Update: Frack waste dumper to be indicted
http://www.vindy.com/news/
YOUNGSTOWN — There will be a news conference today at 1 p.m. in Youngstown to announce federal charges being filed in relation to the dumping of brine and drilling mud into a tributary of the Mahoning River in Youngstown on Jan. 31.
On hand will be U.S. Attorney Steven M. Dettelbach, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul J. Gains, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Jim Zehringer and representatives from the U.S. and Ohio Environmental Protection Agencies.
The conference is to be at the park at B&O Station, 530 Mahoning Ave.
Update: D&L Energy, the kind of fracking gashole that gives fracking gasholes a bad name . . .
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – D&L Energy owner and president Ben Lupo admitted to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency that he directed his employees to illegally discharge drilling wastewater on at least six different occasions since September, an OEPA official said Monday.
It means that potentially hundreds of thousands of gallons of contaminated waste could have been dumped into a storm drain and carried into the Mahoning River, Kurt Kollar, on scene coordinator for the OEPA, told reporters during a news conference in Mayor Chuck Sammarone’s office.
“He [Lupo] has said that it has occurred on several occasions,” Kollar said. “He stated on the record, at least six times since September 2012.”
In its report dated Feb. 5, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states, “The storm sewer outfalls to a small creek that flows for approximately 200 yards then into the Mahoning River. Oil was observed flowing from the storm sewer outfall, in the creek, and in the Mahoning River.” CLICK HERE to download reports.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources was tipped off by an anonymous source Jan. 31, and its investigators subsequently witnessed workers from Hardrock Excavating, a company owned by Lupo, illegally discharging drilling wastewater and mud into a storm drain.
Lupo’s D&L Energy and Hardrock Excavating were effectively shutdown Feb. 7 by ODNR, which revoked all of the companies’ permits to operate (READ STORY).
Update: D&L Energy and the waste hauler are shut down by the authorities:
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources permanently revoked permits for D&L Energy and Hardrock Excavating, the companies at the center of state civil and criminal investigations that could ultimately involve its federal investigators.
Sources with knowledge of the proceedings said D&L and Hardrock owner Ben Lupo, who the EPA accused of dumping as much as 40,000 gallons for brine into a storm sewer that connects directly into the Mahoning River at both company’s Salt Springs Road business, was given the notice of his permit revocation on Wednesday.
ODNR said they permanently revoked D&L permits for all six of their injection wells in the state and denied applications for three more and was ordered to immediately cease all operations at their injection wells and any temporary storage operations at their 2761 Salt Springs Road address.
ODNR also revoked Hardrock Excavating’s brine hauler permit, which allowed it to transport brine from drilling rigs to its facility. The agency also requested the Ohio Attorney General to initiate civil proceedings.
Some enterprising fracker in Ohio, D&L Energy, previously found to have caused earthquakes by dumping flowback down its disposal well, had the bright idea to simply dump their flowback into a city storm sewer. Which empties, like most storm sewers, into a body of water. In this case, the Mahoning River. Worked like a charm until a greasy oil slick showed up in the river :
But look on the sunny side: Ohio was earthquake-free for awhile. And, rest easy, Frackin’ Andy, the Mahoning River is nowhere near beautiful downtown Mt. Kisco.
http://www.vindy.com/news/
Bob Downing has the full story here.
Ohio dumping of drilling waste water
By Bob Downing
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published: February 4, 2013 - 08:08 PM
The agency is “very concerned” by the discovery of dumping — possibly illegal — discovered late Friday, EPA spokesman Chris Abbruzzese said in a statement the agency released Monday.
The problem was discovered near 2761 Salt Springs Road at the D&L Energy Group. Since Friday, state responders have directed the containment and cleanup of the discharged wastes from a storm drain, a tributary and the Mahoning River, Abbruzzese said. Containment booms, absorbent pads, vacuum trucks and other equipment are in place and work continues to clean out the storm drain and remove any remaining product from the tributary, he said.
It was unclear how much waste might have been dumped into the storm sewer that then fouled the river, the EPA said. Abbruzzese said the investigation, done in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, was in its preliminary stages. The two state agencies will “pursue flagrant violations of the laws of Ohio to the fullest extent possible,” he said.
D&L Energy is the company that owns and operates the injection well west of Youngstown that was blamed for a dozen earthquakes in 2011 in the Youngstown area.An answering machine at the company indicated the office was closed for the day.
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