To give the public a better understanding of the compliance record of oil and gas industrial facilities in Pennsylvania, PA Environment Digest developed this feature summarizing the more serious violations DEP reports through its Compliance Reporting Database on a weekly basis -- Saturday through Friday.

This feature is in addition to -- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment-- which lists the permits DEP is considering and has issued for oil and gas facilities.

Taken together, the public will get a weekly report on how the oil and gas industry is expanding across Pennsylvania and the kinds of environmental violations reported as a result of DEP’s inspections.

Send your feedback on these features to: paenvirodigest@gmail.com .

Weekly Summary

From November 12 through 18, DEP inspections resulted in reporting 178 violations of environmental regulations-- 178 violations by the conventional oil and gas industry and 0 violations by the unconventional shale natural gas industry.

So far this year-- as of November 11-- DEP issued 4,483 formal notices of violation to conventional operators and 1,005 to unconventional shale gas operators.

The most significant problem reported again this week was seven instances of failure to plug conventional oil and gas wells upon abandoning them by BCD Prop. Inc. in Erie County (1); Diamond Energy Partners in Mercer County (1) and Allshouse Excav in Venango County (1).

The second most significant issue was the failure of River Ridge Gravel Co. to file annual production and waste disposal reports and well integrity reports for 34 wells in Venango County.

The production and waste report is critical to understanding how much wastewater and other waste those wells generated and where it was disposed of.

The annual integrity report is critical because it helps ensure the operator is taking the steps needed to prevent natural gas, oil or contaminated water leaks from oil and gas wells.

Report Violations

To report oil and gas violations or any environmental emergency or complaint, visit DEP’s Environmental Complaint webpage.

Check These Resources

Visit DEP’s Compliance Reporting Database webpage to search their compliance records by date and operator.

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.

Violation Details

Violations Reported - Conventional

3 -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It

3 -- Discharged Waste Into Waters Of Commonwealth

2 -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth

3 -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit

1 -- Failed To Collect Brine And Properly Manage Wastewater

2 -- Failure To Construct Well To Maintain Its Integrity

40 -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

37 -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

Company/Location/Violations - Conventional

Bradford County

    - Smithfield Twp. - Harkness Impoundment

    -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth

Erie County

-- BCD Prop Inc. - McKean Twp. - Sekula 1

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- BCD Prop Inc. - McKean Twp. - Froehlich 1

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- BCD Prop Inc. - McKean Twp. - Kosienski 4

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- BCD Prop Inc. - McKean Twp. - Dougherty 1

    -- Discharged Waste Into Waters Of Commonwealth

    -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit

    -- Failed To Collect Brine And Properly Manage Wastewater

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- BCD Prop Inc. - McKean Twp. - Flak 1

    -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It

    -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- Nucomer Energy LLC - Venango Twp. - Richard Leisure 1

        -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

Greene County

-- Diversified Prod LLC - Cumberland Twp. - USX 24

    -- Failure To Construction Well To Maintain Its Integrity

McKean County

-- PennHills Resources LLC - Hamilton Twp. - West W318

    -- Discharged Waste Into Waters Of Commonwealth

    -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit

    -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth

Mercer County

-- Diamond Energy Partners - Otter Creek Twp. - Shilling V 1

        -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It

Venango County

-- Allshouse Excav - Allegheny Twp. - Zimmerman 17

     -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It

-- OWS Energy LLC - Canal Twp. - Stolenburg 1

    -- Failure To Construct Well To Maintain Its Integrity

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 75 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 64 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 65 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 45 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 7R Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 77 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 102 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 105 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 112 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 132 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 6R Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 103 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 104 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - INC 14 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 8R Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 61 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 62 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 2R Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 86 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 87 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 1R Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 5R Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 128 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 100 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 44 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 56 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 63 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 3R Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 4R Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 1R Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 58 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 73 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 88 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- River Ridge Gravel Co - Cranberry Twp. - 89 Well

    -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

Violations Reported - Unconventional Shale Gas

-- No violations for unconventional shale gas facilities reported by DEP 

[Note: If you believe your company was listed in error, contact DEP’s Oil and Gas Program.]

Transition:

-- What Can We Expect From Gov. Shapiro, Lt. Gov. Davis On Environmental, Energy Issues?  [PaEN]

-- WITF: Gov.-Elect Shapiro Lays Out Transition Plans, Policy Goals In First Press Appearance

-- Spotlight PA: Democrats Win Control Of State House After Picking Up 12 Seats

-- AP: PA Democrats Win Enough For Narrow State House Majority

-- Spotlight PA: Democratic Takeover Of State House Will Be A Little Messy To Start, Here’s Why

Related Articles - Oil & Gas Industry Compliance This Week:

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Nov. 12 To 18  [PaEN]

-- DEP Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment -- Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities [PaEN]

-- DEP Assesses $200,000 In Penalties For Drilling Wastewater Spills By CNX In Greene County  [PaEN]

-- StateImpact PA - Reid Frazier: CNX Fined $200,000 For Natural Gas-Related Spills In Greene County  [Note: Conventional oil and gas drillers reported illegally spreading 977,671 gallons of untreated drilling wastewater on Pennsylvania roads in 2021.  DEP did not penalize one.  Read more here.]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Proposed Cryptocurrency Data Mining Operation On Shale Gas Well Pad In Elk County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Texas Eastern Pipeline Replacement Projects Affecting Cambria, Fayette, Huntingdon, Indiana, Lebanon Counties  [PaEN]

Related Articles- Oil & Gas This Week:

-- Center For Coalfield Justice Holds First Water Distribution Day Nov. 19 To Help Provide Families Drinking Water In Greene County Following Alleged ‘Frack-Out’ At Natural Gas Well Site In June  [PaEN]

-- Washington County Family Lawsuit Alleges Shale Gas Company Violated The Terms Of Their Lease By Endangering Their Health, Contaminating Their Water Supply And Not Protecting Their Land  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette: Efforts To Stop A Natural Gas Leak For The Last 13 Days At A Cambria County Underground Gas Storage Area Have Failed, Gas Is Again Escaping  [PaEN]

-- AP: Leak At Pennsylvania Natural Gas Storage Well Spewing Methane

-- StateImpactPA - Reid Frazier: Natural Gas Leak In Cambria County, Thought To Have Been Stopped, Is Leaking Again

-- Shale Gas & Public Health Conference: We've Got Enough Compelling Evidence To Enact Health Protective Policies For Families Now - By Edward C. Ketyer, M.D., President, Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

-- Shale Gas & Public Health Conference: When It Started, It Was Kind Of Nice, But What Happened Afterwards Really Kind Of Devastated Our Community - By Rev. Wesley Silva, former Council President Marianna Borough, Washington County  [PaEN]

-- Shale Gas & Public Health Conference: Living Near Oil & Gas Facilities Means Higher Health Risks, The Closer You Live, The Higher The Risk - By Nicole Deziel PhD MHS, Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health  [PaEN]

-- Shale Gas & Public Health Conference: Economically, Socially Deprived Areas In PA Have A Much Greater Chance Of Having Oil & Gas Waste Disposed In Their Communities - By Joan Casey, PhD, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health  [PaEN]

-- Environmental Health Project 2022 Annual Report - 10th Anniversary, A Milestone Year

-- YaleEnvironment360 - Jon Hurdle: As Evidence Mounts, New Concerns About Fracking And Health

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Meets Dec. 15 On Water Withdrawal Requests, Including 3 Oil & Gas, Three Mile Island Withdrawal Renewals [PaEN]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Natural Gas Drilling Ban Supporters See Wider Effort In Allegheny County Towns

-- PA Capital-Star: Pennsylvania Needs To Address Its Continuing Oil & Gas Well Abandonment Problem, Here’s How - By Sierra Club

-- Beaver County Residents, Allies Launch New Shell Ethane Plant Accountability Campaign With Nov. 21 Webinar  [PaEN]

-- Public Source: Citizen Scientists Prepare To Monitor Shale Ethane Plant In Beaver County

-- PUC Alerts Consumers Utility Natural Gas Costs Will Be Going Up By As Much As 128%, Electric Costs Will Be Going Up By As Much As 34%; Both Driven By Cost Of Natural Gas On World Markets  [PaEN]

-- IRRC Approves Final VOC/Methane Emission Limits On Conventional Oil & Gas Wells - Federal Highway Funds Still At Risk; And First State MCL For PFOS/PFOA  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette/Capitolwire.com: Will An Act Of ‘Spite’ By PA House Republicans Cost The State Hundreds Of Millions In Federal Transportation Funding?  [Blocking Methane Limits On Oil & Gas Facilities]

-- Young Evangelicals For Climate Action Celebrates Stronger Proposed EPA Oil & Gas Methane Standard  [PaEN]

-- Environmental Health Project Calls Proposed EPA Oil & Gas Methane Emissions Rule Good First Step [PaEN]

-- MCall: Hundreds Of Bethlehem Residents Able To Return Home Hours After 6,000 Gallons Of Gasoline, Diesel Spill

-- DCED Awards $338,174 Grant To UGI Utilities For Construction Of A Natural Gas Regulation Station In Monroe County

-- WHYY: Community Benefits Agreement Talks To Start In 2023 For Former Philly Refinery Redevelopment

Impact Of Oil & Gas Industry:

-- PA Environment Digest Articles On Health & Environmental Impacts Of Oil & Gas Industry 

[Posted: November 18, 2022]

11/21/2022