Posted January 8, 2014
Chesapeake Energy, an Oklahoma oil and gas company, will pay $10 million for violating the Clean Water Act and for repairs to wetlands and streams, according to an Oklahoma KFOR News article available here.
The violations stem from Chesapeake’s alleged dumping of rocks, sand, and dirt into wetlands while building drilling sites and roads, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Reuters reports that Chesapeake will pay a civil penalty of $3.2 million to settle Clean Water Act violations in West Virginia. Chesapeake will also pay an estimated $6.5 million to restore streams and wetlands.
Companies like Chesapeake use hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling to construct drilling pads for rigs by clearing land that is then covered by crushed rock. Roads are also necessary to accommodate truck traffic to and from drilling sites.
The Federal Water Pollution and Control Act, 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251-1387, also known as the Clean Water Act, prohibits the filling or damming of wetlands, rivers, streams, and other waters of the United States without a federal permit.
For more information on environmental law, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
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