CNX Resources Corp. has agreed to pay $433,500 in fines for a series of drilling and fracking fluid spills in Greene County.
The penalties are from two settlements with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in September.
Documents released on Thursday indicate that Cecil-based CNX (formerly Consol Energy Inc.) had a number of incidents at four well sites in Center and Richhill Townships within the course of a year starting in 2015.
Some involved leaks from the containment systems that CNX had put in place. Others resulted in soil and water with sediment flowing into a high quality waterway, Jacobs Run, and a tributary. In one instance, a spill killed off vegetation.
At one well site in Center Township, a truck carrying hydrochloric acid spilled 250 gallons of it along an access road. About a month later, some barrels of flowback fluid spilled on the ground. Two months after that, 2 barrels of flowback hit the ground.
At another Center Township well site, a blender tub used during fracking overflowed at least three times in two months, spilling fluids to the ground and into a stormwater collection ditch.
DEP inspectors’ notes indicate that CNX self-reported most of the violations.
"Two service companies were replaced as a direct result of actions that contributed to these incidents," said CNX spokesperson Brian Aiello, and all cleanup at the sites has been completed.
Anya Litvak: 412-263-1455 or alitvak@post-gazette.com.
First Published: December 28, 2017, 9:02 p.m.
Updated: December 28, 2017, 9:09 p.m.
