Gas at a glance

‘BENEFITS AND RISKS OF GAS DRILLING’ MEETING CHANGED TO NOVEMBER 19

The meeting on the implications of gas drilling for water resources, originally planned for October 28 at the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce by the Lackawaxen River Conservancy and Trout Unlimited, has been rescheduled to November 19 to allow citizens in the Pike/Wayne region the opportunity to attend the public hearing on the provisions of the Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) governing natural gas drilling which New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation issued on September 30. That hearing was scheduled for October 28 at Sullivan County Community College in Loch Sheldrake.

CHESAPEAKE WITHDRAWS WATER APPLICATION

Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC has notified the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) that it is rescinding its application for approval of a surface water withdrawal project to supply a maximum of 29.99 mg/30 days of water for the applicant’s exploration and development of natural gas wells in the State of New York and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Surface water was proposed to be withdrawn from the West Branch of the Delaware River at a location known as the Cutrone Site in Buckingham Township, Wayne County, PA. In its October 20 letter to DRBC, Chesapeake wrote “... we have decided to withdraw the application and reassess our approach to the situation. We believe this is preferable to continuing with hearings and further public debate about the project at this time.”

DEP FINES CABOT $56,650 FOR SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY SPILLS

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has fined Cabot Oil and Gas Corp. $56,650 for three spills of a water/liquid gel mixture at its Heitsman natural gas well in Dimock Township, Susquehanna County, last month. The penalty was assessed for Cabot’s violations of the Clean Streams Law, Solid Waste Management Act and Oil and Gas Act, according to DEP Northcentral regional director Robert Yowell. Cabot had two spills at its Heitsman well on September 16 and a third spill on September 22. The spills totaled about 8,000 gallons and caused pollution in Stevens Creek and a nearby wetland. All three spills involved a water/liquid gel mixture used in the hydro fracturing process. On September 24, DEP ordered Cabot to cease all hydro fracturing in Susquehanna County and submit an updated plan and an engineering study. Cabot submitted those documents on October 6. DEP reviewed and approved the documents on October 16 and gave Cabot the approval to resume hydro fracturing in the county.