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What The Conventional Oil & Gas Industry Is Leaving Behind: Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells On Federal Lands - Shenango River Lake, Allegheny National Forest

By Eric Dehm, Federal Bureau of Land Management

This article first appeared on the federal Bureau of Land Management Blog on January 16, 2025--

As visitors walk along the paths at Shenango River Lake Recreation Area in [Mercer County] western Pennsylvania, they are enveloped by the thick green forest all around them.

Yet, hidden in plain sight just a few steps off the trail lies a reminder of our human imprint on the past.

A rusting wellhead sticks out of a pipe disappearing into the earth — a lingering relic of an abandoned well.

Pennsylvania, known as the birthplace of American independence, also holds the distinction of being the birth site of the nation’s commercial oil and gas industry.

Beginning in the 19th century, prospectors drilled deep into the earth in search of “black gold” and natural gas. When the wells dried up, they often moved on leaving their wells behind.

Today, these antique orphaned wells dot the landscape, and some of them silently leaking oil and/or methane into the surrounding air, soil and water.

“As drillers abandoned the wells, they fell into disrepair. Oil or gas was no longer moving into the marketplace. Now, methane gas leaks into the environment, seeping into the air and water,” said Derek Strohl, supervisory geologist with the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Northeastern States District Office.

The extent of the orphaned well issue is not known. While more than 100,000 have been identified and located, it is estimated there may be more than three million nationwide, according to reports by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Decades after oil and gas wells were drilled, some of the lands they occupy came under federal ownership, leaving federal agencies to address the resulting legacy pollution.

In Pennsylvania and parts of Appalachia, orphaned wells are located on lands managed by the USDA Forest Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

Meanwhile, the BLM is responsible for managing oil and gas resources beneath the surface.

This overlapping management responsibility creates a complex situation that demands a collaborative approach to effectively address orphaned wells on federal lands.

In partnership with USACE [US Army Corps of Engineers] and the US Forest Service, the BLM is working to locate and identify orphaned oil and gas wells on federal lands across Appalachia.

Once these wells are identified, they can be properly capped to prevent further environmental harm.

However, locating them is often a challenging and complex process, according to Strohl.

“Most of the orphaned wells are in remote, mountainous areas, often far from roads,” Strohl said. “When they were permitted and drilled, their locations were not precisely recorded, leaving just approximate locations to help us find them. If they were abandoned several decades ago, then access roads may have grown over. Sometimes the wells have nothing but a pipe sticking a foot or two above the ground, making them hard to spot through the brush.”

At Shenango River Lake in Pennsylvania, land title records were examined to identify wells classified as abandoned, particularly those lacking documented plugging dates.

Using location data — some of which was less precise than others — BLM petroleum engineers teamed up with USACE natural resources personnel for a field expedition.

Together, they ventured into the woods to visually locate and confirm the existence and positions of the wells.

While locating orphaned oil and gas wells scattered across the American landscape is no easy task, capping them presents its own set of challenges.

Heavy equipment is required to access the sites and properly plug the wells.

While a road or trail may have once existed to reach the wells at Shenango River Lake, the forest has long since reclaimed those paths.

Despite the difficult terrain and obstacles, these wells must be addressed to prevent further environmental damage, according to Bill Spring, resource manager at USACE’s Shenango River Lake.

Spring sees this area as a prime example of why leaving any identified well uncapped is bad news for the local area and far beyond.

“We’re all in one big watershed,” Spring said. “A raindrop that falls here in the Shenango River Lake travels to the Ohio River, which feeds the Mississippi River that ends in the Gulf of Mexico. Pollution from these wells may travel this same route, leading to impacts far beyond this recreation area.”

Thinking of orphaned wells as merely a local issue is shortsighted, according to Strohl. Similarly, viewing them as the responsibility of one government agency is equally imprudent.

Tackling legacy pollution on a large scale requires collaborative partnerships like the one between the BLM and USACE at Shenango River Lake.

“Our partners are critical to helping the BLM to not just get the job done, but get it done right,” said Strohl. “The Corps of Engineers and the Forest Service are the experts familiar with these whole areas. They know who’s using the land, how they’re using the land, and what the sensitive resources are out there. Working hand-in-hand with our partners to address orphaned wells ensures we will minimize any disturbance when removing these scars from the landscape.”

In December 2024, the BLM received more than $11.2 million in funding through the [federal] Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to properly plug orphaned oil and gas wells on federal lands in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The BLM and its federal partners have identified more than 30 orphaned wells on the Wayne National Forest in Ohio, the Allegheny National Forest and Shenango River Lake in Pennsylvania, and Beech Fork Lake and Stonewall Jackson Lake in West Virginia.

“This initiative is a testament to the BLM’s commitment to sustaining and restoring the health of public lands,” said BLM Eastern States State Director Mitchell Leverette. “By addressing the legacy of orphaned oil and gas wells, we are not only cleaning up pollution but also ensuring these lands remain safe and vibrant for present and future generations to enjoy. The work we’re doing here, in collaboration with our federal partners, underscores the BLM’s dedication to tackling complex challenges through teamwork and innovation.”

According to Strohl, once a contractor is selected, work on the ground can begin.

First, drones equipped with sensors will be flown over the sites of known wells to ensure no additional wells have been overlooked.

In close collaboration with USACE and the Forest Service, temporary roads will need to be constructed to allow for heavy equipment, which will be used to plug the wells.

Strohl anticipates work on these temporary roads to begin in spring 2025 at some locations, while the work in other locations will need to wait until fall, after natural resource and cultural surveys have been done to ensure that the plugging activities will not harm cultural artifacts or rare plants and animals.

Click Here to watch a video on abandoned wells on federal lands.

Click Here to watch a video on how they find abandoned wells

[Note: DEP has managed contracts to plug abandoned conventional oil and gas wells in the Allegheny National Forest with the US Forest Service using federal funds.

-- DEP Soliciting Bids For Plugging 20 Conventional, Abandoned Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Wells Owned By Pennzoil In The Allegheny National Forest [2024]

-- 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 [2023]]

(Reprinted from the federal Bureau of Land Management Blog.)

What The Shale Gas, Conventional Oil & Gas Industry Is Leaving Behind:

-- What The Shale Gas Industry Is Leaving Behind: Diversified Production LLC Starts 2025 With 11 Violations For Abandoning, Not Plugging Shale Gas Wells [1.17.25]

-- What The Conventional Oil & Gas Industry Is Leaving Behind: Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells On Federal Lands - Shenango River Lake, Allegheny National Forest [1.17.25

-- What The Shale Gas, Conventional Oil & Gas Industry Is Leaving Behind: Record Number Conventional, Shale Gas Abandoned Well Violations In 2024; Gas Storage Area Well Leaks [1.8.25]

-- What The Shale Gas Industry Is Leaving Behind: DEP: Diversified Production LLC Failed To Plug 2 Abandoned Shale Gas Wells For 42 Months + At Least 9 Other Shale Gas Wells Abandoned [12.22.24]

-- What The Shale Gas Industry Is Leaving Behind: DEP: Nucomer Energy LLC Fails To Restore Shale Gas Well Pad, Water Impoundment In Forest County For More Than 12 Years After Drilling Was Completed [12.13.24]

-- What The Shale Gas Industry Is Leaving Behind: DEP Issues 10 Violations To Big Dog Energy, LLC, Diversified Production LLC For Abandoning Shale Gas Wells; Violations For Shale Gas Abandonments More Than Doubled In 2024 [12.7.24]

Extreme Cold Alert!

-- Public Utility Commission Urges Consumers To Prepare For Extreme Cold Next Week [PaEN]

-- Shapiro Administration Urges Readiness In Advance Of Dangerous Cold Weather

-- PJM Interconnection: New All-Time Peak Electricity Demand Possible Jan. 20-22; PJM Working With Gas Generators To Try To Get Them Online Before Extreme Cold Hits [PaEN]

-- Bloomberg: Wintry Blast To Unleash Snow, Test Electric Grids From Midwest To NYC

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Jan. 11 to 17 - More Abandoned Shale Gas, Than Conventional Wells So Far In 2025; Failed Act 2 Cleanup; Acid Forming Rock; Expired Permits [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - January 18 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 107 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In January 18 PA Bulletin [PaEN]

Related Articles This Week:

-- Registration Now Open! 2025 Shale Gas & Public Health Conference At Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Online Feb. 27 [PaEN]

-- Rep. Vitali Introduces Bill To Ban Road Dumping Millions Of Gallons Of Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater, Supported By The Shapiro Administration [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Oil & Gas Companies Need Greater Incentives To Cap Their Old Wells [Higher Well Plugging Bonds Needed To Keep Number Of Abandoned Wells From Rising]

-- Rep. Vitali Introduces Bill To Establish DEP Environmental Justice Permit Review Program In Law, Analyze Cumulative Impacts Of Pollution From Facilities, Supported By DEP [PaEN]

-- EPA Issues Permit To Seneca Resources Company For Elk County Oil & Gas Wastewater Injection Well [PaEN]

-- TECfusions Unveils Massive 1,400-Acre Data Center Project With 3 Gigawatts Of Natural Gas-Fired Power Generation In Westmoreland County [PaEN]

-- 30 Stakeholder Comments Received By PUC On Adequacy Of Electricity Supplies In Pennsylvania; Increasing Natural Gas Power Plant Reliability To 90-95% Would Mean No Imminent Capacity Problem [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro Threatens To Pull Pennsylvania Out Of PJM If It Does Not Protect Consumers Against Soaring Power Prices [PaEN]

-- PUC Commissioner Kathryn Zerfuss Appointed To National Committees On Natural Gas, Pipeline Safety

-- PennTAP: Small & Mid-Size Industries Must Complete An Energy Technical Assessment Report To Be Eligible For RISE PA Decarbonization Grants [PaEN]

-- DEP Hosts Jan. 24 Webinar Q&A On RISE PA Decarbonization Grant Program [PaEN]

-- NASEO Hosts Jan. 27 Webinar On RISE PA Decarbonization Grant Program, PA Energy Programs For Industry [PaEN]

-- PA Solar Center Hosts Jan. 31 Webinar On RISE PA Decarbonization Grant Program For Industry [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- PennLive Letter: There Must Be More Oversight Of Dangerous Fracking Wastewater In PA - By Dr. Robert Little