On August 9, the Office of Drinking Water & Source Water Protection issued a Proposed Administrative Order to the Red Jacket Energy Brown Farm underground injection facility, in McKean County, Pennsylvania for violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Red Jacket operates a rule authorized Class II enhanced recovery facility. Enhanced recovery wells are used to assist oil and gas production by injecting produced brines into previously depleted production zones to displace oil and/or gas and drive it to a production wellbore. PADEP regulates conventional oil and gas production in Pennsylvania. In January, PADEP notified EPA that production was not taking place at the facility. EPA and PADEP have coordinated efforts to gather information about the Brown Farm facility and conducted a joint inspection in February. It was found that the production wells on-site were not equipped for production and therefore Red Jacket is currently operating unpermitted Class II disposal wells. Also contained in the order are violations in which Red Jacket failed to maintain the mechanical integrity of two injection wells and to properly plug and abandon an injection well. Under SDWA, Red Jacket can request a hearing and submit written comments on the Proposed Order within 30 days from the date of issuance. The public also has an opportunity to comment.
On September 12, the Office of Drinking Water & Source Water Protection issued a final Administrative Order to the Red Jacket Energy Brown Farm u