The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection has just slapped Vantage Energy with a $1 million fine for “more than a dozen violations of environmental regulations stemming from a landslide and illegal waste disposal at their Porter Street well pad in Franklin Township, Greene County, earlier this year.” The landslide at the well pad covered over portions of two nearby creeks. Then, to add insult to injury, about six months later two truckloads of frack wastewater got dumped on the landslide area being repaired. The wastewater ended up in the streams. But wait, there’s more! Vantage constructed a new access road next to the streams adversely affected–but Vantage didn’t have a permit to construct the road. Oy vey! Did they do anything right? According to the DEP, Vantage, “to its credit,” is making improvements in their procedures to prevent a future comedy of errors…
