From The Times Tribune:
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At the recent Shale Gas Insight conference in Philadelphia, the CEO of one of the largest Marcellus Shale drilling companies in Pennsylvania was unequivocal in his message that methane contamination of drinking water supplies from faulty gas wells is at an end.
"Problem identified; problem solved," Chesapeake Energy's Chairman Aubrey McClendon declared.
But violations data released last week by the state Department of Environmental Protection show problems persist with the cemented strings of steel casing meant to protect groundwater from gas and fluids in Marcellus wells.
In August, DEP inspectors found defective or inadequate casing or cement at eight Marcellus wells, including Hess Corp.'s Davidson well in Scott Twp., Wayne County - the first casing violation found in the county where only a handful of Marcellus wells have been drilled.
During the first eight months of 2011, 65 Marcellus wells were cited for faulty casing and cementing practices - one more than was recorded in all of 2010."