Pa. DEP issues violation to Sunoco for spill
Monday, September 11, 2017
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued a Notice of Violation to Sunoco Pipeline following another drilling fluid spill, according to StateImpact.
Fifty gallons of bentonite, non-toxic drilling fluid, spilled into the Susquehanna River at a Mariner East 2 pipeline site in Dauphin County. It occurred in the same location as a spill of about 495 gallons.
The most recent spill comes about two weeks after Sunoco agreed to a wide range of new conditions regulating its horizontal drilling during construction of the pipeline as part of a settlement agreement with three environmental groups. The agreement requires Sunoco to review the geology at drilling sites, to give nearby homeowners more notice of drilling plans, and to offer to test their water before, during and after drilling.
Learn more: StateImpact > DEP issues violation to Sunoco for another spill of drilling fluid
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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.