Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Feb. 4 to 10 - 12 NOVs For Abandoning Wells Without Plugging Them
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From February 4 to 10, DEP’s Oil and Gas Compliance Database shows oil and gas inspectors filed 623 inspection reports that resulted in reporting 65 violations of environmental regulations-- 49 violations by the conventional oil and gas industry and 16 violations by the unconventional shale natural gas industry. So far this year-- as of February 5-- DEP issued 286 formal notices of violation to conventional operators and 112 to unconventional shale gas operators based on 1,293 inspections of conventional facilities and 2,495 inspections of unconventional shale gas facilities. Abandoning Wells Without Plugging This was a big week for DEP catching oil and gas drillers trying to abandon wells without plugging them. DEP issued 12 notices of violation to conventional (10) and unconventional shale gas (2) operators for abandoning wells without plugging them this week. The conventional companies were-- Schreiner Oil & Gas Inc. (McKean County- 5); Kenic Gas & Oil Co. (Butler County-2); Puma Energy Inc. (Crawford County); Southwell Russel C. (Warren County); and Tatonka Oil Co., LLC (Warren County). In addition to being abandoned, Schreiner Oil & Gas Inc. has three natural gas wells leaking gas into the air in McKean County. The unconventional shale gas companies were-- Penn View Exploration, Inc. (Butler County) and Frontier Natural Resources (Clinton County). So far in 2023, conventional operators received 13 notices of violation for abandoning wells without plugging them and unconventional shale gas operators received two. Conventional operator Puma Energy Inc. also got NOVs for not submitting production and waste reports and well integrity reports for two wells in Crawford County and one in Erie 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. Both conventional and unconventional shale gas operators were given NOVs for other violations including the usual spills, releases into waters in the Commonwealth and failing to contain wastes in approved tanks or pits. 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 10 -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It 3 -- Well is leaking natural gas from well head 2 -- Discharged Waste Into Waters Of Commonwealth 2 -- Failed to remove regulated substances that escaped containment 1 -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth 3 -- Drilling, Altering Or Operating A Well Without A Permit 1 -- Failed to construct and operate the well in accordance with regulations 1 -- Conducting drilling or production contrary to the Oil & Gas Act 1 -- 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 -- Failed to design, construct, maintain pits or tanks to be structurally sound 2 -- Failed To Collect Brine And Properly Manage Wastewater 1 -- Failed to comply with corrosion control requirements for tanks 1 -- Failed to design, implement, maintain erosion & sedimentation to prevent pollution 1 -- Failed to stabilize the site to protect from erosion 1 -- Failure To Construct Well To Maintain Its Integrity 3 -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report 3 -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report Company/Location/Violations - Conventional Butler County -- Kenic Gas & Oil Co. - Oakland Twp. - Fatigati 24 -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It -- Kenic Gas & Oil Co. - Donegal Twp. - Romanelli 25 -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It Clarion County -- Alpha Wells Inc. - Monroe Twp. - TW Phillips 1 -- Drilling, Altering Or Operating A Well Without A Permit Crawford County -- Diversified Prod, LLC - Greenwood Twp. - Morian 3 Well -- Discharged Waste Into Waters Of Commonwealth -- Failed To Collect Brine And Properly Manage Wastewater -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit -- Puma Energy Inc. - Rockdale Twp. - Alec Styborski 2 -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report -- Failed to comply with corrosion control requirements for tanks -- Puma Energy Inc. - Venango Twp. - Raymond J. Tobin ET UX 1 -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report Erie County -- Puma Energy Inc. - Le Boeuf Twp. - Kibbe Unit 3 -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report -- Failed to construct and operate the well in accordance with regulations Fayette County -- The Production Co., LLC - Franklin Twp. - Rell Corporation 1 -- Drilling, Altering Or Operating A Well Without A Permit -- Failed to remove regulated substances that escaped containment Greene County -- Diversified Prod, LLC - Cumberland Twp. - Whipkey 9 Well -- Failed to design, construct, maintain pits or tanks to be structurally sound -- Failed to remove regulated substances that escaped containment McKean County -- Schreiner Oil & Gas Inc. - Otto Twp. - Grow 1 -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It -- Schreiner Oil & Gas Inc. - Otto Twp. - Grow 3 -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It -- Well is leaking natural gas from well head -- Schreiner Oil & Gas Inc. - Otto Twp. - Grow 4 -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It -- Schreiner Oil & Gas Inc. - Otto Twp. - Grow 5 -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It -- Well is leaking natural gas from well head -- Schreiner Oil & Gas Inc. - Otto Twp. - Grow 10 -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It -- Well is leaking natural gas from well head Warren County -- Marvin Sanders Oil - Sugar Grove Twp. - Sandene 16 -- Conducting drilling or production contrary to the Oil & Gas Act -- Southwell Russel C. - Glade Twp. - Walker-Tract 6592 1 -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It -- Tatonka Oil Co. LLC - Deerfield Twp. - Nancy 13 -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It -- Drilling, Altering Or Operating A Well Without A Permit Washington County -- Dallas Energy LLC - Blaine Twp. - Hodgens JAS SR 7 -- Discharged Waste Into Waters Of Commonwealth -- Failed to design, implement, maintain erosion & sedimentation to prevent pollution -- Failed to stabilize the site to protect from erosion Westmoreland County -- PA Mineral SVCS LLC - Loyalhanna Twp. - Kiskiminetas Spring School 4 -- Failure To Construct Well To Maintain Its Integrity -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth -- Failed To Collect Brine And Properly Manage Wastewater -- Failed To Contain Wastes Or Regulated Substances In Tanks Or Other Storage Structures
Violations Reported - Unconventional Shale Gas 2 -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It 1 -- Failure to report defective well casing or cementing 4 -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth 1 -- Failed To Properly Dispose Of Fluids, Wastes, Drill Cuttings 3 -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit 3 -- Failed To Contain Wastes Or Regulated Substances In Tanks Or Other Storage Structures Company/Location/Violations - Unconventional Shale Gas Bradford County -- Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC - Smithfield Twp. - Kingsley 2HC -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth -- Failed To Contain Wastes Or Regulated Substances In Tanks Or Other Storage Structures Butler County -- Penn View Exploration Inc. - Franklin Twp. - Huff 3 -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It Clinton County -- Frontier Natural Resources - West Keating Twp. - Winner 1 -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It -- Failure to report defective well casing or cementing Lycoming County -- EQT ARO, LLC - McIntyre Twp. - COP Tract 551 B-8H -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth -- Failed to contain regulated substances, wastes in a structure approved by DEP -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit -- EQT ARO, LLC - Cogan House Twp. - Elbow F&G A-1H -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth -- Failed to contain regulated substances, wastes in a structure approved by DEP -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit Susquehanna County -- SWN PROD Co. LLC - Great Bend Twp. - Four Bucks Well Pad -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth -- Operated A Residual Waste Processing Or Disposal Facility Without A Permit -- Failed To Properly Dispose Of Fluids, Wastes, Drill Cuttings [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 DEP Public Notice Dashboards: -- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Feb. 4 to Feb. 10 - 12 NOVs For Abandoning Wells Without Plugging Them [PaEN] -- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - Feb. 11 [PaEN] -- DEP Posts 57 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In Feb. 11 PA Bulletin [PaEN] PA Oil & Gas Industry Compliance Reports: -- 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’ [PaEN] -- DEP 2021 Oil & Gas Program Annual Report Shows Conventional Oil & Gas Operators Received A Record 610 Notices Of Violation For Abandoning Wells Without Plugging Them [PaEN] -- 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 [PaEN] -- Feature: 60 Years Of Fracking, 20 Years Of Shale Gas: Pennsylvania’s Oil & Gas Industrial Infrastructure Is Hiding In Plain Sight [PaEN] Related Articles This Week: -- Natural Gas Industry Tells House They Want Faster Permit Reviews, But Didn’t Say They Don’t Use 40% Of The Well Permits They Get From DEP; Industry Practices Keep Energy Prices High [PaEN] -- DCED Conventional Oil & Gas Drilling Advisory Council Feb. 16 Meeting Agenda Includes Discussion Of Poor Compliance Record Of Industry, Status Of Regulations Updates, Challenge To VOC/Methane Regs [PaEN] -- Ohio/PA Train Derailment, Pipeline Explosions, Uncontrolled Releases Put Spotlight On Public Health, Safety Threats Posed By Petrochemical, Natural Gas Industrial And Pipeline Infrastructure In PA [PaEN] -- Inside Climate News: DEP Took 9 Days To Inspect Natural Gas Liquids Plant That Caught Fire On Christmas Day In Washington County [PaEN] -- Inside Climate News - Jon Hurdle: PA Environmental Officials Took 9 Days To Inspect Natural Gas Liquids Plant That Caught Fire On Christmas Day In Washington County -- DEP Citizens Advisory Council To Hear Updates From Oil & Gas, Abandoned Mine Reclamation Programs Feb. 14 [PaEN] -- Marcellus Drilling News: Shale Gas Companies Play ‘Dirty Pool’ By Reactivating Expired Leases By Claiming They Are Part Of Back-dated Pooling Declarations [PaEN] -- Senate Environmental, Consumer Protection Committees To Hold Feb. 27 Hearing On Grid Reliability And Winter Storm Elliot [PaEN] -- PUC Approves 48.9% Increase In Natural Gas Charges By Leatherstocking Gas Company In Susquehanna & Bradford Counties [The Heart Of Shale Gas Drilling In PA] [PaEN] -- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: As More Utility Customers Struggle To Pay Their Bills, More Are Also Cut Off For Nonpayment [Cost Increases Due To Natural Gas Price Spikes] -- PA Physicians For Social Responsibility Host Feb. 22 Webinar On Radioactive Contaminants From PA Oil And Gas Operations [PaEN] -- Better Path Coalition To Host Feb. 22 Webinar On How Green Is Blue Hydrogen? Made From Natural Gas [PaEN] [Posted: February 11, 2023] |
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2/13/2023 |
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