A Pennsylvania lawmaker on Monday called on county, state and federal authorities to investigate an unreported spill and cover up of flowback water related to Marcellus Shale drilling activity in Washington County.
That spill and cover up were detailed in emails and personnel files from Red Oak Water Transfer, now doing business as Rockwater Energy Solutions. Those documents were garnered through the discovery process in a suit filed against Range Resources and more than a dozen of its subcontractors by a group of residents who allege that their drinking water was contaminated and family members sickened by drilling activity near their homes.
The internal emails between Rockwater employees and executives, which were first reported Saturday by the Marcellus Monitor website, detail a spill of gas well flowback water on Dec. 6, 2010, with a minimum of 21,000 gallons spilling into an environmentally sensitive waterway that empties into a trout-stocking stream.
The emails describe black water pouring out of a pipe into the ground, and then into a nearby stream. However, the exact location of the spill was not specified, and sworn testimony from a Rockwater executive, who was included in the emails, now denies any spill ever occurred.
In a letter directed to state Attorney General Kathleen Kane, Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone, U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, the state Department of Environmental Protection and the state Fish and Boat Commission White wrote:
In September 2013, Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane filed charges against XTO Energy Inc. in relation to a spill of 50,000 gallons of flowback water in Lycoming County. The Washington County would appear to be equally, if not more egregious because the spill was never reported and was in fact covered up by the companies. The emails indicate a minimum of 21,000 gallons of flowback water, but the actual amount could have been far more.
Even worse is the fact that the producer, Range Resources, admitted in court filings that they do not know all of the chemicals (it) uses in the hydraulic fracturing process. Based on that admission, which was reported on in the national media, there is simply no way to know what was in the flowback water that spilled. As such, the impact to the waterways and the subsequent impact to humans, wildlife and fish cannot possibly be determined with any level of specificity.
Based on the seriousness of this incident, the uncertain impacts to the people and habitat of Pennsylvania and the seemingly clear intent to cover up this incident to avoid any level of responsibility and or accountability whatsoever, I am asking you to investigate and if necessary prosecute any responsible parties to the fullest extent of the law.
However, in order for the attorney general to take the case, it must be referred by the DEP, the Washington County district attorney or the state Fish and Boat Commission — and White urged all three to refer the case to the attorney general immediately.
“With the companies involved still operating every day in southwestern Pennsylvania, the people deserve immediate action and real answers about what really happened out there,” White said Tuesday in a press release . “Identifying and punishing bad actors is the only way to put the natural gas industry on notice that their commitment to environmental safety must be more than industry talking points. You have to practice what you preach.”
Messages left on the cell phones and at the Harrisburg offices of state Rep. Brandon Neuman, D-North Strabane, and state Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg, seeking comment on the matter were not returned Tuesday.
The spill occurred in their Legislative districts.
Editor’s Note: There will be several follow ups coming regarding this spill, and the call for an investigation. In the meantime, if you would like to view the entire letter White sent to authorities see below or click here.
Marcellus Monitor 
[…] that they don’t even know all of the chemicals in the water. State Representative Jesse White is calling for an investigation of the incident, which was unknown until reported by the Marcellus Monitor on December 7, […]
[…] Details of the unreported spill prompted state Rep. Jesse White, D-Cecil,earlier this month to call for an investigation into the incident. The case must be referred by either the Washington County District Attorney’s Office of the state Department of Environmental Protection before the state Attorney General’s office can legally conduct such an investigation. […]
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