Driller says further water testing unnecessary

Driller says further water testing unnecessary

DIMOCK, PA.

The head of a natural gas driller blamed for polluting residential water wells in a northeastern Pennsylvania town is taking issue with federal regulators who are testing the water supplies of dozens of homes in the area.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. CEO Dan Dinges says the Environmental Protection Agency is wasting taxpayer money by launching an expanded investigation of the contamination in Dimock Township.

Dinges wrote Thursday to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. He says extensive testing has already shown Dimock’s water is safe to drink. He also says that EPA is appearing to undercut President Barack Obama’s support for shale gas.

State regulators say Cabot polluted the aquifer with methane gas in 2008, but that the company has since fulfilled the terms of a consent order. Some residents say their wells are still polluted with methane and toxic drilling chemicals. Cabot denies polluting the water.