The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is on a tear. Last week the EPA announced a settlement and fine of $177,500 with PDC Mountaineer for draining a one-acre swamp in West Virginia (see this MDN story). Yesterday the EPA settled another Clean Water Act (CWA) case in the WV Marcellus—this one with Chesapeake Energy.
Chesapeake is getting fined a whopping $600,000 and put on two years probation for building a road through a Wetzel County, WV swamp. Seems like the EPA has a fixation on swamps (which are euphemistically called “wetlands”). Here’s the details for the Chesapeake settlement from the U.S Attorney’s office:
