On August 15, Logsdon Valley Oil, also known as Hart Petroleum was sentenced to three years of probation and fined $100,000 for violating the Safe Drinking Water Act.
According to court documents, in 2019 the company illegally discharged produced fluid also known as brine water from oil and gas production into sinkholes without a permit.
Logsdon Valley Oil, Inc. also violated the act in 2013 and was previously convicted, per the press release.
“The enforcement of the Safe Drinking Water Act is vital to keeping Kentucky’s groundwater safe,” said U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky in a press release. “We will continue to pursue, in partnership with the EPA, those who violate federal environmental laws in order to keep our citizens safe and to protect Kentucky’s natural resources.”
“Illegally injecting brine water into an unpermitted well violates the Safe Drinking Water Act and threatens the quality of groundwater,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Carroll in a press release. “Our nation’s environmental laws are designed to protect public health and safety, and the sentencing of Logsdon Valley Oil demonstrates that the EPA and its law enforcement partners will take action to protect communities and their local water supplies.”
This case was investigated by the Environment Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Judd prosecuted the case.
Source: WBKO
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