David Miller, January 24, 2018
The following statement can be attributed in full, or in part, to Melanie Houston, Director of Climate Programs at the Ohio Environmental Council:
“Today, FERC officially ordered Rover to cease current drilling operations near the Tuscarawas River, following the recent underground spill and loss of approximately 200,000 gallons of drilling fluid. FERC also requested that the company look into alternate river crossing locations.
“This FERC action is a direct result of Ohio EPA’s repeated requests that Rover be ordered to stop drilling. FERC should go one step further and defer to Ohio EPA’s additional recommendations for the company to abandon the current site and propose an alternative route that keeps our waterways safe.
“From the beginning, the Rover Pipeline project has caused the spill of millions of gallons of drilling fluids across Ohio, racked up millions of dollars in fines, and disrespected Ohio’s environment.
“We commend the Ohio EPA for doing all in their power to hold Rover accountable, and encourage FERC to take a closer look at the future viability of this project. Ohioans can’t trust this company to construct a pipeline in a safe, appropriate manner. How will they trust it to manage the pipeline once natural gas flows across the state?”