Stephen and Cynthia Ford

Pittsburgh, PA: (Jun-17-07) The Department of Environmental Protection filed an environmental damage lawsuit against Stephen and Cynthia Ford, owners of oil and gas companies, alleging that their companies violated state environmental regulations for more than a decade. The investigations revealed that the companies, Synd Enterprises and Vertical Resources, have had chronic, serious violations everywhere they have operated. DEP said it was seeking more than $600,000 in penalties from the Fords, claiming their companies violated 98 environmental laws and regulations.

Stephen and Cynthia Ford disputed the number of allegations, but admitted they had a few reasonable violations. The violations included over-pressured wells that cause gas migration and contaminate groundwater, failure to implement erosion and sedimentation controls, causing accelerated erosion, unpermitted discharges of brine onto the ground, and encroachments into flood ways and streams without permits.

In a settlement reached, the Fords agreed to pay a $400,000 fine and cease operations in Pennsylvania. The Bureau of Oil and Gas Management will use the money to plug abandoned wells and to carry out other public health and environmental protection activities. [DAILY AMERICAN ONLINE: ENVIRONMENTAL VIOLATIONS]

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Published on Jun-21-07