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DeepRock & Fountain Quail Merge, Form Major M-U Injection Well Co.

Two shale wastewater injection well companies, DeepRock Disposal and Fountain Quail Energy Services, have merged. The combined company is keeping the DeepRock Disposal name. The new entity is one of the largest SWD (saltwater disposal well) operators in the Appalachian Basin with 12 wells located in Ohio and West Virginia (with permits for several more). However, the bigger news (for us) is that DeepRock plans to offload barged frack wastewater–very soon.
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GreenHunter Lawsuit Against Former Employees Dismissed

In November 2015 MDN reported on a lawsuit filed by GreenHunter Resources (filed in October 2015) against two former GreenHunter employees and a competitor (see GreenHunter Sues 2 Former VPs + OH Competitor for Conspiracy). The lawsuit alleged that John Jack, former vice president of Appalachia operations for GreenHunter, and Noble “Rick” Zickefoose, former vice president and operations manager at GreenHunter left the company and subsequently shared privileged company secrets with Dean Grose, CEO of Comtech Industries and a principle with Water Energy Services (both companies competitors of GreenHunter). At the time we said it appeared GreenHunter had a strong case. We also said: “Of course there’s always two sides in these cases–so we must ‘presume innocence’ until the court finds otherwise.” Prescient words. From the beginning, all three defendants strongly maintained their innocence. Rick Zickefoose contacted MDN to let us know he has worked tirelessly to clear his good name. Rick told MDN, “I have been employed in the oil and gas industry of the Appalachian basin for more than 37 years. In the industry your reputation is everything.” He, and the other defendants, fought hard. In June their efforts were rewarded when the case was dismissed, “with prejudice” (meaning “permanently”). Rick and the other defendants are now cleared, their names and good reputations restored…
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GreenHunter Out of Bankruptcy, Merges with Fountain Quail Disposal

Kirk Trosclair
Kirk Trosclair

In December we reported the sad news that Magnum Hunter Resources (MHR) finally had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection (see Sad Day: Magnum Hunter Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy). MHR has a variety of subsidiary companies. One of those companies, GreenHunter Resources (water and wastewater) also succumbed and filed for bankruptcy in March (see Another Sad Day: GreenHunter Resources Files for Bankruptcy). “Restructuring” as it’s called, was completed for GreenHunter in May and the company emerged from bankruptcy under the ownership of a private equity firm. GreenHunter has shed its name and merged with/taken on a new name: Fountain Quail Disposal. The CEO of Fountain Quail is the former Executive Vice President and COO of GreenHunter, Kirk Trosclair. So Trosclair survived the bankruptcy process, unlike his former boss Gary Evans (see Magnum Hunter Emerges from Bankruptcy with CEO Gary Evans Gone). Here’s what we know about GreenHunter becoming Fountain Quail Disposal…
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