Report finds conventional well operators don’t comply with Pa. DEP rules
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection recently released its first-ever assessment of the compliance of conventional oil and gas operators in conjunction with the state’s annual oil and gas report and found conventional well operators don’t comply with its rules more often than they do in some areas, according to Farm and Dairy.
The report found only about a quarter of conventional oil and gas well operators in Pennsylvania filed their annual production and inspection data to the state on time in 2021 and another 12% reported late. The remainder never reported their data at all.
Failure to plug a well upon abandoning it is another area conventional operators are falling short in. It was the most frequent violation issued to well operators in the past 5 years as the DEP has issued it more than 3,000 times since 2017.
Learn more: Farm and Dairy > Many conventional well operators don’t comply with DEP rules: report
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.