Cabot Oil and Gas to pay $99,000 for air quality violations in Susquehanna County | StateImpact Pennsylvania Skip Navigation

Cabot Oil and Gas to pay $99,000 for air quality violations in Susquehanna County

Reports of health problems by people living near gas rigs like this one in Susquehanna County should be compiled in a statewide registry, advocates say.

Susan Phillips / StateImpact

A Cabot Oil and Gas well site in Susquehanna County.” credit=”Susan Phillips / StateImpact

Cabot Oil and Gas Corp. will pay $99,000 as part of an agreement with the state environmental protection department, which found air quality violations at natural gas well sites in Susquehanna County.

The DEP also said that for 20 wells, Cabot didn’t submit reports that are used to figure out whether the wells would be exempt from permitting requirements.

“Cabot has acknowledged these violations and taken necessary corrective measures to come into compliance,” the DEP said in a news release.

A Cabot spokesman did not return a request for comment.

The DEP said that since 2013 at various wells sites, 267 pneumatic controllers — which are automated instruments — emitted too much natural gas. Those violations, plus the failure to report on the 20 wells, led to the penalty.

The money will be paid to the DEP’s Clean Air Fund, which is used to pay for air quality programs.

Cabot has been among the most prolific well-drillers in Pennsylvania. In September, two families in Dimock, Susquehanna County, settled a lawsuit filed against the company over alleged contaminated drinking water.

Up Next

Well pad fire in Somerset County prompts evacuation of nearby residents