Big fines send a message

Big fines send a message

Altoona Mirror: Fines of more than $1 million for a natural gas driller send a loud message to the Marcellus Shale gas industry that protecting safety and the environment are paramount.

It’s a refrain that needs to be emphasized again and again.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has fined Chesapeake Energy Corp. $900,000 for contamination of private water supplies in Bradford County and $188,000 for a tank fire in Washington County.

DEP said improper well-casing and cementing allowed methane gas to seep into groundwater and consequently contaminate drinking water wells, The Associated Press reports. Chesapeake is unconvinced that its drilling contaminated the water, but it is improving its casing and cementing procedures.

Drilling for Marcellus Shale gas can provide a needed economic boost for Pennsylvania and supply a stable, relatively low-cost fuel source for the region and nation.

But it has to be done in a way that minimizes any danger to workers, to the public or to our water supplies.