The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency identified several additional spills from construction of Rover Pipeline LLC's 3.25-Bcf/d project and called continued leaks of drilling fluids "unacceptable." Rover responded that the spills were minor.
After finding five incidents of inadvertent returns since Sept. 26, the Ohio agency's Division of Environmental Response, Investigation and Enforcement determined that the new spills leaked into state wetlands or waters, violating state law. Rover argued that the agency's claims are inflated to the point of "mischaracterizations."
The spills, which occurred between Sept. 26 and Nov. 16, after a contingency plan for certain drilling activities was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Ohio EPA, were found in five locations in Belmont and Ashland counties. The spills introduced approximately 1,200 gallons of drilling fluids into Belmont County and about 200 gallons of drilling fluids into the Black Fork Mohican River in Ashland County, the agency said.
The additional contingency plan for the pipeline project was a requirement after various spills were discovered beginning in April, including an approximately 2 million-gallon spill into wetlands along the Tuscarawas River, leading regulators to temporarily halt horizontal directional drilling along the pipeline.
"Unfortunately, as Rover works to make up time lost as a result of the FERC-ordered cessation of [horizontal directional drilling] work, Rover continues to experience a significant and disturbing number of violations because of IR [inadvertent return] discharges to Ohio waters since Sept. 8," Ohio EPA Director Craig Butler said in a letter filed by FERC on Dec. 1. "The repeated trend of IRs is completely unacceptable, and Rover must take all necessary actions to stem these violations."
In response to the letter, Rover Pipeline, a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners LP, said the agency's claims consist of "misstatements and mischaracterizations" made to support "litigation and political strategy."
Rover said that with each of the spills, the developer immediately responded and remedied the areas in full compliance with the drilling contingency plan. "The few inadvertent returns that have occurred are neither 'significant [nor] disturbing,'" Rover said. It added that the spills were not a result of rushed actions.
According to Energy Transfer Partners spokeswoman Vicki Granado, Rover has completed work at 28 of the 49 horizontal directional drilling sites and has permissions for an additional 12 similar drill sites. The remaining drills are awaiting clearance.
The project, spanning approximately 511 miles, would provide Midwest and Ontario markets with access to Appalachian shale supplies. FERC authorized Rover to start operations on part of the pipeline, including allowing the line to move up to 1.2 Bcf/d of supplies from producers in the Marcellus and Utica shales. The project is expected to be ready for full commercial service in January 2018. (FERC docket CP15-93)
