DEP reports spills and releases from the oil and gas industry have created over 575 brownfield sites being cleaned up under the Act 2 Land Recycling Program, as of September 12, 2023.

And more are being created every week, according to PA Environment Digest’s weekly review of notices in the PA Bulletin.

There are at least 196 oil and gas-related sites in the process of being cleaned up-- nearly 34% of the sites in process-- and 379 oil and gas sites have been completed-- about 14% of the sites completed-- in the counties with shale gas and conventional oil and gas drilling in DEP’s Southwest, Northwest, Northcentral and Northeast Regional Office areas.

It’s important to note these sites, most in rural or suburban areas, weren’t contaminated prior to oil and gas industry drilling, pipeline and compressor station construction and installation and operation of other oil and gas infrastructure.

The counties with the largest numbers of new brownfields caused by the oil and gas industry are-- Susquehanna County - 144; Greene County - 79; Washington County - 60; Bradford County - 44; and Lycoming County - 40.

Coincidentally, Susquehanna, Washington, Bradford, Greene and Lycoming counties are the top five producers of shale gas in Pennsylvania.

The numbers include new brownfield sites that are clearly related to oil and gas companies-- well pads, compressor stations, production wastewater spills and releases from pipelines contaminating soil, surface and groundwater. 

The oil and gas industry is an industry.  It handles huge amounts of water contaminated with pollutants, things as simple and harmful as salts, radioactive radium, drill cuttings waste and chemicals used for fracking.

There is the potential for leaks and spills at every step of this industrial process that is spread across Pennsylvania’s landscape.  Read more here.

This, however, is far from the whole story about oil and gas industry spill and release cleanups.

First, the conventional oil and gas industry very rarely uses the Act 2 Land Recycling Program and its cleanup standards to deal with spills and releases.

The Land Recycling Program is voluntary.  Operators going through the Land Recycling Program have to prove their cleanup meets either background standards, statewide health standards or site-specific standards based on the chemicals and contaminants, likely exposures and the medium involved-- soil, ground or surface water.

DEP’s Northwest Regional Office numbers show very low numbers of Act 2 cleanups related to oil and gas spills because that’s a prime conventional drilling area.

Conventional operators prefer to use other methods like excavating contaminated soil until they think they got it all.  It’s unclear what the companies do when surface and groundwater is contaminated, other than try to use a vac truck to try to suck up contaminated water.

Conventional operators generally have many more spills and releases than unconventional operators and a significantly worse compliance record. 

In the first eight months of 2023, DEP reports issuing 4,542 notices of violation to conventional oil and gas operators and 889 NOVs to shale gas operators, which include NOVs for spills and releases that need to be cleaned up.

Unconventional shale gas operators use the Act 2 Program much more often, but even with that, the numbers show when a major drilling company policy is to use Act 2-- brownfield cleanup numbers increase significantly-- see Susquehanna, Greene and Washington counties.

Second, the descriptions DEP uses for brownfield sites in both the in progress sites and completed sites databases do not always draw a clear line to oil and gas operations, so it’s safe to say there are more sites and spills and releases not included in these numbers, in particular, those related to truck accidents.

To see the new oil and gas industry brownfields in your county, visit DEP’s Land Recycling Program Results webpage.

Brownfield Cleanups In Process, Completed

Here are the number of new oil and gas industry-related brownfield sites in process and completed through the Act 2 Land Recycling Program by DEP Region and county.

Southwest DEP Region

                               In Process-  Oil & Gas     Completed-   Oil & Gas  Total Oil & Gas

Allegheny County:        95               5                  320               5                   10

Beaver County:               6               1                    59               1                     2

Cambria County:            6                3                   26                                       3

Fayette County:            16              10                   22                3                   13

Greene County:            78              60                   25              19                   79

Washington:                 65              40                   66               20                  60

Westmoreland:             29                8                   87                 4                  12

                 *Total -     295           127                 605               52                 179

Northwest DEP Region

                               In Process-    Oil & Gas   Completed-   Oil & Gas  Total Oil & Gas

Armstrong County:                                             11                   3                     3

Butler County:             17                  1               41                   2                     3

Elk County:                   7                   1              31                   5                     6

Erie County:                26                   2              78                   3                     5

Forest County:                                                    12                   5                     5

Indiana County:                                                  32                   9                     9

Jefferson County:                                               23                   8                     8

Lawrence County:                                              22                   2                     2

McKean County:         20                   5              46                   9                   14

Mercer County:           15                   1              52                   1                     2

Venango County:          7                    1              32                   4                     5

Warren County                                                    22                   1                     1

               *Total -        92                  11             402                52                   63

Northcentral DEP Region

                               In Process-    Oil & Gas   Completed-    Oil & Gas  Total Oil & Gas

Bradford County:         8                  6                  95                 38                    44

Cameron County:         1                  1                    9                   1                      2

Centre County:             9                  1                                                                 1

Clearfield County:      37                19                  53                   4                    23

Clinton County:            9                  1                 114                    6                      7

Lycoming County:      20                14                 173                  26                   40

Northumberland:        17                   1                                                                  1

Potter County:              2                   2                   41                  12                   14

Sullivan County:          4                   3                   16                    5                     8

Tioga County:             19                  7                   73                  19                   26

             *Total -        126                55                 574                111                 166

Northeast DEP Region

                              In Process-    Oil & Gas    Completed-    Oil & Gas  Total Oil & Gas

Lackawanna:                 8                                     116                  1                    1

Lehigh County:           33                1                   325                  6                    7

Luzerne County:         19                                      171                 2                    2

Schuylkill County:        3                                       97                  1                    1

Susquehanna:                2                1                   342              143                144

Wyoming County:         1               1                      29                11                  12

                   *Total -     66               3                 1,080             164                 167

Grant Total -             579             196                2,661            379                 575

*Not all counties in this DEP Region have oil and gas brownfield sites

            Weekly Oil & Gas Compliance, Public Notices

            You can follow the creation of new oil and gas brownfields through the PA Environment Digest’s weekly oil and gas public notices and compliance reports dashboard.

The most recent weekly reports are below.

            FracTracker Alliance

            On August 31, the FracTracker Alliance released its own analysis of oil and gas industry sites being cleaned up under the Act 2 Land Recycling Program with a focus on contaminated sites given final approval by DEP in 2022. 

            Click Here to read their report.

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 and the Inspection Reports Viewer.

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.

(Photos: top- release of drilling mud at pipeline construction site; 63,000 gallon spill of production wastewater on State Game Lands; tank truck rolled over and spilled 4,600 gallons of drilling wastewater; bottom- Conventional oil wastewater spill polluted the Village of Reno’s water supply in Venango County.) 

Related Articles - Spills & Releases:

-- Citizen Complaint, Company Report Results In DEP Inspection Finding 63,000 Gallon Wastewater Spill At Seneca Resources Shale Gas Well On State Game Lands In Elk County; More Leaks, Spills  [5.6.23]

--  DEP Rejects MarkWest Act 2 Cleanup Notification For 10,000 Gallon Natural Gas Condensate Spill At Compressor Station In Robinson Twp., Washington County; Notice Is Re-sent   [7.5.23]

-- EQT Shale Gas Wastewater Truck Rolls Over Spilling More Than 4,600 Gallons Of Wastewater In Lycoming County [9.1.23]

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - August 19 to 25 - More Abandoned Conventional Wells; Gas Frack-Out; More Leaking Wastewater Tanks; Equitrans Cleanup Continues  [8.26.23]

-- The Derrick: DEP Issues Order To Petro Erie, Inc. To Restore Village Of Reno Water System, Cleanup Contamination Caused By Its Conventional Well Wastewater Release; 1 Month Without Clean Water  [8.19.23]

-- DEP Finds 2 More Petro Erie, Inc. Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Tanks With A Pipe Leading To A Discharge Area In A Ditch In Sugarcreek Boro, Venango County  [8.22.23]

-- Petro Erie, Inc. Says It Lacks The Financial Ability To Comply With DEP’s Order To Clean Up Conventional Oil Well Wastewater That Contaminated The Village Of Reno’s Water Supply In Venango County; Will Taxpayers Be Stuck With Cleanup Costs Again?  [9.12.23]

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard -  September 9 to 15;  First Abandoned Shale Gas Well Pad? Another Leaking Equitrans Storage Well; Plugging Grant Twp. Injection Well  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - September 16  [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Section 401 Water Quality Certification For A Texas Eastern Natural Gas Pipeline Project Going Under The Schuylkill River In Chester, Montgomery Counties  [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 75 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In Sept. 16 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]

NewsClips This Week:

-- Public Source: ‘It’s Just Too Close:’ People Living Near Natural Gas Drilling, Industrial Facilities Suffer As State And Local Governments Fail To Buffer Homes

-- Bedford Gazette Editorial: Natural Gas Development is Making Pennsylvanians Sick, Lawmakers Must Act

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: PA Oil, Natural Gas Industry Urge EPA To Drop Plans To Tighten Particulate Matter Limits

-- Inside Climate News: Shale Gas Driller In PA Wants To Take 1.5 Million Gallons A Day Of Fresh Water From Small, Biodiverse Big Sewickley Creek In Beaver-Allegheny Counties. Should DEP Allow It?

-- The Derrick - Makayla Keating: Residents In Village Of Reno, Venango County Still Reporting Problems With Water Supply Contaminated By Conventional Oil Well Wastewater; Late Mayor Of Sugarcreek Boro Praised  [PDF of Article]

-- The Derrick - Makayla Keating: Some Residents Of Village Of Reno, Venango County Didn’t Receive Water Updates Relating To Contamination Of Their Water Supply By Conventional Oil Well Wastewater  [PDF of Article]

-- The Derrick - Makayla Keating: The Late Sugarcreek Boro Mayor Charlie McDaniel Praised For Leadership Responding To Village Of Reno Water Supply Emergency Caused By Conventional Oil Well Wastewater Spill  [PDF of article]

-- WPXI: Multiple Ross Twp. Homes Evacuated After Contractor Hits Natural Gas Line In Allegheny County

-- WTAE: Records Show Dozens Of Abandoned Natural Gas Wells In Plum Boro, Allegheny County

-- Williamsport Sun Editorial: Federal Oil, Gas Leases Create Jobs And Meet Needs For Affordable Energy  [Note: There are 5,000 to 7,000 abandoned conventional oil and gas wells in the Allegheny National Forest]

--  Inquirer Guest Essay: Abandoned Conventional Oil, Gas Wells In PA Must Be Plugged - By Well Done Foundation  [In The Business Of Plugging Wells]

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Natural Gas Industry Says Not Enough Pipelines Could Cut Off Expansion Of Natural Gas Supplies  [Pipelines are the most penalized industry in PA for environmental violations]

-- EPA Issues Final Rule Strengthening State Section 401 Water Quality Certification Rule For Infrastructure, Pipeline, Development Projects  [Pipelines are the most penalized industry in PA for environmental violations]

-- The Hill: EPA Gives States More Authority To Block Pipeline Projects [Section 401 Certification Rule]

-- Inside Climate News: Ohio Oil, Gas Wastewater Injection Well Suspended Over ‘Imminent Danger’ To Drinking Water  [PA gas drillers use Ohio sites for disposal]

-- The Allegheny Front: Ohio Attorney General Investigating Disputed Public Comments That Urge Natural Gas Development In State Parks

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: EPA Failed To Take Action On Excessive Benzene Emissions At Philly Refinery Site For Years

-- PA Capital-Star: Report Faults EPA For Not Enforcing Limits On Toxic Benzene Emissions At Oil Refineries

-- Warren Times: Warren County Leading Region In High Gasoline Prices

-- Bloomberg: Saudi Arabia’s Oil Squeeze Rekindles Talk Of $100 Oil

-- The Derrick: Oil Region National Heritage Area To Hold Oil Heritage Energy Security Conference Oct. 12-13 In Venango County [Some Events Invitation Only]  [PDF of article]

-- Post-Gazette: Top Work Places Survey In Pittsburgh Has EQT Natural Gas Drilling In First Place  [Check their DEP environmental compliance record here ]

-- The Allegheny Front: Groups Say ‘Clean’ Hydrogen Projects Lack Transparency And Fear Climate, Safety Impacts

-- LancasterOnline: Fracking Revenue Fund 12 Years Of Environmental Projects In Lancaster County

-- Bay Journal: Virginia Natural Gas Compressor Project Raises Environmental Justice Questions

-- Financial Times: World At ‘Beginning Of End’ Of Fossil Fuel Era, Says Global Energy Agency [Demand For Oil, Natural Gas, Coal Will All Peak Before 2030]

-- Wall Street Journal: Demand For Oil, Natural Gas, Coal To Peak This Decade, IEA Chief Says

Related Articles This Week:

-- Environmental Health Project Finds Results ‘Very Concerning’ From University Of Pittsburgh Studies Showing Links Between Natural Gas Development And Lymphoma Cancer, Worsening Asthma Conditions, Lower Birth Weights  [PaEN]

-- Oil & Gas Industry Spills, Releases Created Over 575 New Brownfield Sites So Far In Pennsylvania, With More Every Week  [PaEN]

-- Petro Erie, Inc. Says It Lacks The Financial Ability To Comply With DEP’s Order To Clean Up Conventional Oil Well Wastewater That Contaminated The Village Of Reno’s Water Supply In Venango County; Will Taxpayers Be Stuck With Cleanup Costs Again?  [PaEN]

-- DEP Publishes Interim Final Environmental Justice Policy Changing Permit Review Process; Opens Comment Period Setting 9 Public Hearings  [PaEN]

-- Oil Region National Heritage Area To Hold 2nd Oil Heritage Energy Security Conference Oct. 12-13 In Venango County  [PaEN]

-- PUC Urges Consumers To Shop For Natural Gas Supplies To Lock In Lower Gas Prices To Help Insulate Against Potential Energy Price Spikes  [PaEN] 

[Posted: September 14, 2023]

9/18/2023