DEP Fines Chief Oil & Gas $180,000 for Oil Spill, Waste Violations

Company modified operations to prevent future spills

HARRISBURG — The Department of Environmental Protection announced today that Chief Oil & Gas LLC has paid $180,000 in civil penalties for a hydraulic oil spill and for failing to properly maintain a drill pit at a Marcellus Shale natural gas well in Jefferson Township, Somerset County.

A June 10, 2010 site inspection by DEP found evidence of the discharge of hydraulic oil onto the ground. Operators are required to notify DEP of any spills of that nature because the oil is classified as a residual waste. Chief did not notify DEP of the spill and was not permitted to discharge residual waste at the site.

Chief Oil & Gas has since successfully remediated the site.

For more information, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us or call 412-442-4000.