Several claims dismissed in drilling contamination case against Cabot
Friday, January 23, 2015
A lawsuit against Cabot Oil & Gas in northeastern Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna County has been diminished by a U.S. District Judge, according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Forty-four plaintiffs sued Cabot in Nov. 2009 when they claimed that the company’s oil and gas drilling contaminated one township’s water supply in Susquehanna County. Of those 44 plaintiffs, 34 settled, leaving two families of 10 total plaintiffs seeking to recover property damages from drilling operations.
The judge dismissed some of the plaintiffs’ claims in the case, including: breach of contract, lost royalties and personal injury. A private nuisance claim and a negligence claim remain in the case.
GasSearch Drilling Services, one of the defendants in the case, was dismissed.
Via: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette > Drilling contamination case narrowed against Cabot in Susquehanna County
Leave a Comment
Marcellus & Utica Shale Well Map
Additional Shale Maps
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.