Abandoned and Orphaned Oil and Gas Wells in Pennsylvania (60 PDH Mins.)

Recorded August 25, 2020 Level: Intermediate This webinar will cover regulatory perspectives pertinent to Pennsylvania’s orphan and abandoned oil and gas wells. DEP, the agency charged with managing the commonwealth’s legacy well liability through drilling permit surcharges, will discuss legacy well development, well plugging effectiveness, and emerging groundwater/safety issues associated with orphan and abandoned wells. This webinar will address historical oil and gas development in the state, and the current scope of Pennsylvania’s legacy well liability. Emerging issues relating to legacy well integrity will also be presented along with forecasts for different funding models. Finally, encroachment between commercial/residential development and legacy oil and gas infrastructure will be addressed. The significance of findings is discussed in the context of environmental, public safety, and economic risk; with an emphasis on appropriate regional concerns. About our presenter: Seth Pelepko currently serves as the Subsurface Activities Division Manager for DEP’s Bureau of Oil and Gas Planning and Program Management. He has worked in this capacity for over five years and has been with the Office of Oil and Gas Management for almost ten years. His areas of expertise include stray gas migration casework, gas and oil well integrity, and legacy well topics. He received a B.S. degree in Earth Sciences in 1998 from the Pennsylvania State University and M.S. degree in Geology from the University of Delaware. He has been a licensed professional geologist in Pennsylvania since 2004. Mr. Pelepko will be providing an overview of legacy oil and gas well development in Pennsylvania with an emphasis on the current challenges faced by the agency regarding abandoned wells with no associated viable responsible party. Environmental, public safety, and funding liabilities will be discussed.