Utica Resource Operating LLC agreed to a settlement to resolve alleged Clean Air Act violations at its oil and gas production well facilities in Ohio.
URO will complete a $1.9 million suite of injunctive relief at 15 well pad facilities to bring them into compliance with the Clean Air Act, according to a Nov. 7 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency news release. The injunctive relief will include a "multi-step compliance program to review the current design of each storage vessel system," to lead to design improvements to ensure vapors are not released into the environment.
"The uncontrolled air emissions from these well facilities were creating poor air quality for residents of Ohio," Acting Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Larry Starfield said in the release. "Today’s agreement not only requires the company to resolve their outstanding pollution violations, but also take measures to control their methane and carbon dioxide emissions, which are significant contributors to climate change."
The settlement with addresses URO's "failure to capture and control air emissions from storage vessels and to comply with associated inspection, recordkeeping and reporting requirements," the news release said. Once improvements are in place, URO is expected to see annual reductions of 307 tons of volatile organic compounds, 940 tons of methane and 4,429 tons of carbon dioxide.
"Utica Resource Operating's failure to control emissions from its facilities in Guernsey, Morgan and Washington Counties placed our fellow citizens in harm's way," U.S. Attorney for Ohio's Southern District Kenneth L. Parker said in the news release. "Today’s settlement, which includes a significant fine, will require URO to comply with the Clean Air Act, and further reinforce the Department of Justice’s commitment to take aggressive action to protect the citizens of this country. We will continue to hold entities who violate the nation’s environmental laws, such as the Clean Air Act, accountable for their actions. My office is committed to keeping our citizens safe."
