PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP Evaluating 37 Conventional Oil & Gas Wells In Venango County For Plugging As A Result Of Owner’s Death

On August 12, 2026, the Department of Environmental Protection posted inspection reports on 37 conventional oil and gas wells owned by the late Daniel L. Heath documenting visits to the sites by DEP and contractors as part of an evaluation of their status for well plugging.

All but one of the conventional wells are located in Cranberry Township, Venango County. The remaining well is located in Barkeyville Borough.

The wells were not only abandoned and not plugged, but the owner had failed to submit annual production, waste generation and well integrity reports for some time.

Some wells were also found to be leaking gas and fluids.

DEP continued or issued multiple violations to each well as part of its enforcement record.

The inspection reports were all very similar to these examples: Faren 2, Farren 10, Farren 11, Ridgeway 3 HDL-2-R, Oneil 5 HDL-1-R,

Click Here for links to all the DEP inspection reports.

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: Examples of Heath conventional well sites.)

[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:

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Snapshot - Aug. 8 to 14

-- DEP - Day 632: Seneca Resources Installs Trench, Concrete Catch Basin To Collect Continuing Releases Of Contaminated Water From The Taft Shale Gas Well Pad In Middlebury Twp., Tioga County [PaEN]

-- DEP Nucomer Energy LLC Making Progress Reclaiming Shale Gas Water Impoundment In Forest County Nearly 14 Years After It Was No Longer In Use, 981 Days After A DEP Order Requiring Restoration [PaEN]

-- DEP Evaluating 37 Conventional Oil & Gas Wells In Venango County For Plugging As A Result Of Owner’s Death [PaEN]

-- DEP: Keystone Crude LLC Making Progress On Spills, Releases At 3 Conventional Gas Well Sites In Allegheny County Dating Back To 2024 [PaEN]

-- DEP: Trinity Mineral Partners Report Release Of Contaminated Water From Conventional Oil & Gas Wells From A 44,100 Gallon Battery Of 5 Storage Tanks In Warren County; Inspection Of 2nd Trinity Spill Site Shows No Cleanup Progress [PaEN]

-- Allegheny County - D & B Gas Production LLC - Conventional Well Compressor Leak: August 10, 2026 routine inspection of the Springdale Boro 1 conventional well in Springdale Township found gas was leaking from a compressor onsite. Violation issued, response requested by Aug. 28. DEP inspection report.

-- Elk County - Pin Oak Energy Partners LLC - Improperly Abandoned Gas Pipeline [297 Days] August 7, 2026 follow-up inspection of an abandoned conventional gas gathering line crossing Pine Run stream in Ridgway Township found the pipeline needs to be capped to prevent the stream from entering and discarded pipeline needs to be removed. Original violations Oct. 14, 2025. Violations continued. DEP inspection report.

-- Tioga County - Seneca Resources Co LLC - Shale Gas Casing/Cement Failure [621 Days] July 27, 2026 inspection of the Taft 75HU Utica shale gas well in Middlebury Township for casing/cementing failure found gas still present. Original violation Nov. 13, 2024, violation continued. DEP inspection report. This same pad has continuing wastewater releases

-- Washington County - EQT Production Co. - Conventional Well Venting Gas: August 3, 2026 inspection of the Ellsworth Collieries 3256 conventional gas well in Somerset Township found the well venting gas. Violations issued. Response requested by Aug. 28. DEP inspection report.

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - August 15 [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Air Quality Permit For Installation Of 86 More Backup Diesel Generators, Fuel Storage Tanks For An Expansion Of The Existing Amazon Data Center In Salem Twp., Luzerne County [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Proposed Use Of Emission Credits By Invitium Energy LLC [PPL-Blackstone Joint Venture] For Proposed Shermans Dale Natural Gas Power Plant In Carroll Twp., Perry County To Feed Data Centers [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Chapter 105 Permit For Construction Of A Shale Gas Water Withdrawal Structure In The Susquehanna River By Expand Operating LLC In Standing Stone Twp., Bradford County [PaEN]

-- DEP Issues Chapter 102 Permit For Northeast Natural Gas Supply Enhancement Project Quarryville Loop, Compressor Station 200 In Chester, Lancaster Counties [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 58 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In August 15 PA Bulletin [PaEN]

-- Public Utility Commission Sets Oct. 29 Prehearing On Transource Pennsylvania, LLC 230kV Project 9A West Transmission Line In Franklin County [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Stormwater Permit For PPL Electric Stanton Summit Transmission Line Rebuild In Lackawanna, Luzerne Counties [PaEN]