State works to cap abandoned gas wells across Pittsburgh area
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Abandoned and orphan gas wells are littered around the state.
The state knows of about 30,000 wells that need to be capped, as some of them are leaking gasses into the air and environment. Work began on Tuesday on Scrubgrass Road in Scott Township to address a major problem.
"Most of the time when you drive past there, you get a whiff of it and you know it's there. It's been there for years," neighbor Carolyn Camino said.
The two the state is working on in Scott Township are just down the hill from houses and families. The governor committed $11 million to addressing the problem on Tuesday.
"There's been talk about that for years, that there's been some sort of gas down there that needed to be capped," Camino said.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection knows of 30,000 wells that need to be capped. State data shows most are on the western side of the mountains in the state. It's believed the real number is much higher.
"We still think that there's upwards of 250,00 or more that we don't know about," DEP Director of the Bureau of Oil and Gas Operations Dan Counahan said.
Over the past year, the state has capped 169 wells. Some of the wells go back to the late 1800s or early 1900s. The two being worked on in Scott Township have been left for more than a decade.
The DEP said it tried to get in touch with the company responsible for them, Economy Natural Gas and Michael Harju, but never heard back. State records show each entity owns more than 100 wells across the state. According to the agency, officials are working to try and hold more companies accountable for their wells.
"We've stepped in with state emergency plug-in money to address the issue of stray methane gas and the odors in the area," Counahan
The concern with these wells is the release of methane gas. It not only contributes to climate change but can migrate into buildings and water supplies. In 2019, the DEP had to clean up soil in Scott Township because of the methane gas in the area.
"It's time. We've smelled that for years. Sometimes it's a little stronger than other times," Camino said.
The DEP said there will be flaring or the controlled burning of gas on Wednesday in the area. This work is expected to take about a month. There are three other wells the DEP wants to address in the Scott Township area this year.
