From February 11 to 17, DEP’s Oil and Gas Compliance Database shows oil and gas inspectors filed 513 inspection reports that resulted in reporting 48 violations of environmental regulations-- 28 violations by the conventional oil and gas industry and 20 violations by the unconventional shale natural gas industry.

So far this year-- as of February 10-- DEP issued 381 formal notices of violation to conventional operators and 140 to unconventional shale gas operators based on 1,687 inspections of conventional facilities and 2,949 inspections of unconventional shale gas facilities.

Two conventional operators received NOVs for failure to plug a well upon abandoning it-- Alpha Wells Inc. (Clarion County) and Northwestern Well SVC Inc. (Forest County - Allegheny National Forest).

Two NOVs related to defective well casing and/or cementing were issued to Armac Resources, LLC for a conventional well in Warren County.

Kenco Oil & Gas Inc. received NOVs for failing to submit well production and waste management and well integrity reports for three conventional wells in Erie County and Northwestern Well SVC Inc. got an NOV for not submitting a well integrity report for a well in Forest County in the Allegheny National Forest.

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.

Unconventional shale gas operators had problems with spills and failing to prevent substances from reaching the waters of the Commonwealth-- Chesapeake Appalachia LLC (Bradford County), Repsol Oil & Gas USA LLC (Bradford County- 2, Tioga County-1), EQT ARO LLC (Lycoming County), Coterra Eneergy Inc. (Susquehanna County) and Seneca Resources Co LLC (Tioga County).

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

2 -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It

1 -- Drilling, altering or operating a well without a permit

1-- Defective well casing and/or cementing

1-- Failed to notify DEP of defective well casing and/or cementing

4 -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

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

1 -- Failed to design, implement, maintain erosion and sedimentation controls 

Company/Location/Violations - Conventional

Allegheny County

-- Kriebel Acquisition Co LLC - Penn Hills Twp. - Molinaro 1

     -- Failed to design, implement, maintain erosion and sedimentation controls

Clarion County

-- Alpha Wells Inc. - Monroe Twp. - TW Phillips 1

     -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It

     -- Drilling, altering or operating a well without a permit

Erie County

-- Kenco Oil & Gas Inc. - Venango Twp. - Joseph R Wroblewski Sr 1

     -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

     -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report 

-- Kenco Oil & Gas Inc. - Venango Twp. - Joseph R Wroblewski Sr 2

     -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

     -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

-- Kenco Oil & Gas Inc. - Venango Twp. - Joseph R Wroblewski Sr 3

     -- Failed To Submit Well Production & Waste Management Report

     -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

Forest County

-- Northwestern Well SVC Inc. - Jenks Twp. - Allegheny National Forest Warrant 3184 4

     -- Failure To Plug The Well Upon Abandoning It

     -- Failed To Submit Well Integrity Report

Warren County

-- Armac Resources, LLC - Warren City - Warren Rail Car 2

     -- Defective well casing and/or cementing

     -- Failed to notify DEP of defective well casing and/or cementing

Violations Reported - Unconventional Shale Gas

2 -- Discharged Waste Into Waters Of Commonwealth

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

4 -- 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

1 -- Failed to design, implement, maintain erosion and sedimentation controls

Company/Location/Violations - Unconventional Shale Gas

Bradford County

-- Chesapeake Appalachia LLC - West Burlington Twp. - Brad 14 Ward

     -- 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

-- Repsol Oil & Gas USA LLC - Troy Twp. - Gardiner D 01-071

     -- Discharged Waste Into Waters Of Commonwealth

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

-- Repsol Oil & Gas USA LLC - Columbia Twp. - Haralambous 03074 01 G 1H

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

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

Lycoming County

-- EQT ARO LLC - McIntyre Twp. - COP Tract 551 Pads A&B

     -- Failed to design, implement, maintain erosion and sedimentation controls

     -- Discharged Substance Into Waters Of Commonwealth With Potential To Cause Pollution

     -- Failure To Prevent Substances From Reaching Waters of Commonwealth

Susquehanna County

-- Coterra Energy Inc. - Gibson Twp. - Tompkins, J Pad 1

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

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

Tioga County

-- Repsol Oil & Gas USA LLC - Ward Twp. - CLDC02-177 Well Site

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

-- Seneca Resources Co LLC - Middleburg Twp. - Cruttenden 846

     -- Failed to prevent pollution of the waters of the Commonwealth

[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. 11 to 17  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - Feb. 18  [PaEN]

-- DEP Posts 64 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In Feb. 18 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

PA Oil & Gas 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]

-- DEP Issued 754 Notices Of Violation For Defective Oil & Gas Well Casing, Cementing, The Fundamental Protection Needed To Prevent Gas Migration, Groundwater & Air Contamination, Explosions  [PaEN]

-- Feature: 60 Years Of Fracking, 20 Years Of Shale Gas: Pennsylvania’s Oil & Gas Industrial Infrastructure Is Hiding In Plain Sight [PaEN]

NewsClips This Week:

-- Environmental Defense Fund Blog: Make No Mistake: Current ‘Regulatory Reform’ Efforts In Pennsylvania Could Threaten Vital Environmental Protections

-- The Daily Item Editorial: On Energy Facility Permitting: Sen. Yaw: ‘We Can Deal With Regulations, What We Can’t Deal With Are Delays’

-- EnergyWire: Energy Companies Are Racing To Build New Energy Infrastructure-- LNG Terminals, Pipelines-- Before Federal Regulations Are Updated

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Pittsburgh-based EQT - Sharp Drop In Price Of Natural Gas Could Lead To Industry Cutting Back On Drilling

-- Wall Street Journal: Natural Gas: Fasten Your Seat Belts, The Buffers That Keep America’s Natural Gas Price Fluctuations At Bay Are Eroding

-- New Jersey Monitor: Ohio/PA Train Derailment Prompts New Calls To Block PA Natural Gas Transport Plan By Train/Truck To Proposed New Jersey LNG Export Terminal

-- Inside Climate News: In Dimock, Susquehanna County, A PA Town Riven By Fracking, Concerns About Ties Between A Judge And A Gas Driller Over Recent Attorney General Settlement

-- StateImpactPA - Reid Frazier: Shell Flares Burn Again After Equipment Malfunction At Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County [Gas Flares Burning Dirty Black Like On Monday Indicate Incomplete Combustion]

-- Bloomberg: EPA Seeks To Empower Third Parties, Citizens To Search Out Oil & Gas Facility Methane Leaks, Natural Gas Industry Pushing Back

-- Reuters: U.S. LNG Natural Gas Producers Poised To Leapfrog Rivals With 3 New Export Terminal Projects

Related Articles This Week:

-- DEP Issued 754 Notices Of Violation For Defective Oil & Gas Well Casing, Cementing, The Fundamental Protection Needed To Prevent Gas Migration, Groundwater & Air Contamination, Explosions  [PaEN]

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Feb. 11 to 17  [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves 38 Water Use Requests For Shale Gas Well Drilling Pads In Bradford, Clearfield, Lycoming, Potter, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wyoming Counties  [PaEN]

-- Better Path Coalition Hosts Feb. 21 Webinar On DEP's Federally-Funded Oil & Gas Well Plugging Program [PaEN]

-- DEP Approves Permits For Transcontinental Gas Regional Energy Access Expansion Pipeline Project in Luzerne, Northampton, Bucks, Chester, Monroe Counties  [PaEN]

-- Environmental Health Project Blog: Natural Gas Compressor Stations - A Guide To Protecting Your Health And The Environment [Photo: FracTracker, Clinton County] [PaEN]

-- PA Environmental Defense Foundation Files Court Motion To Prevent Unconstitutional Spending Of DCNR Oil & Gas Revenues For Nonconservation Purposes  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro Lays Out Serious Concerns Regarding Norfolk Southern’s Incident Management After Meeting With Beaver County Officials  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro Announces Pennsylvania Will Conduct Independent Water Sampling Following Ohio/PA Train Derailment  [PaEN]

-- PA Agriculture On Ohio/PA Train Derailment Impacts: 2 Reports Of Horses Affected By Smoke Immediately Following Controlled Burn; No Reports Of Livestock, Domestic Animal Health Symptoms After [PaEN]

-- Two PA Senate Committees To Hold Hearings On Ohio/PA Train Derailment: Emergency Preparedness- Feb. 23; Transportation- Feb. 27 - Public Invited To Submit Questions  To Transportation [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]

-- Groups Urge DEP To Temporarily Halt Operations At Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County; File 2nd Notice Of Intent To Sue For Air Pollution Violations  [PaEN]

[Posted: February 18, 2023]

2/20/2023