From December 31 to January 6, DEP’s Compliance Reporting Database shows oil and gas inspectors filed 634 inspection reports that resulted in 29 violations of environmental regulations-- 17 violations by the conventional oil and gas industry and 12 violations by unconventional shale natural gas industry.

In 2022, DEP issued a record 5,059 notices of violation to conventional oil and gas operators and 1,148 notices of violation to unconventional shale gas operators.  Read more here.

The conventional oil and gas operators had these major violations last week--

-- Diamond Energy Partners: Failure to plug a well upon abandoning it (Crawford County)

-- Marco Drilling Inc. (Allegheny County), Dannic Energy Corp (Westmoreland County) and Kriebel Acquisition Co, LLC (Westmoreland County) all had these violations--

     -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth

     -- Failed To Collect Brine And Properly Manage Wastewater

     -- Failed To Properly Dispose Of Fluids, Wastes, Drill Cuttings

The unconventional shale gas operator Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC had major problems with a well at the Jacobson Unit 3HX pad, including--

-- Casing & Cementing Failed To Prevent Migration Of Gas, Prevent Pollution

-- Failed to Prevent Gas Flow in the Annulus

-- Failed to Report Casing & Cementing Failed To Prevent Migration Of Gas, Prevent Pollution

-- Well Construction & Operation Failed To Prevent Brine, Servicing Fluid From Discharging

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.

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Violation Details

Violations Reported - Conventional

1 -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It

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

3 -- Failed To Properly Dispose Of Fluids, Wastes, Drill Cuttings

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

3 -- Failed To Collect Brine And Properly Manage Wastewater

1 -- Failed To Design, Implement Erosion & Sedimentation Controls To Prevent Pollution

1 -- Failed To Stabilize the Well Site

Company/Location/Violations - Conventional

Allegheny County

-- Marco Drilling Inc. - Harmar Twp. - DFGT Properties LLC

     -- Failed To Properly Dispose Of Fluids, Wastes, Drill Cuttings

     -- Failed To Collect Brine And Properly Manage Wastewater

     -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth

Crawford County

-- Diamond Energy Partners - West Mead Twp. - Molan 1

     -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It

McKean County

-- Amer Energy Inc. - Lewis Run Borough - Swamp Angele Section IV

     -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth

     -- Failed To Design, Implement Erosion & Sedimentation Controls To Prevent Pollution

     -- Failed To Stabilize the Well Site

Westmoreland County

-- Dannic Energy Corp - Derry Twp. - Janoscrat 1

     -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth

     -- Failed To Collect Brine And Properly Manage Wastewater

     -- Failed To Properly Dispose Of Fluids, Wastes, Drill Cuttings

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

-- Kriebel Acquisition Co, LLC - North Huntingdon Twp. - Bozich 2

     -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth

     -- Failed To Properly Dispose Of Fluids, Wastes, Drill Cuttings

     -- Failed To Collect Brine And Properly Manage Wastewater

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

Violations Reported - Unconventional Shale Gas

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

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

1 -- Failed To Contain Wastes Or Regulated Substances In Tanks Or Other Storage Structures

1 -- Casing & Cementing Failed To Prevent Migration Of Gas, Prevent Pollution

1 -- Failed to Prevent Gas Flow in the Annulus

1 -- Failed to Report Casing & Cementing Failed To Prevent Migration Of Gas, Prevent Pollution

1 -- Well Construction & Operation Failed To Prevent Brine, Servicing Fluid From Discharging

Company/Location/Violations - Unconventional Shale Gas

Bradford County

-- Blackhill Energy LLC - Springfield Twp. - Jackson 2H

     -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth

     -- Failed To Contain Wastes Or Regulated Substances In Tanks Or Other Storage Structures

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

-- Chesapeake Appalachia LLC - Franklin Twp. - Jacobson Unit 3HX

     -- Casing & Cementing Failed To Prevent Migration Of Gas, Prevent Pollution

     -- Failed to Prevent Gas Flow in the Annulus

     -- Failed to Report Casing & Cementing Failed To Prevent Migration Of Gas, Prevent Pollution

     -- Well Construction & Operation Failed To Prevent Brine, Servicing Fluid From Discharging

-- Chesapeake Appalachia LLC - Troy Twp. - J. Brown Unit 2H

     -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth

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

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

DEP Public Notice Dashboards:

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Dec. 31 to Jan. 6  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - Jan. 7  [PaEN]

-- DEP Posts 60 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In Jan. 7 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

Oil & Gas Industry Compliance Reports:

-- PA Oil & Gas Industry Has Record Year: Cost, Criminal Convictions Up; $3.1 Million In Penalties Collected; Record Number Of Violations Issued; Major Compliance Issues Uncovered; Evidence Of Health Impacts Mounts

-- DEP Report Finds: Conventional Oil & Gas Drillers Routinely Abandon Wells; Fail To Report How Millions Of Gallons Of Waste Is Disposed; And Non-Compliance Is An ‘Acceptable Norm’

Related Articles This Week:

-- Guest Essay: Counties, PEMA Need To Include A Complete Vulnerability Assessment Of All Natural Gas Facilities In State, County Hazard Mitigation Emergency Plans - By Cat (Cathy) Lodge, Washington County Resident  [PaEN]

-- DEP Releases Bid Solicitations To Plug 46 Conventional Natural Gas Wells In Armstrong, Washington Counties At Taxpayer Expense [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Christmas Fire At Energy Transfer’s Revolution Natural Gas Cryogenic Plant Keeps Facility Offline

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: DEP Report: Conventional Oil & Gas Industry Fines Total $1.3 Million, Environmental Costs Of $1.8 Billion For Taxpayers 

-- Williamsport Sun: DEP Issued Thousands Of Violations To Conventional Oil & Gas Operators For Newly Abandoned Wells That Can Cost PA Taxpayers $1.8 Billion 

-- TribLive: DEP Report On Conventional Oil & Gas Drilling Criticizes Industry For Abandoning Wells, Failing To Comply With Environmental Regulations

-- Bucks County Beacon Guest Essay: Delaware River Basin Commission’s New Fracking Wastewater Regulations Fall Short - By Delaware River Frack Ban Coalition

[Posted: January 7, 2023]

1/9/2023