XTO Energy, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil and the US’ largest holder of natural gas reserves, will spend an estimated $3 million to restore eight sites damaged by unauthorized discharges of fill material into streams and wetlands in connection with hydraulic fracturing operations, according to the EPA and the US Department of Justice.
XTO will also implement a comprehensive plan to comply with federal and state water protection laws at the company’s West Virginia oil and gas extraction facilities that use horizontal drilling methods.
The company will also pay a civil penalty of $2.3 million for violations of the Clean Water Act.
The settlement resolves alleged violations of state law asserted by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. The state of West Virginia is a co-plaintiff in the settlement and will receive half of the $2.3 million civil penalty.
The settlement requires the company to fully restore the wetlands and streams wherever feasible, monitor the restored sites to assure the success of the restoration, and implement a comprehensive compliance program to ensure future compliance with the CWA and applicable state law.
In October, Superior Crude Gathering has agreed to pay a $1.61 million civil penalty for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act stemming from a 2010 crude oil spill from tanks at Superior’s oil storage facility in Ingleside, Texas.