Coterra will be permitted to drill horizontally underneath a 9-square-mile (23-square-kilometer) area of Dimock and frack the gas-bearing shale that lies thousands of feet down, something that’s been forbidden since 2010. [Read more here.]
At the November 29 news conference announcing the plea deal with Coterra Energy, Attorney General and now Governor-elect Josh Shapiro punted a reporter’s question about whether Coterra would be permitted to resume drilling in the moratorium area, pointing out the administration of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf was still in charge.
Some of the residents, who have long accused the state agency of negligence in its handling of the water pollution in Dimock, said they felt betrayed.
“We got played,” said Ray Kemble, the most outspoken of a small group of Dimock residents who have battled the drilling company and state regulators alike.
State officials denied that Coterra was allowed to plead to a misdemeanor charge in exchange for being allowed to drill for potentially hundreds of millions of dollars worth of gas.
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[Note: Legislators like Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming), Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Committee, have been lobbying DEP for years to lift the ban on shale gas drilling in the “box” around Dimock, including at Senate hearings on DEP’s budget and during the confirmation of former DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell. Read more here. Read more here.]
Coterra Energy Compliance Record
On November 29, Coterra Energy became one of only a handful of shale gas or pipeline companies in Pennsylvania ever to plead no contest or guilty to criminal charges related to activities they were responsible for.
As part of the plea settlement, Coterra will pay $16.29 million for the construction of a new public water supply in Dimock, Susquehanna County and pay their water bills for 75 years. Read more here.
According to DEP’s Oil and Gas Compliance Database, Coterra Energy also received over 650 notices of violation from DEP since January 1, 2016. The violations include--
-- Failure to meet well casing and cementing well construction standards;
-- Failure to prevent discharge of wastes into streams;
-- Failure to dispose of fluids, residual waste properly; and
-- Many other violations.
NewsClips:
-- AP: Pennsylvania Lifts Ban On Shale Gas Drilling In Polluted Dimock, Susquehanna County
Related Articles - Dimock:
-- DEP Consent Agreement Allowing Shale Gas Drilling To Resume Under Dimock, Susquehanna County Sets New Drilling, Water Supply Protection Standards, Imposes $444,000 Penalty [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week:
-- Better Path Coalition: 65 Organizations, Businesses, 2,700+ Individuals Petition Gov.-Elect Shapiro To Ban Road Dumping Of Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater [PaEN]
-- Ohio River Valley Institute Decarbonization Pathway Relies On Zero Emissions Resources, Energy Efficiency, Increased Electrification Is Less Costly Than Natural Gas, Carbon Capture Options [PaEN]
[Posted: December 12, 2022] PA Environment Digest
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