Trying again.- Frank
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April 13, 2011
Lawsuits challenge waste dumping by gas
drillers
By Ken Ward Jr.
The Charleston Gazette
CHARLESTON, W.Va. --
A federal judge in Wheeling this week issued a temporary restraining order
against Chesapeake Energy in one of three pending cases that challenge
widespread waste-dumping practices of northern West Virginia's growing natural
gas industry.
U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp blocked
Chesapeake from hauling contaminated soil out of a waste pit it built on a
Wetzel County couple's property while the couple pursues its demand for a more
comprehensive cleanup plan.
Larry and Jana Rine allege that Chesapeake
unlawfully disposed of drilling wastes in the pit, then buried it and planned to
leave it on a 210-acre property the Rines use as a part-time home and hunting
camp at Silver Hill, east of New Martinsville.
Now, they allege, the company is using repair of a
slip on its well pad as an excuse to haul away the wastes and potentially cover
up what was really dumped into the pit.
Preliminary testing found the soil contained diesel
fuel, benzene and a variety of other contaminants, court records
show.