Oil Site Leaked Gases Uncontrollably for Months, Group Says
- Earthworks calls on Texas regulators to act on its findings
- The site’s owner, MDC Energy, filed for bankruptcy last year
Photographer: Callaghan O'Hare/Bloomberg
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An oil well site in the Permian Basin owned by a bankrupt shale producer has spewed polluting gases into the atmosphere for 10 months, despite being investigated by Texas regulators, according to an environmental group.
Infrared video footage collected during multiple visits from November 2019 through September show “continuous intense and significant” emissions from faulty valves and tank hatches at MDC Energy LLC’s Pick Pocket location in West Texas, Earthworks said in a letter to two state regulatory agencies on Thursday. The group called on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas Railroad Commission to rescind permits for MDC.