DEP Issues 17 More Violations For Abandoning, Not Plugging Conventional Oil & Gas Wells To 15 Companies In 11 Counties; Total Of 42 Abandoned Well Violations In September

In September, the Department of Environmental Protection issued or continued 17 more violations to 15 conventional oil and gas well owners for abandoning and not plugging their wells in 11 counties.

These are in addition to--

-- 16 violations issued to Mifflin Energy Resources LLC for abandoning and not plugging wells in Washington and Greene Townships, Greene County.  Read more here.

-- 6 violations issued to American Natural Resources LLC for failure to comply with an order to plug abandoned wells in Allegheny County.  Read more here.

-- 3 violations issued to HR McClure for failure to plug abandoned wells in Greene County. Read more here.

DEP also did inspections of nearly 300 abandoned conventional oil and gas wells as part of the federally-funded Well Plugging Program during September.

The additional violations were issued to--

Allegheny County

-- Trafford Boro: D&B Gas Production Inc. - Trafford Center 1 - 9.4.26

Armstrong County

-- Madison Twp: MGPR LLC - M. Douthett 1 - 9.2.26

Butler County

-- Parker Twp: B&K Partnership - Bruce & Kevin Smith 1 - 9.1.26

-- Oakland Twp: Brighter Properties LLC - Waltman 1 - 9.28.26

Cambria County

-- Munster Twp.: Vessels Coal Gas Inc. - Gergely 1 - 9.3.26

Erie County

-- Erie City: Kingsley United Methodist Church - Kingsley UM Church 1 - 9.21.26

-- Erie City: St. Lukes Catholic Church - St. Luke Ch 1 - 9.30.26

-- Harborcreek Twp: Erma L. Berry - Berry 1 - 9.18.26

-- Harborcreek Twp.: Gannon University - Gannon Farm 1 - 9.18.26

Fayette County

-- Perry Twp.: James E. Brumage - John E. Matway 1, John E & Anna Matway 4 - 9.24.26

Greene County

-- Wayne Twp.: HR McClure - JB Coen 14 - 9.2.26

Somerset County

-- Stonycreek Twp.: Alloy Energy LLC - Thomas Benson 1 - 9.29.26

Venango County

-- Irwin Twp.: S.C. Hoffman - Rober E & Merle Gilmore 2 - 9.22.26

Washington County

-- Hanover Twp: Prosperity Oil Co. Inc. - G. Tennan 2, G. Tennan 7 - 9.17.26

Westmoreland County

-- Unity Twp: Michael Harju - James N. Johns 1 - 9.25.26

Details on each of the wells are available through DEP’s Inspection Reports Viewer webpage using the company name and date of inspection.

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.]

Related Articles This Week:

-- FracTracker Alliance/DEP Report Owners Of Over 81,000 Conventional Oil & Gas Wells Did Not Report How Much Waste They Produced In 2025; DEP Proposes Changes To Eliminate Failure To Report Waste information  [PaEN]  

-- DEP Issues 17 More Violations For Abandoning, Not Plugging Conventional Oil & Gas Wells To 15 Companies In 11 Counties; Total Of 42 Abandoned Well Violations In September  [PaEN]  

-- DEP: Equipment Failure At Catalyst Energy Injection Well Results In Contaminated Water Discharges In Keating Twp., McKean County [PaEN] 

-- DEP - Day 202: Ows Acquisition Co Conventional Well Site Still Discharging Contaminated Water In the City Of Hermitage, Mercer County  [PaEN] 

-- DEP - Day 873: Contaminated Water Still Leaking From Stonehaven Energy Conventional Oil & Gas Well Storage Tank In Clearfield County  [PaEN]  

-- DEP: Pipeline Excavation Hits Conventional Oil & Gas Well Drill Cuttings Disposal Area At Eastern Gas Transmission Oakford Gas Storage Area In Westmoreland County  [PaEN] 

-- Marcellus Drilling News: 2 EQT Shale Gas Subsidiaries Lose Bid To Toss West Virginia Kids Health Lawsuit From Federal Court  [PaEN]

[Posted: October 1, 2026]  PA Environment Digest