The proposed settlement addresses violations of the Clean Air Act at Antero?s oil and natural gas production operations located in West Virginia and Ohio. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (?WVDEP?) is a co-Plaintiff.
Under the proposed Consent Decree, Antero will perform injunctive relief (1) to assure compliance at 193 of Antero?s facilities in West Virginia and 49 of Antero?s facilities in Ohio and (2) to mitigate its past emissions. Antero estimates that the cost of the injunctive relief measures will be approximately $ 5.8 million. The planned mitigation projects require Antero to 1) set aside $1.5 million toward the permanent plugging and remediation of orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells over three years, and 2) change a portion of its well unloading process to allow gas to be pushed and processed through normal equipment such as a separator rather than being vented to the atmosphere. In addition, the proposed consent decree requires Antero to pay a civil penalty of $ 3.8 million to be divided equally between the United States and WVDEP.
The settlement is expected to achieve emissions reductions of approximately 1,090 tons of VOC.