2010-02-16
10:18:00 PST Pittsburgh, PA 15122, United States — (02-16) 10:18 PST
Pittsburgh, PA (AP) ––
Two men from a Kansas oil-drilling firm
pleaded guilty Tuesday to illegally dumping 200,000 gallons of brine
water down an abandoned well in Pennsylvania's only national forest.
The
pollution by Swamp Angel LLC in the Allegheny National Forest could
contaminate groundwater and streams, but authorities have not linked any
water damage conclusively to the pollution, acting U.S. Attorney Robert
Cessar said.
drilling process that sometimes also contains metals, Cessar said.
"These
guys were drilling oil wells, produced this brine water and decided
they weren't going to pay for its disposal," Cessar said. "This is the
result of them getting caught. That's the case in a nutshell."
The
Wichita-based company's part-owner, 66-year-old Michael Evans, of La
Quinta, Calif., and the company's site supervisor, 54-year-old John
Morgan, of Sheffield, Pa., each pleaded guilty to felony violations of
the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
Under the law, brine must
either be hauled away and treated at a sewage treatment plant or dumped
into an abandoned well, provided permits are obtained. Permits weren't
obtained in this case, but are required to ensure measures are taken so
the water won't leach into the ground and pollute groundwater and nearby
streams, Cessar said.
Cessar said he didn't know how much it
would have cost Swamp Angel to have disposed of the water properly.
As
part of Tuesday's plea agreements, the company is also paying about
$20,000 to reimburse the U.S. Forest Service for the unrelated clean up
of some metal drums and other materials left behind by drilling, Cessar
said. The company also will hire an independent contractor to audit its
work, come up with a waste-disposal plan and develop an orientation for
employees on environmental matters, Cessar said.
Defense attorney
Matthew Wolford, who represents Morgan, declined to comment. Philip
Friedman, who represents Evans, did not immediately return a call for
comment.
Cessar said the brine was dumped in a section of the
forest in McKean County from April 2007 through January 2008.
The
800-square-mile forest in northwestern Pennsylvania has been the focal
point of legal battles between environmentalists, who want to stop
drilling, and the Forest Service, which aims to allow it but limit its
environmental impact.
Cessar said brine disposal figures to become
a larger issue due to the expected growth of natural gas wells — which
also result in brine — in Pennsylvania.
"These producers have to
get the message they cannot do this. This is a public health risk,"
Cessar said. "This is about public safety."
Evans and Morgan each
face up to three years in prison and $250,000 in fines when they're
sentenced June 24.