DEP Fines Gas Well Company $85,000
Washington
PA Observer-Reporter
8 January 2010
By Brad Hundt, Staff writer
bhundt@observer-reporter.com
Atlas Resources, one of the most prominent natural gas drillers in the
region, has been fined $85,000 by the state Department of Environment
Protection for violations at 13 of its well sites in Washington, Greene
and Fayette counties.
DEP said the violations, which occurred between Dec. 8, 2008, and July
31, centered on the discharge of residual and industrial waste into the
ground at seven well sites; failure to maintain erosion and
sedimentation control at six sites; and failing to restore two well
sites by establishing vegetative cover within nine months of drilling.
Atlas has agreed to pay the fines, according to Helen Humphreys, a
spokeswoman at the DEP Pittsburgh office.
"Each of the incidents has been corrected," said Jeffrey Kupfer, a
senior vice president at Atlas. "As a longtime Pennsylvania operator,
we take our environmental responsibilities very seriously, and our
record reflects this."
In a DEP news release, the importance of natural gas to the
Pennsylvania economy was acknowledged, but "the development need not -
and will not - come at the expense of our environment," according to
Southwest Regional Director George Jugovic Jr.
Atlas is one of three natural gas drillers to establish a presence in
the region, along with Range Resources and CNX Gas Corp. Drilling at
any given site usually takes one to two weeks, and inspections take
place while drilling is happening and then in the weeks after it's
completed.
"Nobody has a spotless record," Humphreys explained. "And it's
important that the state be vigilant in checking these sites."
Of the 13 well sites cited, six were in Greene County, six were in
Fayette County and one was in Washington County. The Washington County
well was in Deemston, while the Greene County wells were in Monongahela
and Cumberland townships.