Follow these links to spreadsheets showing the violations and inspections occurring between March 14 to 20--
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 13--
-- NOVs Issued In Last Week: 28 conventional, 22 unconventional
-- Year To Date - NOVs Issued: 848 conventional and 231 unconventional
-- Enforcements 2025: 72 conventional and 58 unconventional (orders, agreements)
-- Inspections Last Week: 316 conventional and 417 unconventional
-- Year To Date - Inspections: 3,493 conventional and 5,408 unconventional
DEP To Tighten Coproduct Rules On Waste Disposal
On March 19, DEP told the Solid Waste Advisory Committee it will tighten the coproduct provisions in the Residual Waste regulations that conventional oil and gas well owners attempted to use as justification for the unrestricted disposal of their wastewater on public dirt and paved roads.
DEP said the existing regulations allowed--
-- Situations where a proposed coproduct is compared to a product or produced raw material but fails to perform its intended use;
-- Situations where the product or produced raw material, or that a particular waste stream, is not able to achieve consistency in its chemical and physical characterization because the process by which the waste is generated is not consistent; and
-- Situations where the use of the waste as a coproduct presents negative impacts, such as damaging infrastructure, or harming livestock or fauna, or posing a risk as a result of discharges to surface waters.
Each of these loopholes is something conventional well owners tried to exploit to dispose of their wastewater for free on public roads. Read more here.
6 Abandoned Conventional Well Violations
Allegheny County - Gordon L. & Donna J. Corbin
March 11, 2026 inspection of the Hess 34 conventional well in Fawn Township found the well abandoned and not plugged. Owner failed to submit production, waste generation and well integrity reports. Violations issued. Response requested by April 3. DEP inspection report. Corbins hold one permit.
Crawford County - Hiysota Fuel Co
March 9, 2026 inspection of the Addie Foster 1H conventional well in Troy Township found the well abandoned and not plugged. Owner failed to submit production, waste generation and well integrity reports. Well was never inspected. Violations issued. No response requested of owner. DEP inspection report. Hiysota holds one permit.
Fayette County - EQT Chap LLC
March 10, 2026 inspection of the Francis R. Griffin conventional well in Nicholson Township found the well abandoned and not plugged. Violations issued. Response requested by March 31. DEP inspection report. EQT Chap LLC holds 430 permits.
Washington County - EJ Brumage & RA Pultorak [972 Days]
March 17, 2026 compliance evaluation of the Roberts 2 and Roberts 3 conventional wells in North Bethlehem Township found the wells abandoned and not plugged and in violation of a DEP order to plug the wells. No steps taken to comply with the order. Original violations for well construction and venting gas issued on July 19, 2023. Violations continued. Response requested by April 6. Brumage & Pultorak hold 59 permits.
Westmoreland County - K Petroleum Inc. [59 Days]
March 13, 2026 follow-up inspection of the M.E. Ludwick 2 conventional well in Washington Township found the well is still abandoned and not plugged and owner failed to take steps to address violations issued on Jan. 13, 2026. Violations continued. Response requested by April 3. DEP inspection report. K Petroleum holds 154 permits.
127 Abandoned Conventional Well Violations In 2026
So far in 2026, DEP issued or continued 127 notices of violation for conventional oil and gas well abandonment.
Conventional Well Venting/Leaking Gas
Crawford County - OWS Energy LLC [145 Days]
March 9, 2026 follow-up inspection of the Dale Gum 2 conventional well in Wayne Township found the well was still venting gas in a manner that creates a public nuisance. No action taken to fix the problem since the original violation was issued on Oct. 15, 2025. Violations continued. A copy of the inspection report was sent to the owner. DEP inspection report. OWS Energy holds 2,623 permits, including one abandoned well.
Erie County - Greenway Energy LLC
March 6, 2026 routine inspection of the Milton Allen 1 conventional well in Waterford Township found natural gas bubbling out of the ground. The leak was determined to be from underground pipes leading from the well. The owner was contacted and said he would fix the problem. DEP returned on March 12 and found the gas leak was not fixed and issued a violation issued. DEP inspection report Greenway holds 289 permits, including 4 abandoned wells.
Erosion/Sedimentation Violations
Fayette County - The Production Co LLC [1,531 Days]
March 9, 2026 follow-up inspection of the Rell Corp 1 and Rell Corp 2 conventional wells in Franklin Township found the owner continues to fail to comply with a Dec. 29, 2021 order to restore the well sites and access road to the well sites. Aug. 15, 2024 violation for failing to comply with order continued. Response requested by April 3. The Production Co holds 19 permits.
Greene County - EQT Prod Co
March 10, 2026 inspection of the Heart shale gas well pad in Wayne Township found evidence of five slope failures at different locations around the well pad ranging from 150 to 200 feet to 20 feet in width. The failures had been temporarily stabilized, but cracking was observed. Violations issued. Response requested by March 27. DEP inspection report.
Failed To Submit Shale Gas Production/Waste Reports
On March 20, 2026, DEP issued violations (not online) to these companies for failure to submit monthly shale gas production and waste generation reports--
-- Frontier Natural Resources
-- Iron City Wells LLC
-- John E. McCool
-- Medina Res Dev Co LLC
-- Stone Ridge Energy LLC
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 14 to 20 - Conventional Well Owners Failed To Comply With Orders To Plug Wells, Restore Drilling Sites; Stop Gas From Bubbling Out Of The Ground [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - March 21 [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On Chapter 105 Permit For 5-Mile Long Expand Operating LLC Water Pipeline To Support Shale Gas Development In Auburn Twp., Susquehanna County [PaEN]
-- DEP Issued Chapter 105 Permit For Homer City Generation LP A.I. Data Center Campus Natural Gas Power Plant Site In Indiana County [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approved 22 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use General Permits In February; 54 In 2026 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 64 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In March 21 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
-- DEP Invites Comments On A Chapter 105 Permit For The Limerick 67 MW PECO Energy Transmission Line Crossing The Schuylkill River In Chester, Montgomery Counties [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- DEP To Tighten Residual Waste Coproduct Regulations That Allow Unrestricted Disposal Of Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater By Dumping It On Public Roads [PaEN]
-- The Allegheny Front: Allegheny County Health Dept. To Make Recommendations On How To Better Protect Residents From Health Impacts Of Shale Gas Development [PaEN]
-- The Allegheny Front: DEP Proposes Shell Petrochemical Plant Air Permit With Higher Emission Limits In Beaver County [PaEN]
-- Gov. Shapiro Joins Other States In Lawsuit Against EPA Over Repeal Of 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding [PaEN]
-- LancasterOnline.com Guest Essay: Despite EPA’s Decision To Repeal The Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding - You Can’t Fool Mother Nature - By Richard D. Clark, Professor of Atmospheric Science Emeritus, Millersville University [PaEN]
-- Physicians For Social Responsibility-PA Establishes Scientific Advisory Board To Advise The Group On Scientific Issues [PaEN]
-- PA House Committee Hears How Virtual Power Plants, Advanced Transmission Line Technologies Allow Us To Quickly Get More Out Of Our Energy Infrastructure In Less Time, Without Huge Investments Or Delays [PaEN]
-- PennFuture Calls For A Statewide Pause On A.I. Data Center Development Until Lawmakers Can Adopt Strict Policies To Site These Facilities Properly [PaEN]
-- DEP Invests $10 Million To Support 6 Projects To Improve Electric Grid Reliability And Resiliency In 9 Counties [PaEN]
-- Mon Valley Initiative, PA Solar Center Announce RFP For Qualified Solar Developers [PaEN]
-- Green Building Alliance To Hold Free Virtual Green Professional Operations & Maintenance Certification Training For PreK-12 School Facilities Teams April 29 – May 1; Technical Assistance Available [PaEN]
-- PUC: Deadly West Reading Chocolate Factory Explosion Prompts PUC Safety Complaint Against UGI Proposing $2,576,627 In Penalties [PaEN]
-- PUC Schedules 10 Hearings On Proposed UGI Utilities 8.05% Natural Gas Distribution Rate Increase Starting March 30 [PaEN]
-- PUC Sets Hearings On Proposed National Fuel Gas 7.4% Natural Gas Distribution Rate Increase Starting March 31 [PaEN]
-- DCED Invests $1.4 Million To Expand Natural Gas Service To Customers In Bradford, Somerset County [PaEN]
-- PA Senate Republicans Pass Bill To Protect The Right Of Pennsylvanians To Drive Diesel And Gasoline Powered Vehicles; Average PA Price Of Gasoline Rose 82 Cents To $3.93/Gallon Since Feb. 27 [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Post-Gazette: President’s Spokesperson Announces $17 Billion South Mon Natural Gas Power Plant To Produce 4.3 GW Of Power In SW PA [No Details Available, Fetterman, McCormick Have No Information]
-- NextEra Energy Receives Approval From President For Up To 10 GW Of Natural Gas Power Generation, Including 4.3 GW Plant In SW PA [No Details On How Much Power Will Be Available To Anyone Other Than Data Centers]
-- Post-Gazette: PA Awaits Information About New 4.3 GW Natural Gas Power Plant In SW PA: ‘Will Play A Critical Role In Meeting The Rapidly Growing Electricity Demand’ [Code Words For Data Centers]
-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader/AP: President Urges Congress To ‘Preempt State A.I. Laws’ That He Views As Too Burdensome
-- WPXI: Beaver County Shell Petrochemical Plant Seeking Air Quality Permit, Residents Express Concerns
-- WTAE: Shell Petrochemical Plant Wastewater Treatment Plan Raises Environmental Concerns In Beaver County
-- CapitolWire: Pennsylvania Scraps RGGI Carbon Market, Races To Build More Natural Gas Power Plants [For A.I. Data Centers]
-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Taylor Allderdice High School Students In Pittsburgh Are Raising $5,000 To Fund A Well Done Foundation Project To Plug A Conventional Oil & Gas Well To Reduce Methane Emissions
-- PA Capital-Star: Pain Of Soaring Gasoline, Diesel, Heating Oil, Propane Prices Compounded By Electricity, Natural Gas Increases Across Pennsylvania
-- PUC Schedules 10 Hearings On Proposed UGI Utilities 8.05% Natural Gas Distribution Rate Increase Starting March 30 [PaEN]
-- PUC Sets Hearings On Proposed National Fuel Gas 7.4% Natural Gas Distribution Rate Increase Starting March 31 [PaEN]
-- Scranton Times: PPL Utilities: A.I. Data Centers Are Poised To Consume More Electricity Than Northeast PA Can Deliver [PDF of Article]
-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: Precedent-Setting PPL Utility Rate Proposal Would Protect Residential Electricity Customers From A.I. Data Center Costs
-- Utility Dive: North American Electric Reliability Corp: January’s Winter Storm Fern Was ‘Classic Near-Miss’ For US Electric Grid As Reliability Risks Are Risking
-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader/AP: Energy Fallout From President’s War On Iran Signals A Global Wake-Up Call For Renewable Energy
-- Bloomberg TV: As Iran War Continues, Natural Gas Prices Soar; How The Market For Natural Gas Is Being Upended By The War
-- Bloomberg: Attacks On Qatar LNG Natural Gas Facilities Make Worst Nightmare A Reality Leaving Buyers Scrambling For Supplies [American Customers Must Now Compete For Their Own US Gas As Prices Spike]
-- Bloomberg: Oil And Natural Gas Prices Jump As Strikes On Gulf Facilities Escalate Threatening Long-Term Damage
-- Food & Water Watch Blog: President’s War Against Iran Exposes The Lie Of How ‘Energy Independence’ Based On Oil & Natural Gas Will Lower Prices For Consumers - Prices Are Unbreakably Linked To International Markets As War Price Spikes Again Show
-- Inside Climate News: Iran War Shows That Doubling Down On Oil/Natural Gas Is ‘Delusional,’ UN Climate Chief Says
[Posted: March 21, 2026 ] PA Environment Digest
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