A controversial cryptocurrency mining operation in rural Elk County, Pennsylvania has gone silent, leaving behind unplugged fracking wells and environmental concerns. Diversified Energy, which had revived the long-idle Longhorn Pad A in 2022 to power crypto-mining supercomputers with natural gas, abruptly shut down the site earlier this year—without notifying state regulators.
The company never secured an air quality permit before launching operations and now faces a violation notice for abandoning the wells. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection says the wells were left unequipped for production, contradicting the company’s claims.
Diversified Energy has amassed the largest portfolio of low-producing wells in Appalachia, prompting fears it will offload the cleanup cost to taxpayers. Plugging a single well can exceed $100,000, and Pennsylvania already has 350,000 orphaned and abandoned wells—more than any other state.
Environmentalists warn that without stronger enforcement, companies like Diversified could continue squeezing profits from aging wells while avoiding costly shutdowns, leaving rural communities with the toxic aftermath.
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