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The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette performed a public service yesterday in publishing data from a
PADEP list of violations and fines imposed on Marcellus Shale drilling companies between 2005 and Feb. 1, 2011.

We call it a public service because such disclosure (perhaps even more so than the size of the fines) motivates companies to pay closer attention to their operations and quickly address problem areas.

Every smart company wants to claim that it is vigilant when it comes to environmental protection. Consistently ranking high on such lists provides ammunition to those who would argue that such claims are bogus.

That’s the theory, at least, and former DEP Secretary John Hanger said he saw it proven in the case of Chief Oil & Gas.

When the company landed near the top of several lists — including the most fines of any Marcellus Shale drilling company in Pennsylvania — its leadership requested a meeting. Hanger recalls that they flew up from Dallas and told him they were “taking steps taking steps to improve their environmental performance, improving their control of water, improving their command and control on site.”

“No one wants to be on a list,” Chief’s spokeswoman Kristi Gittins told the Post-Gazette. “We’ve been drilling shale for 15 years and we’re good at it, so, we were surprised by the list of violations and fines we received” in Pennsylvania.

Following its meeting with Hanger, Gittins says Chief conducted a review of its operations, fired some employees and subcontractors, and began lining its entire site with plastic to help contain any spill. The company implemented a closed-loop system to contain drill pit water, which was the cause of four of its nine fines.