The sad story of D&L Energy, a Youngstown, OH operator of several wastewater injection wells, has come to an ignominious end. It’s owner was (is?) Ben Lupo, who also owns sister company Hardrock Excavating, operating both companies under the D&L Energy Group umbrella. Starting last September, Lupo instructed a Hardrock employee to dump untreated fracking wastewater down a sewer drain that emptied into the Mahoning River. Lupo and the driver were found out earlier this year (see Youngstown Business Dumped >200K Gal of Untreated Wastewater).
The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) promptly shut down both D&L Energy and Hardrock in February (see OH Company Dumping Frack Wastewater in Drain May Appeal Shut-Down). The shut-down led to a filing for bankruptcy in a desperate attempt to re-open and keep D&L afloat. Lupo appealed the ODNR ruling claiming D&L Energy is separate from Hardrock and just because he behaved badly at Hardrock does not mean D&L should be punished too. The Ohio Oil & Gas Commission (OOGC) has now ruled on that appeal…
