Sunoco fined nearly $2M for pipeline violations at Pa. lake
Friday, January 17, 2020
Sunoco Pipeline received a $2 million penalty from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for violations at a central Pennsylvania lake that violated the state’s Clean Streams Law and Dam Safety and Encroachments Act, according to Farm and Dairy.
During construction and drilling related to the Mariner East 2 pipeline, drilling fluids were released to the bottom of Raystown Lake in Huntington County, according to a statement made by DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell on Jan. 16.
The DEP found that Sunoco failed to report the loss of circulation of 3 million gallons of drilling fluid during horizontal drilling from April to December 2017, resulting in more than 208,000 gallons of drilling fluids surfacing in the lake and covering about 8 acres of the lake bottom.
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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.