The Department of Environmental Protection Tuesday  announced a Consent Order and Agreement with William C. Henderson, Titusville Oil & Gas Associates Inc., Eagle Line Corporation, and Olympia Oil Services Inc., which includes $250,000 in civil penalties.

The civil penalties stem from various violations of the Clean Stream Law, Solid Waste Management Act, and Oil and Gas Act, including failure to obtain Erosion and Sediment Control general permits during earthmoving, unauthorized discharge of production fluids, failure to report such unauthorized discharges, failure to plug abandoned wells, and other violations.

The violations were discovered during inspections of various properties owned and operated by Henderson and his companies between March 2010 and June 2014.

Further investigations by DEP also concluded that Henderson and Titusville Oil had disturbed more than five acres and disturbed wetlands without permits, along with several other on-going issues.

In addition to the penalties, Henderson and his three companies must take all actions necessary to attain compliance with the state’s laws and regulations, including the cease and desist of all unauthorized well activity, restoration of all illegally disturbed areas, and submission of outstanding reports, among other requirements.

Henderson is the president and operator of the three companies, and is subject to the requirements of the Consent Order and Agreement. Henderson and his companies are required to pay the civil penalty in payments, with an immediate $25,000 payment and equal payments of $56,250 over the next 12 months.

In 2011 William Henderson was charged by the Office of Attorney General for criminal violations of dumping gas well production brine into abandoned wells.

For more information call 814-332-6945.

9/1/2014