil Supplies, Says IEA [PDF of Article]
-- Bloomberg: Brent Crude Oil Trades Above $100 As Iran Vows To Keep Hormuz Closed; US Issues 2nd Waiver To Allow Russia To Sell Oil
-- The Hill: The President - ‘When Oil Prices Go Up, We [Oil Companies] Make A Lot Of Money’
-- Reuters: The President - US [Oil Companies] Benefit From High Oil Prices, But Priority Is Stopping Iran
[Posted: March 14, 2026 ] PA Environment Digest
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