Western Pa. natural gas supplier convicted in water contamination case

A natural gas energy production and delivery company based in Western Pennsylvania has been convicted in a water contamination case, Attorney General Michelle Henry announced Wednesday.

Greylock Production, LLC pleaded no contest Tuesday to four counts of Clean Streams Act Violations and two Solid Waste Management Act Violations related to incidents that occurred in Greene County between 2015 and 2020.

“Protecting Pennsylvania’s water and soil from contamination should be a top priority of any industry that is operating in Pennsylvania,” Attorney General Henry said. “This company was aware that there was water contamination that resulted from their operations, and not only failed to ensure adequate cleanup, but used additional contaminants which hid the presence of the initial pollution event. My Office will remain dedicated to safeguarding and preserving our environment for current and future generations.”

According to the investigation, Greylock became aware that many unconventional well pads had issues that caused leaks and contamination, including at least two at domestic water supplies. In one case, it was confirmed that pollutants meant to be confined to the well pad were leaking from numerous holes in the well pad’s liner.

The investigation also revealed that, despite Greylock inheriting many of these issues, they continued the criminal conduct at a newer well pad that experienced a spill in February 2020, while the newer wells were still being drilled on the pad. The waste that spilled ended up in an unnamed tributary.

As part of the sentence, the company was required to pay several fines, including $15,0000 to the Clean Water Fund and $15,000 to the Solid Waste Fund. Additionally, it must pay $60,000 to the Chestnut Ridge Trout Unlimited Chapter #670 charity to benefit the Glade Run project and $50,000 to Stream Restoration Inc., charity to benefit the Maiden Creek stream restoration project.

The company must also conduct site investigations at six of its well pads to determine if further cleanup is required, with any necessary remediation to be carried out under the supervision of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

The investigation also led to criminal charges against two employees, John David Sollon, Jr., and Donald Supcoe, III, who were responsible for overseeing these projects. Supcoe is deceased and Sollon’s case is pending.

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