XTO Energy to Restore Damaged Areas

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XTO Energy to Restore Damaged Areas

XTO Energy, one ofthe nation's largest holder of natural gas reserves, will spend an estimated $3 million to restore eight sites damaged by unauthorized discharges of fill material into streams and wetlands in connection with hydraulic fracturing operations

XTO will also implement a comprehensive plan to comply with federal and state water protection laws at the company's West Virginia oil and gas extraction facilities that use horizontal drilling methods.

The company will also pay a civil penalty of $2.3 million for violations of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), whichprohibits the filling or damming of wetlands, rivers, streams, and other waters of the United States without a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). The settlement resolves alleged violations of state law asserted by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP). The state of West Virginia is a co-plaintiff in the settlement and will receive half of the $2.3 million civil penalty.

"American communities expect EPA and our state partners to make sure energy development is done responsibly," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "This case will help to protect clean water in West Virginia, and support a level playing field for energy developers that play by the rules."

"The extraction of domestic energy resources is vitally important, and so it is equally important that companies ensure that all activities are done in accordance with the nation's environmental laws," said Sam Hirsch, the acting assistant attorney general for the DOJ's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "This settlement will resolve allegations that XTO damaged wetlands and streams by illegally discharging dredge and fill materials into streams, and restore wherever possible these damaged natural resources."

Source : Environment Protection Agency

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