Judge tosses $4M award to Dimock shale-gas families
Monday, April 17, 2017
U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin C. Carlson threw out a jury’s award of $4.24 million for two Dimock, Pa., families, who filed suit under the claim that their water was contaminated by Cabot Oil & Gas Corp, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
After sitting through three weeks of trial, the jury made a unanimous decision to award more than $4 million to the Scott Ely and Monica Marta-Ely and Ray and Victoria Hubert families. It found that Cabot Oil & Gas Corp.’s operations were negligent, creating a nuisance for the families. The Elys were awarded $2.75 million and the Huberts $1.49 million.
However, Cabot argued its drilling was not responsible for the elevated level of methane in the families’ water wells and pleaded for Carlson to rule in its favor. The judge decided the evidence against Cabot “was spare, sometimes contradictory, frequently rebutted by other scientific expert testimony, and relied in some measure upon tenuous inferences.” He then ordered a new trial if Cabot and the families can’t negotiate a settlement.
Learn more: The Philadelphia Inquirer > Judge throws out $4M tainted-water award to Dimock shale-gas families
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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.