Feb 23, 2016 2 min read

The state Department of Environmental Protection issued a spate of violation notices to Range Resources and EQT for their failure to restore Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling pads across Washington and Greene counties in a timely manner after work there has been completed.

None of the violations is expected to lead to fines because the companies are working with the state to reduce their footprint at the post-drilling sites, DEP spokesman John Poister said Tuesday.

“We want to see these sites cleaned up,” Poister said.

The DEP noted there were no environmental impacts at any of the closed drilling sites.

He said the DEP approached natural gas drillers in June about the status of their operations and Range’s reply led the department to believe violations occurred.

He said regulations require drillers to remove equipment and clean up their sites within nine months after drilling has been completed. In all, there were 45 notices of violation issued Friday to Southpointe-based Range, 41 of which involved well sites in Washington County. Four involved well pads in Allegheny County.

EQT, also based in Southpointe, received 20 notices in a letter from the DEP that was mailed Monday, the department’s document states.

While the bulk of the EQT notices involved restoration issues, some of them involved no record of the company issuing a notice of termination of a well site and failure to issue restoration reports. More than half of the affected well pads are in Greene County. Three are in Washington County.

EQT spokeswoman Linda Robertson could not be reached Tuesday.

Range’s issues with the DEP do not involve left-behind equipment.

“It’s also important to note that, according to the DEP, Range is being helpful and cooperative in this voluntary request that they sent out,” Range spokesman Matt Pitzarella said.

The only impact Range faced was the existence of larger well sites than what were needed for production, Pitzarella said.

Poister said other companies likely will receive similar notices as the DEP works through responses to the letters it sent to drillers.

He said Range’s notices went out first because the company received the most letters and it responded promptly to the DEP’s request for information.