Spills

Three environmental organizations this week released documents provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) detailing more than 61 spills reported by Sunoco Pipeline LP during horizontal directional drilling (HDD) operations for its Mariner East (ME) 2 pipeline project.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has fined Sunoco Logistics Partners LP $95,000 for several spills of bentonite, or drilling mud, in the southwest part of the state that occurred last year during construction of its Mariner East project.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has fined Sunoco Logistics Partners LP $95,000 for several spills of bentonite, or drilling mud, in the southwest part of the state that occurred last year during construction of its Mariner East project.

Officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Monday that the agency plans to roll out a series of key peer-reviewed papers related to its long-awaited draft report on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on drinking water resources, setting the stage for its release early next year.

The nine-member Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (OGCC) on Tuesday unanimously approved new rules for reporting oil/natural gas spills, characterizing the new regulations as “significantly tightening” the volume threshold for reportable releases of oil or exploration/production (E&P) waste.

Two additional spills related to Colorado’s record flooding in September were reported Monday by the state Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (OGCC) as part of its ongoing monitoring of the oil and natural gas industry’s recovery (seeDaily GPI,Sept. 26).

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell Wednesday named former Vice Admiral Brian Salerno to direct the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), which oversees oil and gas operations on the federal Outer Continental Shelf. Salerno, who retired from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) last year as its Deputy Commandant for Operations, will assume his new post on Aug. 26, replacing James Watson.

Colorado, which has about 51,000 active natural gas and oil wells, has toughened regulations for reporting spills at drill sites, a measure expected to inflate the annual numbers.

An 11-month investigation into an Alberta drilling mishap has confirmed that hydraulic fracturing (fracking) poses a unique fluid spill risk and prompted regulatory steps to control the danger.