DEP News - Cease Operations Order issued for Jay-Bee well pad in Tyler County

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s
Office of Oil and Gas (OOG) has issued a Notice of
Violation, as well as a Cease Operations Order, to Jay-Bee
Oil & Gas in connection with the company’s Lisby gas well
pad in Tyler County.

The Lisby pad was the site of a Jan. 2 incident during
which a tank ruptured and leaked fluids to surrounding
grounds on the well site. One worker was injured as a
result of the incident.

As part of the OOG order, which halts all well work on the
Lisby pad not necessary as part of gaining control of
activities on the pad, Jay-Bee Oil & Gas must submit a
report to the OOG on or before Jan. 14, 2014, that
demonstrates a knowledge and understanding as to the cause
of the tank rupture; demonstrates Jay-Bee’s ability to
safely resume operations on the pad; and outlines future
preventative measures to be used to safeguard against
similar incidents.

Also, as part of the order, Jay-Bee is required to provide
an analysis of the fluids contained in the ruptured tank;
submit to the OOG a proposal for soil sampling and a
remediation plan to remove and dispose of any contaminated
soil from the impacted areas; submit to the OOG a proposal
for water sampling, including plans for containment and
removal of any pollutants found; and provide an after-
action report that details Jay-Bee’s testing and
remediation activity, including all sampling data, as a
result of the order.

Wheeling Jesuit University Professor Ben Stout to testify on GreenHunter plant at WV Capitol Tuesday, Nov. 19th

Opposing views on the controversial proposed GreenHunter frackwater recycling and barge offloading facility near Wheeling will be presented at the West Virginia Legislature on Tuesday Nov. 19^th.

Dr. Ben Stout, biology professor at Wheeling Jesuit University will testify before the Joint Legislative Oversight Commission on State Water Resources. On the agenda is “Handling and Disposing of Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids”.   John Jack, Vice President, GreenHunter Resources will testify prior to Dr. Stout. DATE Nov. 19, 2013, Tuesday TIME: 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. LOCATION: House Government Organization Committee Room, located on the second floor of the East Wing (House of Delegates side of capitol) COMMISSION CO-CHAIRS:  Senator John Unger Delegate Mike Manypenny      Professor Stout has been a vocal opponent of the project.

Hydraulic Fracturing Operations could be affected by OSHA Proposed Crystalline Silica Rule

Posted by Wayne J. D'Angelo Fracking Insider  

In late August, the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed a long-awaited rule that is intended to limit workers’ exposure to crystalline silica. OSHA claims that exposure to crystalline silica kills hundreds of workers and sickens thousands more each year through lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and kidney disease.

Attorneys General, including West Virginia’s Patrick Morrisey petition Kerry over Keystone Pipeline

WASHINGTON – Twenty-one state attorneys general, including West Virginia’s Patrick Morrisey, have submitted a petition asking U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to expand the Keystone Pipeline oil project.

The attorneys general asked Kerry to recommend a permit for the expansion of the project, which would transport oil from Canada to refineries in the Gulf of Mexico region of the U.S. The State Department is now reviewing an application for a presidential permit for Keystone XL, an expansion of the current Keystone Pipeline.

“The project, when approved, will bolster the nation’s economy, modernize the country’s energy infrastructure, and strengthen our national security,” the attorneys general said in their petition.

A lawsuit brought over a 2010 natural gas explosion in Marshall County has been settled

By JOHN O'BRIEN

On July 30, U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey, of the Northern District of West Virginia, signed a dismissal order noting a settlement reached in the lawsuit brought by Sean and Monica Porcuri against Union Drilling, Chief Oil Gas, AB Resources and BJ Services Company.

Chesapeake Energy Stops Holding NY Landowners Hostage In Fracking Leases

A day after news reports indicate that Chesapeake Energy—one of the fracking companies with the most New York land under lease—has decided to stop holding NY landowners hostage to leasing contracts signed years ago, New York and Pennsylvania leaseholders, attorneys and other experts came together to call on Gov. Cuomo (D-NY) to continue the fracking moratorium in New York. 

The leaseholders pointed to the facts on the ground in Pennsylvania, particularly public health impacts,water contamination and fracking companies that refuse to pay royalties.

EQT suing landowners in Allegheny County for access to their properties

Posted by Frank Nesmith in GoMarcellusShale.com

EQT Corp. has sued scores of landowners in Allegheny County for access to their properties under a recently enacted law that gives gas drilling companies the power to combine some neighboring parcels into drilling units without compensating owners.

Read More ...

Chevron Among Drillers Facing Gas Wells Nuisance Lawsuit

By Sophia Pearson & Jim Efstathiou Jr. 

Chevron Corp. (CVX), Williams Cos. and WPX Energy Inc. (WPX) face a lawsuit by six Pennsylvania families who claim nearby gas wells are a nuisance that have diminished their ability to make use of their property.

It's all about the money

Maybe those harmed will get a compensatory share !

The families say the companies’ activities have ruined the “quiet use and enjoyment” of their homes and caused emotional damages including anxiety and fear. The homeowners seek unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for the effects of toxic chemicals, noise and odor from nearby gas wells, according to a copy of a complaint provided by the families’ lawyers.

 It couldn't immediately be verified in court records.

Advances in hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, and horizontal drilling have spurred a boom in states including Pennsylvania. With it have come complaints that drilling operations have spoiled water and air. Regulators in Pennsylvania have linked gas and oil drilling with about 120 cases of water contamination from 2009 to 2012, according to documents obtained through a state right-to-know request.

Since 2009, more than 35 lawsuits that allege fracking contaminated water have been filed in eight states, according to a Jan. 1 report from the law firm Fulbright & Jaworski LLP.

In those cases, homeowners must rely on scientific evidence that may not be conclusive, according to Charlie Speer, whose Kansas City, Missouri-based law firm is handling the complaint. In a nuisance case, a jury is asked to consider the intrusion into people’s lives as a result of drilling.

Brine Dumping Illegal — OHIO D.N.R. Says Water Poured into Private Pond - Another OH Company Shut Down for Illegal Frack Wastewater Dumping

From the Article by Ian Hicks, The Wheeling Intelligencer,

ST. CLAIRSVILLE – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ordered Harch Environmental Resources to cease its operations in the state after an inspector reportedly uncovered evidence it dumped brine illegally at a Belmont County farm. The company had been contracted by Gulfport Energy Resources to dispose of the brine from its oil field operations.

EQT, Cougar Land Services and Geokinetics present their plans for seismic testing in the areas around Jefferson Hills Pa.

Judge won’t let plaintiffs out of oil and gas lease

By JOHN O'BRIEN

Abbott

WHEELING – Three corporate defendants, including Chesapeake Appalachia, have won dismissal of a case that sought to void an oil and gas lease agreement, though the decision is being appealed by the plaintiffs.

On Feb. 8, U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey, of the Northern District of West Virginia, granted the motion to dismiss filed by Range Resources-Appalachia in a case brought by Joseph and Marjorie Ennis, property owners in Ohio County.

The Ennises sought an order that stated no lease existed because of conflicting commencement dates on it. With one year left on the lease, the Ennises were attempting to develop the land by placing a pipeline easement from another company on it.

Unconventional Compromises on Natural Gas Regulation

While New York’s natural gas resources remain locked down between perpetual regulatory limbo and extreme polarization among interest groups, recent events have proven that compromise is possible.