Workshops focus on finding oil and gas wells in western Pa.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Extension Energy Team will be hosting workshops July 23, 24, 28 and 29 to find abandoned oil and gas wells in western Pennsylvania during July.
Since the 1800s, more than 760,000 oil and gas wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania — many without documentation or regulation. Today, an estimated half a million abandoned wells remain unaccounted for, posing serious risks to both people and the environment.
“These wells don’t produce any product, and cause problems. We should take care of these issues and not kick this can down the road for our children and grandchildren to deal with”, said Dan Brockett, state program leader in energy at Penn State Extension. Brockett has been looking at these issues in Western Pennsylvania for over a decade.
Join the Penn State Extension Energy Team, Environmental Defense Fund and Oil Region Alliance, which manages the assets of the federally designated Oil Region National Heritage Area, spanning all of Venango County and eastern Crawford County, to learn how to identify and report these hidden hazards.
Workshops will be held July 23 in Clarion County, Pennsylvania; July 24 in Crawford County; July 28 in Mercer County; and July 29 in McKean County. Registration is free but required to attend. For more information and to register, visit www.bit.ly/oawwesternpa.
Participants will learn how to spot and report hidden oil and gas wells on their land to help protect their family, farm and community from long-forgotten environmental hazards. When reported to Penn State Extension, the Energy Team will determine if a well is currently mapped or not.
Participants will also be eligible to receive $100 for each undocumented well they report through the Oil Region Alliance program.
