Drillers Admit Dumping Water In National Forest
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
16 February 2010
Two men from a Kansas oil-drilling firm pleaded guilty today to
illegally dumping 200,000 gallons of brine water down an abandoned well
in Pennsylvania's only national forest.
The pollution by Swamp Angel LLC in the Allegheny National Forest could
contaminate groundwater and streams, but authorities have not linked
any water damage conclusively to the pollution, acting U.S. Attorney
Robert Cessar said.
The pleas before a federal judge in Erie should send a signal to oil
and gas drillers to properly dispose of brine, a saltwater byproduct of
the drilling process that sometimes also contains metals, Mr. Cessar
said.
"These guys were drilling oil wells, produced this brine water and
decided they weren't going to pay for its disposal," Mr. Cessar said.
"This is the result of them getting caught. That's the case in a
nutshell."
The Wichita-based company's part-owner, 66-year-old Michael Evans, of
La Quinta, Calif., and the company's site supervisor,
54-year-old John Morgan, of Warren County each pleaded guilty to felony
violations of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
Under the law, brine must either be hauled away and treated at a sewage
treatment plant or dumped into an abandoned well, provided permits are
obtained. Permits weren't obtained in this case, but are required to
ensure measures are taken so the water won't leach into the ground and
pollute groundwater and nearby streams, Mr. Cessar said.
Cessar said he didn't know how much it would have cost Swamp Angel to
have disposed of the water properly.
As part of today's plea agreements, the company is also paying about
$20,000 to reimburse the U.S. Forest Service for the unrelated clean up
of some metal drums and other materials left behind by drilling, Mr.
Cessar said.
The company also will hire an independent contractor to audit its work,
come up with a waste-disposal plan and develop an orientation for
employees on environmental matters, Cessar said.
Defense attorney Matthew Wolford, who represents Mr. Morgan, declined
to comment. Philip Friedman, who represents Mr. Evans, did not
immediately return a call for comment.
Mr. Cessar said the brine was dumped in a section of the forest in
McKean County from April 2007 through January 2008.
The two men each face up to three years in prison and $250,000 in fines
when they're sentenced June 24.