Energy Corporation of America (ECA), which recently announced plans to drill 50 wells along the Beartooth Front and promised to bring “the Bakken to the Big Horns [and the Beartooths] … and fundamentally change these areas the way it has changed other areas of the United States,” has been charged with dozens of violations by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Quality since 2008, and has paid over $50,000 in fines.
The majority of the violations involve three offenses:
- discharging pollutional material into the local waters
- failing to adhere to erosion and sediment (E&S) control standards
- failing to restore or cap abandoned wells
ECA representatives have made a point in local meetings of touting the company’s safety record. I guess ECA CEO John Mork meant it when he said he was going to bring the Bakken to the Beartooths, but if fundamentally changing the Beartooth Front means spilling frac water into our rivers, count me out.
This information below was obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection web site. This is what I have personally pulled out of the reports. I invite anyone to use the site to look more deeply, and I’ll be happy to publish new information.
ECA, I’m happy to give you space here on the blog to defend your safety record.
|
Date |
Inspection type | Nature of violation | Penalty/ Fine |
| 5/20/2008 | Routine complete inspection | Discharge of pollutional material to waters of Commonwealth | $2400 |
| 7/14/2008 | Routine complete inspection | Excessive casing seat pressure | Notice |
| 8/7/2008 | Complaint inspection | Impoundment not structurally sound, impermeable, greater than 20” of seasonal high ground water table. Discharge of pollutional material to waters of Commonwealth; inadequate E&S plan | $6000 |
| 9/3/2008 | Compliance evaluation | Discharge of pollutional material to waters of Commonwealth | |
| 3/17/2009 | Routine complete inspection | Discharge of pollutional material to waters of Commonwealth | Notice |
| 4/3/2009 | Drilling alteration | Failure to minimize accelerated erosion; fill side of pad not stabilized, primary sediment fence failing. Improperly installed sediment fence allowing runoff to flow freely. Runoff discharged into Little Trout Run. | $3500 |
| 4/6/2009 | Follow up inspection | Deficiencies not corrected: accelerated erosion on fill side not stabilized; freeboard still not below 2 feet | |
| 5/15/2009 | Routine complete inspection | No E&S controls on site; the operator had disturbed approximately 2+ acres prior to this inspection without implementing E&S controls | $4100 |
| 6/16/2009 | Follow up inspection | Failure to minimize accelerated erosion, implement E&S plan, maintain E&S controls. Failure to stabilize site until total site restoration | |
| 7/6/2009 | Routine complete inspection | Failure to minimize accelerated erosion, implement E&S plan, maintain E&S controls. Failure to stabilize site until total site restoration | |
| 7/7/2009 | Routine complete inspection | Failure to minimize accelerated erosion, implement E&S plan, maintain E&S controls, Failure to stabilize site until total site restoration. Potential for polluting substances reaching waters of the Commonwealth | Notice |
| 7/14/2009 | Complaint inspection | Failure to plug a well upon abandonment | Notice |
| 9/1/2009 | Complaint inspection | Failure to plug a well upon abandonment | $6500 |
| 9/21/2009 | Administrative file review | Water sample from artesian flow of fluids revealed discharge of industrial waste to the ground. Fluid contained high levels of iron, manganese, aluminum. Fluids pooled around well head and production equipment and continued throughout a large portion of the site. It appears the artesian flow has been occurring for a long period of time. | |
| 11/18/2009 | Complaint inspection | Impoundment not structurally sound, greater than 20” of seasonal high ground water; potential for polluting substances reaching waters of the Commonwealth | $19,950 |
| 3/1/2010 | Routine Complete inspection | Improperly lined pit ; Drilling w/in 100 ft of surface water or wetland w/o variance | |
| 3/16/2010 | Routine Complete Completion | Polluting substances allowed to discharge into waters of Commonwealth; failure to minimize erosion, maintain E&S controls, failure to stabilize site until total site restoration | |
| 6/2/2010 | Complaint inspection | Department observed multiple violations at the stream crossing location. Failure to minimize accelerated erosion, maintain E&S controls, failure to stabilize site until total site restoration; no E&S plan; polluting substances allowed to discharge into waters of the Commonwealth | |
| 12/1/2010 | Complaint inspection | Pumping and treating flowback/frac water at the site, and lost approximately 5 barrels of contaminated water. The water ran over the fill side of the site reaching the silt fence. Sediment has gotten through the E&S controls and needs to be addressed. | $4239 |
| 12/2/2010 | Compliance evaluation | Discharge of pollutional material to waters of Commonwealth; failure to notify DEP of pollution incident; failure to properly treat residual waste; failure to adopt pollution prevention measures | |
| 12/6/2010 | Routine completion | Methane migrated to surface through cement in 9 5/8” annulus; failure to report defective, insufficient or improperly cemented casing w/in 24 hours or submit plan to correct w/in 30 days | Notice |
| 2/1/2011 | Compliance evaluation | Discharge of industrial waste to waters of Commonwealth without a permit | Notice |
| 2/3/2011 | Compliance evaluation | Discharge of industrial waste to waters of Commonwealth without a permit; recurring violation | |
| 2/8/2011 | Administrative File Review | Failure to submit well record within 30 days of completion of drilling | $1000 |
| 4/1/2011 | Routine completion | Failure to restore well site within nine months after completion of drilling, failure to remove all pits, drilling supplies and equipment not needed for production | Notice |
| 11/3/2011 | Follow up inspection | Failure to implement and maintain BMPs in accordance with Chapter 102; failure to minimize accelerated erosion, implement an E&S plan, maintain E&S controls, failure to stabilize site until total site restoration | Notice |
| 12/5/2011 | Complaint inspection | Failure to restore well site within nine months after completion of drilling, failure to remove all pits, drilling supplies and equipment not needed for production | Notice |
| 4/11/2012 | Routine inspection | Residual waste is mismanaged | |
| 5/4/2012 | Complaint inspection | Failure to take all necessary measures to prevent spill, inadequate diking, potential pollution | Notice |
| 6/13/2013 | Routine complete inspection | Failure to adopt pollution prevention measures required or prescribed by DEP by handling materials that create a danger of pollution | |
| 7/16/2013 | Routine complete inspection | Discharge of industrial waste to waters of Commonwealth without a permit | |
| 7/17/2013 | Routine complete inspection | Discharge of industrial waste to waters of Commonwealth without permit | |
| 7/18/2012 | Routine complete inspection | Discharge of industrial waste to waters of Commonwealth without a permit | $4239 |
| 8/29/2012 | Routine complete inspection | Failure to take all necessary measures to prevent spill. Inadequate diking, potential pollution | |
| 11/13/2013 | Administrative file review | No control and disposal/PPC plan or failure to implement PPC plan | |
| 1/14/2014 | Routine/Partial inspection | Failure to minimize accelerated erosion, implement E&S plan, maintain E&S controls, failure to stabilize site until total site restoration | Notice |
Preserve the Beartooth Front 
I am sure you saw this by 2018 they will know if they have no more water to sustain the boom and whatever else we might want to sustain. And — seems as if we already have enough drug culture to worry about —
http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/investment-strategist-says-drugs-are-c urtailing-the-bakken-s-potential/article_c969164e-bf4e-50fa-af57-532badd97b7 4.html#.UvUHHAT26xg.email
Thank you for all the work,
Arleen
From: Preserve the Beartooth Front Reply-To: Preserve the Beartooth Front Date: Friday, February 7, 2014 8:58 AM To: Arleen Boyd Subject: [New post] Energy Corporation of America has been charged with dozens of violations and paid over $50,000 in fines in Pennsylvania
WordPress.com davidjkatz posted: “Energy Corporation of America (ECA), which recently announced plans to drill 50 wells along the Beartooth Front and promised to bring the Bakken to the Big Horns [and the Beartooths] and fundamentally change these areas the way it has changed other are”
Does our MT DEQ also provide such information on it’s website and how reliable is it? The Montana Board of Oil & Gas Conservation at the forum said that one can go to their office to examine their paper records if there was a questionL They do have a web site, but I’ve not seen the type of info you provide from Pennsylvania—no stats on violations that I could find.
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@ This is a great information it can help me, thanks for sharing.
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