PITTSBURGH—Pennsylvania’s top environmental official says he will stop issuing permits to gas drilling companies that rack up too many regulatory violations.
Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger on Wednesday said his department is reviewing violations by companies drilling in the Marcellus Shale. The DEP has issued 1,500 citations since 2008.
Hanger says he’s keeping a close eye on three companies: Chief Oil & Gas of Dallas, Citrus Energy of Colorado and EOG Resources, the Houston-based company that had a blowout at a Clearfield County well in June.
Kathryn Klaber, president of the industry trade group Marcellus Shale Coalition, says violations can come in many forms. She also says regulators may not be applying standards evenly across the state.
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Information from: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,
