Pennsylvania DEP Fines Company for September Spills at Marcellus Drill Site
This post was written by Nicolle Bagnell and Stephanie Hadgkiss.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has fined Cabot Oil and Gas Corporation $56,650 following three spills which occurred over the course of one week at Cabot's Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling sites in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. The fine was assessed as for violations of the Clean Streams law, Solid Waste Management Act and the Oil and Gas Act.
In addition to the fine, from September 24 to October 16, the DEP imposed a three-week halt of hydraulic fracturing performed by Cabot in Susquehanna County. Hydraulic fracturing is a drilling technique being used to maximize natural gas extraction from the Marcellus Shale. A mixture of water, sand and other substances (sometimes referred to as "frac fluid") is forced into tiny fractures in underground shale rock layers at high pressure in order to release trapped natural gas.
The Cabot spills consisted of 8,000 gallons of frac fluid, some of which was believed to have been leaked into an area wetland and Stevens Creek.
Following the DEP's review and approval of Cabot's updated "preparedness, prevention and contingency plan and an engineering study," Cabot was permitted to resume its hydraulic fracturing.
For more information visit: http://www.ahs2.dep.state.pa.us/newsreleases/default.asp?ID=5705&varQueryType=Detail; http://www.ahs2.dep.state.pa.us/newsreleases/default.asp?ID=5699&varQueryType=Detail
