Posts Tagged ‘Cabot’

The initial events polluted a wetland and caused a fish kill in Susquehanna County.

By Rory Sweeneyrsweeney@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

Cabot Oil and Gas has been issued a letter of violation for two liquid-gel spills last week at the company’s Heitsman natural-gas well pad in Susquehanna County, the state Department of Environmental Protection announced on Tuesday.

The spills of about 8,400 gallons, which polluted a wetland and caused a fish kill in Stevens Creek, were followed up by a third spill at the site on Tuesday morning, according to DEP spokesman Dan Spadoni.

A hose burst, according to DEP, and released about 420 gallons of the same lubricant. A catch basin retained most of it, Cabot spokesman Ken Komoroski said, but it’s unknown what happened to 10 gallons.

He said he was unaware of the spills causing any environmental damage, but acknowledged that a dam created to block the contaminant caused flow problems and that DEP noticed “the minnows downstream were distressed and/or swimming erratically.”

“We think that it’s important to residents that no contaminants from the spill have compromised Stevens Creek,” he said.

The spilled material, known as LGC-35, suspends sand in water to fracture rock in the gas-drilling process used in the Marcellus Shale region.

LGC-35 is a “potential carcinogen,” according to its Material Safety Data Sheet, and can cause eye, skin and respiratory irritation, along with “central nervous system effects,” such as dizziness and headaches.

Komoroski said the drilling contractor, Halliburton, has since revised the safety sheet to exclude the carcinogenic reference because the potential cancer-causing agent is a “potential contaminant” to the gel, not part of its formula. Halliburton told Cabot the contaminant wasn’t present in the spilled batches, but Cabot is performing its own testing to confirm that, Komoroski said.

He added that Cabot feels Halliburton should have been cited for the spill. Halliburton had flushed the wetlands with clean water and collected the effluent before the third spill, Spadoni said, and it won’t be known whether the land needs to be excavated until results from soil samples are announced. “I would anticipate that would be done fairly soon,” Spadoni said.

Cabot has 10 days to respond to the violation notice with how it plans to further clean the affected area and prevent future spills. DEP may assess a civil penalty in the case, for which Komoroski said Cabot would seek compensation from Halliburton.

Copyright: Times Leader

By Rory Sweeneyrsweeney@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

About 8,400 gallons of a gel used in drilling natural-gas wells was spilled on Wednesday at a well being drilled in Dimock Township for Cabot Oil & Gas, the state Department of Environmental Protection announced Thursday.

Spilled at the Heitsman well site, the substance affected an unknown amount of “shallow wetland,” said company spokesman Ken Komoroski.

DEP and state Fish and Boat Commission officials were on hand Wednesday and Thursday as a crew cleaned up and contained the material, said DEP spokesman Mark Carmon. It may have gotten into Stevens Creek, he said.

“What was done was the spilled material was immediately contained” using an eight-man crew, Komoroski said. “The gel was able to be removed by vacuum trucks.”

The spill occurred as Halliburton was using a fluid to fracture the Marcellus Shale and release the natural gas within it, he said. Baker Tank, the contractor responsible for tanking and piping for the “frack” job, allowed a pipe to come loose and release the gel, he said.

“This is certainly disappointing to Cabot that this occurred,” Komoroski said. “On the other hand, these are the types of things that are typically unforeseeable and it’s important to react to it when it occurs.”

The slippery substance is “relatively innocuous,” he said, but “does have the potential for eye, skin and respiratory irritation.” Used to help suspend sand particles evenly throughout the so-called fracking fluid, it’s made of “paraffinic material” and polysaccharides, or something like fluid wax and starch.

Copyright: Times Leader

Firm accused of causing gas infiltration, but it’s unclear if rules knowingly violated.

By Rory Sweeneyrsweeney@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. caused natural gas to infiltrate into at least nine homes in Susquehanna County, according a letter of violation from the state Department of Environmental Protection, but it remains unclear whether Cabot knowingly violated any regulations.

“The more important part of the investigation is still ahead of us,” DEP spokesman Mark Carmon said. “We know where it came from. The two more important things are how did it get there … and more importantly, how do we get it out of the wells.”

The company, however, is not confident in DEP’s findings, according to spokesman Ken Komoroski, believing the letter is “unnecessary” and claims as fact conclusions that haven’t been proven.

The situation has become an example of a statewide issue regarding the unknown consequences of gas drilling. Water contamination concerns have caused environmental agencies, including DEP and the Susquehanna River Basic Commission, to increase their regulation and oversight, hindering drillers’ efforts to secure permits quickly.

The letter cites Cabot for an “unpermitted discharge of natural gas” into state waters, for failure to prevent the discharge and failure to submit certain records on time. Though no financial punishment has been levied, Cabot was told to install gas detectors in nine homes where methane was detected in water wells and to continue providing water to four of those where there’s a safety threat from gas buildup, Carmon said.

“It’s disappointing to have a letter which is, at best, premature directed to the company that it violated environmental standards when that conclusion hasn’t been reached yet,” Komoroski said. “We’re hopeful, and I stress hopeful, that our hydrogeologist will actually be able to determine what caused the natural gas to be in the water. We don’t know that we’ll be able to do that.”

Cabot hit a bump on Jan. 1 in its exploration for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale when the cap exploded off a private water well near one of the company’s drilling sites.

While drilling hasn’t come to Luzerne County yet, companies have expressed interest in properties along its northern border. Fairmount Township Supervisor David Keller said several properties have been leased for years, and hundreds of acres, including his 90, were scheduled to be leased before the economic recession hit the industry. “The economy fell apart before they got the money to us,” he said.

The company and DEP agree that the gas isn’t from Marcellus Shale, a pipeline leak or naturally occurring sources above ground. They also concur that the gas is likely from a gas-laden upper layer of underground Devonian shale, of which the Marcellus Shale is a component but thousands of feet deeper, Carmon said. Marcellus Shale is generally at least 5,000 feet underground, while DEP determined the gas contaminating the water wells came from a shale layer roughly between 1,500 feet and 2,000 feet deep, Carmon said.

The company has cemented the upper Devonian shale layers of several wells, effectively extending the cement seals from the bottom of the water-bearing region, where the seals usually stop, to the bottom of the upper shale layers. The department has been trying to isolate the exact source of gas, seeing whether the extended seals produce a drop in water-contamination levels, Carmon said.

Because the method of contamination hasn’t been determined, Carmon said it’s too early to tell if Cabot knowingly violated regulations. “I’m not aware of anything blatant or anything like that, but, again, we want to know how did it happen,” he said.

Komoroski said the company is concerned about the effect the letter will have on its public image, particularly since it questions many of the department’s conclusions. It believes it filed all drilling reports on time, and that the gas detectors aren’t necessary. In fact, Komoroski said, the product DEP suggested Cabot buy wasn’t even a gas detector.

Cabot plans to meet DEP’s deadline for a response and is also scheduling an in-person meeting, as requested.

Copyright: Times Leader