Frackers did not report half of known spills

[JPZenger]

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/state/2014/08/03/Drillers-did-not-report-half-of-spills-that-led-to-fines/stories/201408020142

So much for self-regulation. Considering that many well sites are in isolated locations, it makes you wonder how many additional spills were never discovered by anyone, if the drillers didn't report them.

Excerpts:

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Half the spills at Marcellus Shale well sites that resulted in fines weren’t spotted by gas companies, which are required by state law to look for and report spills of drilling-related fluids.

... State regulation of the industry was the subject of a withering state auditor general review of the Department of Environmental Protection’s oversight issued July 22. The audit detailed the agency’s shortcomings, including failing to consistently issue enforcement orders to drilling companies after regulators determined that gas operations had damaged water supplies, even though the state’s oil and gas law requires it.

The Post-Gazette investigation using well permit file documents and other DEP data focused on 425 incidents involving 48 companies that resulted in nearly $4.4 million in fines. Of those 425 fines, 137 were due to spills at or near a well site...

But what is surprising ...was the number of spills that were not first spotted by the drillers themselves. About a third were first identified by state inspectors while others, about one-sixth, were discovered by residents... State law requires that reportable spills and even muddy runoff events be called in to the state within two hours of discovery. At least 60 percent of the 137 spills occurred while drilling crews were on site."

[Curmudgeoness]

1. Looks like we need higher fines for not reporting,

and the only use for the proceeds of the fines should be to hire more inspectors....until we have enough inspectors to do the job.