ThePennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has fined Southwestern Energy Co. $128,031 for drilling five Marcellus Shale wells in Bradford County after its permits had expired. A DEP investigation revealed that Southwestern had drilled the Reeve Sutton 4H well pad in Herrick Township for nine days in October 2012, roughly 18 months after its permit had expired. The agency also discovered similar violations that occurred in the same year and in 2013 at four other well sites, where it said Southwestern drilled wells with permits that had been expired for four to 16 months. The company received violation letters from the agency in January 2013, but drilled two of the four wells after receiving them, according to DEP.