Pa. DEP fines Range Resources $294K for inaccurately listings wells inactive
Friday, February 26, 2021
Range Resources – Appalachia was fined $294,000 by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for inaccurately listing wells that should have been abandoned and plugged as inactive, according to Farm and Dairy.
After receiving a consent assessment of civil penalty from the DEP Jan. 7, the company paid the penalty on Jan. 8 for violating the 2012 Oil and Gas Act.
The DEP issued a notice of violation to Range for its conventional Shirocky No. 1 well, in Fayette County, as well as, 42 additional wells located in Mercer, Venango, Crawford, Indiana, Fayette, Centre, Clinton and Armstrong counties. The company has plugged all but one of the wells, which is scheduled to be plugged later this year. Plugging the wells and paying the DEP satisfied the conditions of the penalty.
Learn more: Farm and Dairy >Range Resources fined $294,000 by Pa. DEP
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.