Crews to begin work to seal abandoned oil wells in Allegheny and Washington counties

Work to identify and seal tens of thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania will begin in Allegheny and Washington counties later this summer. The work is being done, in part, thanks to the Environmental Defense Fund and Moms Clean Air Force. They are now working with the state’s Department of Environmental Protection and a few other organizations to identify these wells in Ross and Shaler townships, as well as North Fayette and White Oak in Allegheny County. Crews will also be working in South Strabane and Charleroi in Washington County. The goal of the project is to locate and address these wells in Western Pennsylvania. “It is mind-boggling. It’s this huge, hidden threat,” said Adam Peltz, the director and senior attorney for the Environmental Defense Fund. Peltz estimates there are somewhere between 300,000 and 700,000 undocumented, abandoned oil and gas wells in Western Pennsylvania alone. “Pennsylvania has a long legacy of oil and gas extraction dating back to the mid-1850s, and that predates regulations and rules,” said Patrice Tomcik, the senior national field director for Moms Clean Air Force.She added, “It’s not surprising that Western Pennsylvania has the most abandoned and orphaned wells in the nation. “Tomcik says the wells can emit gases, oil and other toxic pollutants into the air, water and soil. They also pose a safety risk to the structures, sometimes unknowingly built on top of them. “These wells can actually be located, like in basements and buildings, underneath parking lots,” said Tomcik.Work on the new project is expected to begin at some point later this summer. Peltz says crews will be using drone-mounted magnetometers and advanced methane detection technologies as well. “The very first surveys will be car-based, so it could be an SUV or a car with some scientific instruments, just driving on the streets. Most people won’t even notice,” said Peltz. The groups are hosting open houses within the communities that will be surveyed for the public to get a chance to learn more about the project. Staff members will be on hand to answer any questions as well. Tomcik says the southwest region open houses are taking place the week of July 14. Those dates and locations include: North Fayette: July 14, 6-9 p.m. at North Fayette Community CenterRoss Township: July 15, 6-9 p.m. at Synergy Lab at Hackers GuildSouth Strabane: July 16, 6-9 p.m. at Pennsylvania Trolley MuseumCharleroi: July 17, 6-9 p.m. at Off the Wall Arts