GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.—Colorado regulators are fining an energy company a record $423,300 for contamination from natural gas operations that fouled a landowner’s spring and made him ill.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and Williams Production agreed to the settlement Thursday.
Alan Harrison of Williams says the company disagrees with the state’s finding that the benzene came from a nearby Williams pit. He says the company settled rather than spend more money and time on the investigation.
Western Colorado landowner Ned Prather became sick in 2008 after drinking water from a spring that contained volatile organic compounds, including benzene, known to cause cancer.
Some members of the oil and gas commission questioned whether the fine was too low.
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Information from: The Daily Sentinel,
