Driller pays fines for violations in Elizabeth Township

By CHRISTINE HAINES
chaines@yourmvi.com

Canonsburg-based Olympus Energy paid a $175,000 civil penalty for violations at two sites in Elizabeth Township.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the negotiated civil penalty stems from violations, which occurred in 2019 at the Olympus Plutus well pad and Ceto tank pad located in Elizabeth Township.
“This is a consent agreement for civil penalties. The violations have already been corrected,” said DEP spokeswoman Lauren Fraley.
The fine was placed in the Oil and Gas Program Fund.
“The Oil and Gas Fund is comprised of permit fees as well as fines and penalties related to non-compliance at oil and gas sites. Permit application fees – including $6 million annually in impact fees – make up the majority of the fund that supports the operation of DEP’s Oil and Gas program. Fines and penalties collected are used to reimburse operating costs that are incurred by DEP in the oversight of oil and gas and related environmental programs,” Fraley said.
According to the DEP, on March 22, 2019, during construction of the site, water containing sediments flowed past the erosion and sedimentation controls and into an unnamed tributary of the Youghiogheny River. A number of erosion and sedimentation best management practices (BMP) were improperly implemented and/or maintained according to the DEP and some were not constructed to the specification in the company’s general permit authorization for earth disturbance related to oil and gas exploration, production, processing or treatment operations or transmission facilities.
Between April and September 2019, there was additional erosion and sedimentation BMP failures, causing accelerated erosion and sedimentation at the site.
As a result, sediment-laden water went over the top of a BMP and entered the unnamed tributary to the Yough River.
Fraley said that in addition to the sedimentation and erosion issues, the site was missing some signage and signs that were on site were missing well permit numbers on them as required.
On March 16, 2020, DEP approved a modification to the Plutus ESCGP-2 allowing Olympus to complete the remaining repairs at the site.
As of June 16, 2020, all work was finished in accordance with the modified permit, and DEP found that all violations had been corrected.