PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP - Day 1,331: Big Dog Energy LLC Shale Gas Well Pad Lacks Secondary Containment To Contain Spills, Has No Emergency Response Plan In Westmoreland County

On August 26, 2026, the Department of Environmental Protection reported the Schimizzi S&M 1 shale gas well DEP said is owned by Big Dog Energy LLC in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County lacks secondary containment to contain contaminated water spills and had no emergency response plan onsite.

The violations for failure to construct secondary containment around multiple contaminated water tanks and lack of an emergency response plan were first issued on Jan. 3, 2023.

This vertical shale gas well-- drilled in April 2005-- has a compliance history littered with violations, including for failure to submit production, waste and well integrity reports since 2014 and well abandonment.

On Sept. 23, 2020, DEP issued multiple violations to Mieka LLC-- the then owner of the well-- for failing to submit production, waste and well integrity reports.

On Feb. 15, 2022, DEP issued a violation to Mieka LLC for abandoning and not plugging the well.

On Oct. 3, 2022, DEP issued multiple violations to Mieka LLC for spills on the site from deteriorated contaminated water tanks and failure to construct secondary containment that have been continued since then.

Both Mieka LLC and Big Dog Energy LLC failed to respond for years in any way to violations issued by DEP or address the spills on the site since at least the 2020 violations, DEP said in its inspection reports.

Big Dog Energy did respond on April 2, 2026 in an email to some recurring violations issued on March 27, 2026 saying they sold the well to Murphy Production in 2024-- but apparently had not filed the required transfer request with DEP.

Big Dog Energy said-- “in regards to the spill there was none” (in spite of DEP photos and field testing in DEP’s inspection report)-- adding they would put up another sign at the site and put an emergency response plan at the pad so the well can be transferred to Murphy.

In a separate email statement to PA Environment Digest, Big Dog Energy said it “disputes DEP’s application” of the secondary containment requirement to this site “absent a legally applicable post-2016 trigger.”

DEP continued the violations for the spills, failure to have an emergency response plan and for not constructing secondary containment in its August 26, 2026 inspection report.

DEP sent the inspection report to Big Dog Energy, but checked the box on the form that says-- “No further response required at this time.”

Big Dog Energy holds 23 permits and is based in Westmoreland County.

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: Well site in January 2023, Well site on Aug. 26, 2026.)

[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:

-- Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Snapshot - August 29 to September 4 [PaEN]

-- DEP: Shell Petrochemical Plant Pays Another $15 Million In Penalties For Latest Air Pollution Violations In Beaver County; Air Pollution Penalties Total $27.6 Million Since Plant Opened [PaEN]

-- Inside Climate News: Energy Transfer/Sunoco Files Lawsuit To Preempt Criminal Charges By PA Attorney General In Bucks County Jet Fuel Pipeline Spill, Asks For State Clean Streams Law To Be Declared Unconstitutional [PaEN]

-- DEP: An Estimated 336,000 Gallons Of Fracking Flowback Water Was Released During An Uncontrolled Shale Gas Well Incident At The INR OPR LLC Cooper Well Pad In Young Twp., Indiana County [PaEN]

-- DEP - Day 1,331: Big Dog Energy LLC Shale Gas Well Pad Lacks Secondary Containment To Contain Spills, Has No Emergency Response Plan In Westmoreland County [PaEN]

-- DEP - Day 2,447: American Natural Resources LLC Fails To Comply, Does Not Respond To Order To Plug 6 Conventional Wells It Abandoned In Allegheny County [PaEN]

-- DEP - Day 221: HR McClure Fails To Plug 3 Conventional Oil & Gas Wells It Abandoned In Greene County; Failed To Submit Production, Waste, Well Integrity Reports For 5 Years [PaEN]

-- DEP: Contaminated Reuse Water Used In Fracking Overtopped Containment; Tank Truck Carrying Contaminated Water Rolls Over At Range Resources Appalachia Shale Gas Well Pad In Lycoming County [PaEN]

-- DEP - Day 545: Oil & Gas MGMT Inc Failed To Finish Cleanup Of Conventional Oil Well Spills Or Respond To DEP Violations In Westmoreland County [PaEN]

-- DEP: Wilmoth Interests Inc. Improperly Disposed Of Oil-Contaminated Soil From A Spill At An Allegheny National Forest Conventional Well Site In Warren County [PaEN]

-- 88 Abandoned Conventional Wells Inspected For Federal Well Plugging Program