Office of Oil and Gas Management
What's New
Orphan Well Plugging Grant Program
In response to the passage of Act 96 and Act 136, DEP is creating an Orphan Well Plugging Grant Program that provides funding to a qualified well plugger to plug an eligible orphan well.
This grant program provides up to:
- $40,000 to a Qualified Well Plugger for every eligible well plugged that is an orphan well of a depth of 3,000 feet or less or the actual cost to plug the well, whichever is less.
- $70,000 to a Qualified Well Plugger for every eligible well plugged that is an orphan well of a depth greater than 3,000 feet or the actual cost to plug the well, whichever is less.
A
“Qualified Well Plugger” is a “person who demonstrates access to equipment, materials, resources and services to plug wells in accordance with statutory and regulatory requirements.”
An
“Orphan Well” as defined in Section 3203 of the Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Act is “a well abandoned prior to April 18, 1985 that has not been affected or operated by the present owner or operator and from which the present owner, operator or lessee has received no economic benefit other than as a landowner or recipient of a royalty interest from the well.”
Eligible Wells: Orphan wells that are eligible to be plugged via this Orphan Well Plugging Grant Program are listed in the following two locations:
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PA Oil and Gas Mapping
- a. To view orphan wells on the map, go to the “Oil and Gas Well Layers” tab (left side of page)
- b. Well Destination - select “Conventional Wells”
- c. Well Type - select All Types
- d. Well Status - select “DEP Orphan”
- e. Select “Submit Request”
- f. DEP Orphan wells will be displayed on the interactive map
- g. Select the “I” (information icon), then select any well on the map for well name, permit number, and additional information
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Abandoned Orphan Web - Report Viewer
- a. Select the dropdown arrow on the right side of the “Well Status” field
- b. Unselect all well statuses other than “DEP Orphan List”
- c. Select the “View Report” button in the upper right corner.
- d. This will generate a list of only “DEP Orphan List” wells.
- e. Select the “Export drop down menu” button just to the left of the print button.
- f. This will allow you to export the data in various file formats.
A well classified as abandoned may be an orphan well if it meets certain criteria. For more information, please go to the
orphan well classification request and instruction forms.
Individuals that become aware of abandoned wells – especially those wells causing environmental or public safety issues – are encouraged to contact the appropriate DEP Oil and Gas District Office or fill out the
Abandoned Well Reporting Form. Upon notification, DEP will investigate the well to determine if it qualifies as an abandoned or orphan well.
Contacts and Directions Oil and Gas Office Locations
Application: The Orphan Well Plugging Grant Application is currently under development and will be available soon (please check back).
Complete applications will be processed on a “first come, first served” basis until all funds have been committed.
More information coming soon…
Important notice to Pennsylvania conventional oil and gas well operators regarding the Methane Emissions Reduction Program
This is an important notice to Pennsylvania conventional oil and gas well operators regarding the availability of federal funding to plug marginal wells. The federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provides new authorities under Section 136 of the Clean Air Act to reduce methane emissions from the petroleum and natural gas sector through the creation of the Methane Emissions Reduction Program (MERP). Nationwide, MERP will provide more than $1 billion in financial funding for grants and other activities to reduce methane.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will be receiving more than $44 million of this funding. Part of Pennsylvania’s funding will be used to provide grants to conventional well operators to plug marginal conventional wells in their inventory. A marginal conventional well (MCW) is defined as a conventional vertical or slightly deviated oil and/or natural gas well with a known operator, producing less than or equal to 15 barrels of oil equivalent per day (BOED) and/or 90 thousand cubic feet (Mcf) gas per day (1 BOE = 6 Mcf) over the prior 12 month period. Most conventional wells, for which production data has been reported to the DEP, meet the definition of an MCW.
To be eligible for this funding, an operator must be in compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, including those related to the submission of well production, waste, and mechanical integrity assessment reports to DEP. Additionally, failure to submit these reports subject operators to enforcement by DEP that includes civil penalty liability. If you are interested in obtaining this funding and are currently not in compliance with these requirements, you should submit this information to DEP as soon as possible.
Operators can find information regarding the production, waste, and mechanical integrity assessment report submission process and requirements on DEP’s website (Electronic Submission Guides). Home use well operators can satisfy all three reporting requirements through the submission of a single form for each well (8000-FM-OOGM0001).
Additional information regarding the MERP grant funding process will be coming soon and will be found on the
MERP webpage. Please note that development of the MERP grant funding process is ongoing and additional information will be added to the MERP webpage as it becomes available. Operators should check this webpage often to obtain the latest information. Grant funding will be limited, so operators interested in taking advantage of this opportunity should submit their applications as soon as possible when the process opens.
For any inquiries or questions about MERP, please feel free to reach out via email at
RA-epOilandGas@pa.gov
More Information coming soon on the
MERP webpage.
Pressure Barrier Policy - The Department published the final technical guidance document titled: ”Guidelines for Development of Operator Pressure Barrier Policy for Unconventional Wells (DEP ID 800-0810-003)” on May 6, 2023. The purpose of the guidance is to assist unconventional operators developing the Pressure Barrier Policy component of a Preparedness, Prevention and Contingency plan requirements of 25 Pa. Code, Chapter 78a.55. These guidelines have been developed to facilitate appropriate well control incident risk mitigation.
The Oil and Gas Industry is ever evolving; and as such, DEP’s Bureau of Oil and Gas Planning and Program Management is at the forefront. Check back often to keep informed on the Bureau’s latest activities and subscribe to the Oil and Gas News Line below.
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To learn more about IIJA and the DEP Oil and Gas Management Team’s plans to secure IIJA funding,
please visit our IIJA web page.
Funding may become available to advance DEP's efforts to plug orphan and abandoned wells in Pennsylvania. For that reason, DEP would greatly appreciate that your firm completes its registration survey. The survey will assist DEP in assessing your interest, availability and ability to perform plugging and plugging support work.
Click here to take the survey.
The training held on March 10, 2022, by DEP Central Office staff to provide participating oil and gas industry professionals and other attendees with information relating to a number of DEP Oil and Gas forms is
now available online.
On February 9, 2022, Bureau of Oil and Gas Planning and Program Management posted an
E&S Plan Template for Well Plugging Activities in DEP’s eLibrary (8000-FM-OOGM0007). The new document was designed for earth disturbances associated with well plugging activities that require the development and implementation of a written E&S Plan but do not require an Erosion and Sediment Control Permit (E&S Permit). The form is designed to guide operators in the development of an E&S plan that is specific to their project. Properly completing the form, making it available at the project site and implementing its contents will demonstrate compliance with the 25 Pa. Code Chapter 102 requirements.
The Departments of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) have completed the first phase of well plugging work. This was the first phase of a four-phase project in Cornplanter State Forest, Forest County. The work included plugging 12 abandoned oil and gas wells. The 12 wells, some of which are believed to have been in the forest since the 1920s, are located in Harmony Township. Final site restoration of these wells will be performed during the Spring of 2022. Phase two of well plugging will also be released for bid in the Spring/Summer.
Old, decaying abandoned wells not only act as a significant source of climate-warming methane emissions, but in many cases, can leak oil and gas into water, soil and sometimes nearby homes, creating an explosion hazard.
Benefits associated with the Cornplanter project include:
- Conservation of approximately 1,260 acres of state forest land;
- Protection of cold-water fisheries that include Hunter Run, McCaferdy Run, Jamison Run, and Dawson Run;
- Reduction in methane emissions to the atmosphere;
- Protection of public trail users and valuable recreation areas including Hunter Run Trail System and Lashure Interpretive Trail;
- Increased opportunities for forest management; and
- Increased availability of public lands for healthy, outdoor recreation without risk of injury.
DCNR provided funding to the DEP Well Plugging Program to manage contracts to properly plug abandoned wells where no responsible party can be identified. DCNR bid the project and is responsible for overall project management and contract oversight, while DEP provided the technical specifications for the contract documents and also is providing on-site inspection services of the work. DCNR awarded the contract to Howard Drilling, LLC, of Mount Jewett, PA on January 4, 2021, and plugging work commenced on March 29, 2021. There are more than 1,735 known oil and gas wells on public lands that have no responsible owner and are eligible to be plugged under DEP’s Well Plugging Program. Statewide, there are more than 8,700 abandoned wells in Pennsylvania, but it is estimated that there are an additional 200,000 abandoned wells across the state.
Order of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania dated January 6, 2021 in Marcellus Shale Coalition v. Department of Environmental Protection of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Environmental Quality Board of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Docket No. 573 MD 2016
– The Department provides notice of the January 6, 2021 Order of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania (Order), which clarifies the compliance deadlines in 25 Pa. Code § 78a.59c(a) (relating to centralized impoundments). The Commonwealth Court issued its Order in response to a Joint Application for Relief Requesting Clarification of the Compliance Deadlines in 25 Pa. Code § 78a.59c(a) filed by the Department, the Environmental Quality Board, and the Marcellus Shale Coalition in the case of
Marcellus Shale Coalition v. Department of Environmental Protection of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Environmental Quality Board of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Commonwealth Court Docket No. 573 MD 2016. The Commonwealth Court’s Order directs the Department to publicize the Order in the
Pennsylvania Bulletin; notifying the regulated community and public of the correct compliance dates. The Commonwealth Court’s Order extends the April 8, 2017 deadline from 25 Pa. Code § 78a.59c(a) to Monday, June 7, 2021 and extends the October 8, 2019 deadline to Monday, January 8, 2024.
Click here to view the
January 30, 2021, issue of the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
DEP has recently completed a comprehensive analysis of both regulatory requirements and an industry standards document updated in December 2018 relating to blowout preventer (BOP) function and pressure testing (American Petroleum Institute (API) Standard 53, Well Control Equipment Systems for Drilling Wells). In response to the analysis, the agency has rewritten a
frequently asked questions (FAQ) document to align it with the current, best technical thinking associated with effective BOP testing measures. BOP equipment provides a last line of defense when an operator runs the risk of losing control of a well (uncontrolled flow of pressurized gas and liquids toward the surface).
The updated
FAQ establishes that following the referenced API guidelines for both function and pressure testing, as written, are acceptable and provide superior safety measures. More specifically, the API guidelines provide consistent, system-wide testing procedures during BOP set-up, use, and transition to nearby wells on a multi-well pad. Further, the guidelines provide specific procedural steps that ensure comprehensive function and pressure testing at test intervals that have been fully vetted.
With the release of this
FAQ, DEP has clarified that following API Standard 53 is consistent with the intent of the 2011 rulemaking language associated with 78a.72/78.72 (e) and (f), and would be in compliance with DEP’s regulations. The updated
FAQ provides a transparent and clear mechanism for an operator to pursue a contemporary, superior BOP testing procedure, as allowed by the referenced regulations. In cases where an operator is proposing a method not consistent with the
FAQ or the section 78a.72/78.72 testing requirements, DEP has also developed a new form, 8000-FM-OOGM0017, that can be used to document requests for DEP review and approval associated with modified BOP testing procedures. All of these new resources are available for reference and implementation, effective immediately.
On June 18, 2020, IRRC unanimously approved (5 members in favor, no members opposed) the DEP final form rulemaking to increase the unconventional well drilling permit fee.
Learn more about the Final Form Rulemaking.
DEP recently received a request regarding the use of newly formulated Class L cement in the construction and plugging of oil and gas wells. Joppa Class L cement is a low CO2 (lower environmental impact) oil well cement designed for normal slurry applications for cementing oil and gas wells. In 2019, the American Petroleum Institute (API) added the Class L designation to Annex B of Specification 10A. Class L composite well cement is manufactured by inter-grinding Portland cement clinker and one or more forms of gypsum with pozzolanic material. Fly ash, silica fume, and natural pozzolans all qualify as pozzolanic materials. API also allows the addition of suspension agents in Class L cements. The API Monogram is pending.
After review of available laboratory testing data, DEP has determined that the Class L blend of cement “meets or exceeds the ASTM International C 150, Type I, II or III Standard or API Specification 10” and also meets requirements of Section 78.85(a)(1)-(5) and 78a.85(a)(1)-(5) when used in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications and standards for well cementing. This determination has been made based on a detailed review of laboratory testing data for the blend and comparison of laboratory performance to Class A blends. Accordingly, operators may use the Class L blend to meet the requirements of Sections 78.85 and 78a.85. This determination applies for use in Pennsylvania at any oil and gas well sites, either previously permitted, in the process of permitting or at future permitted wells.
See Deputy Secretary Perry’s memo for details.
Conservation Law Public Hearing
Oil and Gas Surface Regulations
Online Services
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ESCGP-3 Resources: Erosion and Sediment Control General Permit for Earth Disturbance Associated with Oil and Gas Exploration, Production, Processing, or Treatment Operations or Transmission Facilities
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eFacts Department Data Information System. The public can search for individual permits (authorizations), operators (clients), wells (facilities), inspections, and by Program (OG).
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eNotice is a service that will send you an email of each application on request.
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eMapPA will also show you where the well is located in the Department's Geographic Information System (GIS).
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Oil and Gas Mapping Application. This interactive application shows a wide variety of Oil and Gas information, including locational data, permitting documents, inspections and compliance information regarding Oil and Gas wells.
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Historical Oil and Gas Development in Allegheny County. This story map compares a historical oil and gas legacy development map (1930-1960s) to aerial imagery in Allegheny County. Permitted, registered, and other oil and gas well locations confirmed by the Department of Environmental Protection are also shown.
Fact Sheets
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is not involved in regulating lease agreements between mineral property owners and producers. Lease agreements are contractual matters between private parties. DEP does not audit payments, read or calibrate meters or tanks, or otherwise get involved in lease matters.