Wednesday, April 27, 2016
NEW CASTLE, Pa. — A Houston-based energy company has stopped its fracking operation after a small earthquake occurred in Lawrence County Monday.
Hilcorp Energy Co. stopped fracking at about noon Monday after a small earthquake hit in Mahoning Township, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection confirmed Wednesday.
Hilcorp, doing business as North Beaver NC Development, has four wells on this particular well pad. The first two wells were fracked starting March 30 going in the southeast direction and were completed.
The second two wells were going in a northwest direction and fracking was on-going, but near completion.
The department along with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources are investigating the earthquake.
In 2014, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources ordered Hilcorp to halt all operations in Poland Township after two earthquakes shook the area.
The epicenter was directly below property owned by Republic Services’ Carbon Limestone Landfill, where Hilcorp Energy Co. has one well actively producing and a number of others being drilled.