COLUMBUS, Ohio — A company called Utica Resource Operating LLC (URO) has been fined $1 million for breaking the Clean Air Act at their oil and gas production well facilities in Ohio. U.S. District Court Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. entered a Consent Decree between the United States and URO which requires the company to take action to prevent future pollution.
To comply with the Consent Decree, URO must complete a $1.9 million set of actions at 15 well pad facilities, including improvements to their design to prevent vapor emissions during operations. They must also invest around $1.5 million in equipment upgrades and retrofits to reduce pollution further.
The EPA discovered problems with emissions from oil and wastewater storage vessels during an inspection of 11 URO facilities in 2019, and URO was issued a notice of violation on Aug. 14, 2020.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker welcomed the Consent Decree as proof of the government’s commitment to protecting the environment in eastern Ohio. The settlement is a “fair and reasonable compromise,” according to Judge Sargus.
URO must comply with a multi-step program to review the design of their tanks and vapor control systems to ensure that no vapors are released during operations. The settlement was negotiated by the U.S. EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice Environmental and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and entered by the court after a public comment period.