On June 16, the Department of Environmental Protection posted two solicitations for bids on BidExpress.com to clean out and plug 23 abandoned, conventional and permitted Class IIR oil and gas waste injection wells in Highland Township, Elk County.

One bid package covers 10 wells operated by ARG Resources, Inc. in the Allegheny National Forest. 

ARG Resources, Inc. is a company related to the American Refining Group which owns and operates the Bradford Oil Refinery in Bradford, PA.  Read more about the company here.

The second bid package covers 13 abandoned, permitted, conventional injection wells operated by the Pennzoil Company in the Allegheny National Forest. 

Pennzoil Company is a multinational oil company which makes a range of products for the consumer motor oil market.

DEP estimates each bid package will cost between $500,000 and $1 million to plug the wells, or a total of up to $2 million.

Both contracts are being funded by well plugging bonds forfeited to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Underground Injection Well Program, not the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Conventional Well Plugging Program.

There is a mandatory pre-bid meeting set for June 29 at Dj’s Russell City Store, 1536 Route 66, Russell City, PA.

To learn more about this program, visit DEP’s Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Conventional Oil/Gas Well Plugging webpage.

PA Oil & Gas Public Notice Dashboards:

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - June 10 to 16 -- Leaking Conventional Wells; 5 More Abandoned Conventional Wells; Using Tape To Repair Containment Liner [PaEN]

-- DEP Finds PA General Energy Installed Its Shawnee Water Withdrawal On The Exceptional Value Loyalsock Creek At Sizes Larger Than Authorized By Its SRBC, DEP Permits  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - June 17  [PaEN]

-- DEP Posts 69 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In June 17 PA Bulletin  [PaEN] 

Related Articles This Week:

-- Robinson Twp., Washington County Seeks Answers To Cleanup Of MarkWest Liberty Midstream 10,000 Gallon Spill Of Natural Gas Condensates After Company Sends Notice To Wrong Municipality  [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On MarkWest Liberty Midstream Project To Expose 1 Mile+ Of 2 Natural Gas Pipelines To Prevent Longwall Coal Mining Damage In Washington County  [PaEN]

-- DEP Posts Solicitation For Bids To Plug 23 Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Waste Injection Wells Owned By ARG Resources, Inc. And Pennzoil Company In Elk County  [PaEN]

-- Casey, Fetterman Announce $5.5 Million In Federal Funding To Plug Abandoned Conventional Oil/Gas Wells In The Allegheny National Forest  [PaEN]

-- Bay Journal: Satellites, Drones, Special Cameras Join The Fight Against Methane/VOC Pollution From Oil/Gas Wells, Petrochemical Plants, Landfills, Coal Mines In Pennsylvania - By Ad Crable, Chesapeake Bay Journal  [PaEN]

-- PUC Vice Chairman: During Winter Storm Elliot We Learned Natural Gas Can Be An Intermittent Generator Of Electricity Just Like Renewables  [PaEN]

-- S&P Global: Federal Inquiry Finds Same 3 Causes Driving U.S. Generate Outages In Extreme Cold - Reliability Of Natural Gas System Remains A Concern  [PaEN]   

[Posted: June 16, 2023]

6/19/2023