Crypto miner leaves Pennsylvania site with 14 wells unplugged

Cryptocurrency miner Diversified Energy has reportedly abandoned its natural gas-powered mining site in Elk County, Pennsylvania, leaving multiple wells unplugged and facing regulatory violations.

The site, known as Longhorn Pad A, was reactivated in 2022 after nearly ten years of inactivity when Diversified began using natural gas from the wells to power on-site generators for crypto mining operations, according to the Erie Times-News.

The company initially operated without an air quality permit from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which was only granted in December 2023.

However, a DEP inspection in March 2025 found that Diversified had removed the mining equipment and infrastructure from the site.

Empty sheds and missing production equipment led the DEP to issue a formal violation notice for well abandonment.

Diversified denied that the site was abandoned and stated it might resume gas production in the future.

Environmental advocates and the DEP argue the company has failed to meet its obligations under a 2021 agreement to plug Longhorn A and 13 other wells at the end of their productive life.

Plugging wells is costly, often exceeding $100,000 per well, and Pennsylvania already has over 350,000 orphaned and abandoned wells, raising concerns about environmental and financial impacts.

A 2022 report criticised Diversified’s business model as “built to fail Appalachia,” warning taxpayers could bear the cost of thousands of unplugged wells.

Diversified has agreed to plug 3,000 wells by 2034 under a separate legal settlement but remains under regulatory scrutiny, including a US House Committee investigation.

Local officials in Horton Township, where Longhorn Pad A is located, report no communication from the company.

“All we know is that the property seems to have been abandoned,” Supervisor PJ Piccirillo told the Erie Times-News.