Fracking Company Featured in ‘Gasland’ Faces Criminal Pollution Charges in Pennsylvania

A spokesman for Coterra declined to remark Monday. The corporate has lengthy maintained that the methane in residents’ wells was naturally occurring.

Dimock, a small group within the northeast nook of the state, gained nationwide consideration when the 2010 documentary “Gasland” confirmed residents lighting their faucet water on hearth.

Since unconventional fuel drilling, often known as fracking, took off within the late 2000s in Pennsylvania and neighboring states to faucet the Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale formations, the Dimock case has been amongst these cited most frequently to focus on the dangers to native consuming water.

A spokeswoman for Lawyer Common

Josh Shapiro

declined to touch upon the plea listening to. Mr. Shapiro, a Democrat elected earlier this month to grow to be the state’s subsequent governor, mentioned in June 2020 that Cabot “took shortcuts that broke the regulation, and broken our surroundings—harming our water provide and public well being.”

In 2016, the Environmental Safety Company mentioned fracking can have an effect on consuming water provides in sure circumstances, however that the variety of recognized instances of contamination was small. The company cited floor spills and situations the place the cement casing of a nicely was poor as potential causes.

The Pennsylvania Division of Environmental Safety web site lists 392 personal water provides which have been impacted by oil and fuel actions since 2008. The listing consists of each standard and unconventional drilling, and impacts vary from a discount in water to a rise in pollution equivalent to methane. 

In 2010, the DEP discovered that Cabot Oil & Fuel was accountable for permitting methane emigrate to water wells for 19 houses in Dimock, together with one which had exploded a yr earlier. Cabot reached a settlement with some residents in 2012, however the go well with continued. A federal decide overturned a $4.24 million jury award in 2017. The state lawyer normal filed prison prices in 2020. 

For greater than a decade, some residents who mentioned they didn’t belief their nicely water have relied on shopping for bottled water, or purchased water commercially in bulk or else gathered it from creeks and artesian wells.

Pennsylvania American Water says it plans to ship water to Dimock residents via a venture developed with the lawyer normal’s workplace. The corporate mentioned the venture will embrace a therapy system that can eradicate contaminants within the space’s groundwater and disconnect residents’ plumbing from current wells to keep away from cross-contamination. 

In keeping with a grand jury presentment, Cabot Oil & Fuel leased mineral rights from residents in Dimock starting in 2006, and shortly after natural-gas drilling started residents complained about modifications to their consuming water, together with discoloration and foul odors.

Residents turned extra involved after one water nicely exploded in 2009, in keeping with the grand-jury report. On the time, Cabot denied accountability for the explosion however started putting in vents to residents’ water wells to assist take away methane.

After the Pennsylvania DEP discovered that Cabot’s drilling had triggered methane emigrate to water wells of 19 houses, the corporate agreed to a consent order during which it stopped new drilling over a 9-square-mile space that included these houses.

Some residents who had methane of their consuming water skilled rashes, dizziness, imaginative and prescient issues and issue respiration, in keeping with the grand-jury report. Residents additionally reported losses within the worth of their property, the report mentioned.

Ray Kemble,

a 67-year-old Dimock resident, mentioned he has been driving 24 miles spherical journey each week to fill a 250-gallon truck with water from a hydrant within the county seat of Montrose. He mentioned he and one other Dimock resident every pay the water utility about $50 a month for the water.

Mr. Kemble mentioned his nicely water had turned brown and started to scent in 2009, shortly after Cabot started drilling close to his house. He mentioned his faucet water on the time additionally contained excessive sufficient ranges of methane that he might ignite it.

“We haven’t had water in 14 years,” he mentioned. “I’m simply attempting to get peace in my life.”

Write to Kris Maher at Kris.Maher@wsj.com