Nov 29, 2022 Cabot Oil & Gas on Criminal Docket. Public invited to Montrose PA main courtroom to hear AG read off each of 15 criminal charges against the frac’er for polluting waters of Dimock and hear Cabot’s guilty plea. Families have endured polluted water for 14 years. No such justice for Canadians suffering illegal acts by Encana/Ovintiv.

Cabot Oil & Gas, like most criminal oil and gas frac’ers, changed it’s spots via a merger after the criminal charges were filed against the company. Cabot is now Coterra Energy Inc. I believe companies do this to muddy their polluting histories and confuse their next victims (landowners) and the public. Canadian frac’er Encana did/does this too, changing it’s law-violating spots to Ovintiv and even went so extreme as to run away and become American.

Plea hearing scheduled in ‘Gasland’ drilling pollution case in Dimock, Dimock drew national notoriety after people were filmed lighting their tap water on fire in the Emmy Award-winning 2010 documentary by Matt Rourke, The Associated Press, Nov 24, 2022, State Impact Penssylvania

A plea hearing has been scheduled for next week in the long-running case of a natural gas driller facing felony charges over allegations it polluted the aquifer of a small community 14 years ago.

Houston-based Coterra Energy Inc. will appear in Susquehanna County Court on Tuesday, according to online court records.

Coterra’s corporate predecessor, Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., was charged in June 2020 with 15 criminal counts after a grand jury investigation found the company drilled faulty gas wells that leaked flammable methane into residential water supplies in Dimock and surrounding communities.

Dimock drew national notoriety after residents were filmed lighting their tap water on fire in the Emmy Award-winning 2010 documentary “Gasland,” one of the most notorious pollution cases ever to emerge from the U.S. drilling and fracking boom. The tiny crossroads in northeastern Pennsylvania is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the New York state line.

Many residents continue to avoid using their well water, using bottled water, bulk water purchased commercially, and even water drawn from creeks and artesian wells instead.

Canadian water frac’d by Encana/Ovintiv interlude.

My laundry and storage room at Rosebud, Alberta, was taken over by water tanks and pumping equipment (expensive!) with holes drilled in the outside wall for water deliveries after Encana illegally frac’d my community’s drinking water aquifers in 2004.

I remain hauling alternate water, driving 45 minutes one way to get it. Impossible to do when it’s below zero, which it is mostly is in winter. I do not have a garage to thaw the water in.

End Canadian water frac’d by Encana/Ovintiv interlude.

Cabot, which merged with Denver-based Cimarex Energy Co. to form Coterra, has long maintained the gas in residents’ water was naturally occurring. Yup, that’s what all the law-violating water contaminating frac’ers say, Encana/Ovintiv, Alberta “regulators” and most Canadian academics too.

Ahead of the plea hearing, top officials in the state attorney general’s office, which is prosecuting Coterra, briefed Dimock residents earlier this week on a plan to connect their houses to a clean source of water.

Rosebud, Rockyford, Gleichen, Redland, Standard, and other areas were pipelined safe alternate water. Canadian taxpayers were made to pay for it, most without knowing they financed to the tune of tens of millions, criminal acts by oil and gas frac’ers. I remain without safe alternate water; punishments by our Encana crime-enabling authorities continue. Living without water is a shitty way to live; I’ve endured it for nearly 20 years. Frac hell Encana.

The plan calls for Pennsylvania American Water, a water utility, to drill two water wells and build a treatment plant that will remove any contaminants from the water before piping it to about 20 homes in Dimock.

What if the aquifer those water wells will access is also contaminated with methane?

2017: After decades of lies to landowners and the public by CAPP, industry & energy regulators, University of Guelph Study Proves Potentially Explosive Methane Leaks from Energy Wells Affects Groundwater, Travels Great Distances, Poses Safety Risks. Will the lies stop now? Not Likely. Will groundwater monitoring begin now? Not Likely.

2017: New University of Guelph study on methane migration in sand aquifer in Ontario: “Potentially explosive methane gas leaking from energy wells may travel extensively through groundwater and pose a safety risk

That would create an explosive risk for the treatment facility and workers there, and nearby buildings/residents. Frac harmed citizens that have blown up after methane and ethane removal processing of their contaminated water prove it does not work.

Messages were sent to the attorney general’s office and to Coterra on Wednesday seeking details about the upcoming plea hearing.

On Tuesday, the company — the most prolific driller in the nation’s No. 2 natural gas-producing state — said it was working to resolve the criminal charges.

***

Come and see this unprecedented event.

Cabot Oil and Gas has 15 Criminal Charges, Nine felonies, six misdemeanors
for polluting the waters of Dimock, Susquehanna County, Pa..

The Pa. State Attorney General Office is suing Cabot and will read off each charge in the main courtroom in Montrose, Pa. on Lake Ave., Court of Common Pleas before Judge Legg.and hear their guilty plea to each charge, which they have agreed to.

Witness this on November 29, 2022.

Support the people of Dimock, Pa. in our County who have struggled with polluted water the past 14 years.

We have a right to clean water as stated in our Pa. State Constitution.

See attached docket and court summary of this case.Snaps taken of the "criminal docket" and summary copied below, I did not upload the PDFs.

The public is encouraged to attend this.

Scheduled for one hour from 3:30 to 4:30 pm.


Submitted by:
Vera Scroggins
Citizens for Clean Water
Susquehanna County, Pa.
607-237-9685

Refer also to:

2022: New Film: Blowout: Dimock, Pennsylvania. Who’s Next? Already f*cked in Canada: Wheatley, Norfolk, Indian Hills, Leamington and more in Ontario; Rosebud, Redland, Wetaskiwin, Ponoka, Calgary, Spirit River, Red Deer, Medicine Hat, Fox Creek, Calmar, Lloydminster and more in Alberta; Hudson’s Hope, Farmington, Rose Prairie and more in British Columbia; Quebec; Saskatchewan; Nova Scotia; etc. etc. etc.

2022: Twenty years later, I’m still waiting for EnCana’s then CEO, Gywn Morgan, to apologize for frac’ing Rosebud’s drinking water aquifers and to fix them!

2021: Frac’d to Hell in Pennsylvania: Methane contaminated water only the beginning

2021: The Good Ole’ Boy Frac Club: A new and particularly virulent form of masculinist entitlement

2021 11 11: Legal Shit Show on Crack Continues: Cabot Oil v. Ray Kemble. 2008: Cabot contaminated Dimock drinking water. 2020: PA AG filed 15 criminal charges, including 9 felonies, against Cabot. 2021: Cabot becomes Coterra Energy. Changing names hides crimes (like Encana to Ovintiv).

2020: Pennsylvania Grand Jury Nails It: Hydraulic fracturing is poisoning us (AER & BC OGC are much more corrupt and industry-controlled regulators than PA’s DEP)

2020: Josh Shapiro wins re-election as PA Attorney General; One of his most important accomplishments so far? “Exposing the corruption in the Roman Catholic Church. That led to hundreds of predator priests abusing thousands of children in a conspiracy and cover-up that went from the Pennsylvania diocese all the way to the Vatican.”

2020: PA Attorney General Josh Shapiro expending significant investigave resources in pursuit of more than 12 criminal cases involving frac’ing: “some will result in criminal charges in the near future.” Any uncorrupted Attorney Generals in Canada courageous enough to take on frac crimes by Encana (Ovintiv)?

2020: Cabot Oil and Gas gets frac’d! Pennsylvania AG Shapiro files 15 criminal charges, including 9 felonies, against Cabot for failing to fix gas wells that leaked methane over 9 square miles into 18 Dimock residential water supplies. “The Grand Jury presentments prove that Cabot took shortcuts that broke the law, and damaged our environment — harming our water supply and public health”

2020: They frac you, then abuse you and abuse you and abuse you. Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. pulls out of talks in $5M lawsuit against frac-harmed Ray Kemble in what appears to be a nasty SLAPP

2018: Outrageous frac company Cabot Oil & Gas Suing Victim of Its Own Pollution for Speaking Out, Pennsylvania resident Ray Kemble sued by the company that polluted his water SLAPPs and abusing the legal and judicial industries is how powerful frac’ers and oil and gas companies keep polluting our drinking water, globally. They threaten to sue or sue those courageous enough to speak up publicly and reject their bullshit and bullying.

My legal team warned me in Oct 2007 that Encana/Ovintiv, AER and the Alberta Gov’t would counter sue or sue me and my lawyers, to run out my savings. They warned me if that happened, I would have to hire another law firm that would likely demand a $200,000.00 retainer and would quickly wipe out my finances with their fees on top of Klippenstein’s fees. I was terrified. I am not rich, I am ordinary, just diligent saving and not wasting money.

I was not sued, and not threatened with being sued by the company, AER or gov’t. AER threatened me often, years before I filed my lawsuit, including by judging me – in writing – of being a criminal without any evidence, due process, hearing, and without even notifying me I was being secretly judged.

I kept going because drinking water is too important not to but the fears and stresses caused by how nasty a company Encana/Ovintiv is, how vile a “regulator” AER is and how cruel and unfair Canada’s judicial industry is for ordinary citizens took a terrible toll on my health and well being. I lost most of my savings trying to get access to seek justice and still live without safe water.

2017: Dimock Pennsylvania: In ‘Gasland’ community, Cabot Oil & Gas continues to refuse to fix the aquifer the company contaminated with dangerous levels of methane but buys out contaminated homes, demolishing them, while blaming nature.

2017: Terrible News! Another jury award overturned on a frac harm lawsuit: Federal Judge overturns $4.24M unanimous jury award in methane contamination of Ely & Hubert drinking water after fracking by Cabot Oil and Gas Co. Orders new trial if settlement not reached.

2016: Dimock landowners slam Cabot’s attempt to upend $4.2 Million Jury verdict: “Cabot was ‘smarting from a humiliating defeat’”

2014: Lackawanna College gets $2.5 million from Cabot Oil and Gas Corporation; The school’s curriculum is geared to meet industry needs. Encana/Ovintiv pulled the same trickery to bribe academia to propagandize and turn communities against families the company harmed in Alberta, SK, Colorado, etc. It works, every time, with ignorant and greedy people.

2013: Cabot buys second methane polluted residential property in Dimock 12-acre parcel on Carter Road flanked by faulty gas wells

2013: Cabot Oil Demolishes Sautners past home in Dimock, PA

2013: Cabot Oil Demolishes Sautners past home in Dimock, PA

2013: DEP opens investigation of methane in Dimock water well, Cabot providing safe water

2012: Cenovus, previously Encana, donates $250,000 to the Drumheller Library (near Rosebud) in exchange for naming rights on the Children’s Corner, Youth Area and Community Programs Room

2012: Cabot beats EPA to punch on well’s water

2012: Dimock residents, Cabot settle, Residents had alleged that their drinking water was contaminated by gas driller Settle ‘n Gag Orders, NDAs (many forced on the harmed by judges to aid polluters) hide frac-contaminated harms to the public interest (water belongs to all). Gags/NDAs belong in Hell and must be made illegal, everywhere.

2012: EPA says Dimock water safe, but Cabot still can’t drill there Dear USA EPA: This didn’t age well, did it?

2012: Tainted-Well Lawsuits Mount Against Gas Frackers Led By Cabot Frac Friendly judges served Cabot well before Shapiro filed criminal charges against the company.

2012: DEP: Cabot drilling caused methane in Lenox water wells

2011: DEP: Cabot OK to stop Dimock water deliveries Dear PA DEP: Your complicit enabling of Cabot’s harms didn’t age well either, did it? These current criminal charges make AER and Alberta Environment, OGC, CER, etc. look like the cowardly corrupt cover-up agents that they are.

2011: DEP cites persistent flaws in Cabot wells and keeps drilling on hold in parts of Dimock

2010: Dimock residents see “dirty tricks” in Cabot document Dirty tricks and lies (including in writing and in court filings) is what frac’ers do best, notably Encana/Ovintiv and it’s 100% industry-funded frac-harm enablers, AER and Alberta Gov’t.

2010: DEP Takes Aggressive Action Against Cabot Oil & Gas Corp to Enforce Environmental Laws Protect Public in Susquehanna County; Suspends Review of Cabot’s New Drilling Permit Applications Orders Company to Plug Wells Install Residential Water Systems Pay $240,000 in Fines

2010: Encana frac’s a community’s drinking water supply, publicly promises $150,000 after water wells start to go bad, years later donates the money to Rosebud School of the Arts Theatre, successfully silences the community

And, even more successfully, Encana’s bribery got locals to abuse and threaten the lives and loved ones of those speaking out about the company breaking the law and contaminating Rosebud’s drinking water supply. I lost track of how many thugs “dropped” in to demand I shut up “or else” after Encana intentionally violated my privacy rights and handed out hundreds of copies of an aerial map with my name and property designated on it, in a public open house at Rosebud. No other frac harmed resident’s rights were thus violated.

2009: Poisoning Dimock, Lawsuit Challenges Cabot Oil’s Drilling Practices in Marcellus Shale

Below, snap of “funders” to Rosebud’s Dinner Theatre and Centre of the Arts:

2008:

2006: (Other chemicals, including chromium increasing by more than a factor of 45, were found by the regulator in my water)

2004: Encana intentionally illegally repeatedly frac’s Rosebud’s drinking water aquifers (documents filed in 2003 by the company with the groundwater data base co-managed by Alberta’s water regulator prove Encana planned these illegal aquifer fracs). Water wells quickly went bad community-wide and up and down the Rosebud River Valley.

Above schematic from Encana’s hydrogeological report by HCL, admitting to the crimes, as well as the company illegally diverting drinking water from Rosebud’s fresh water aquifers.

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