The event during which an estimated 100 gallons of brine leaked from a facility pipe owned and operated by Savoy Energy uncovers several concerning issues:
1.) "Brine" is a very corrosive fluid that dissolves metal pipes despite added anti-corrosive chemicals. In this case I suspect that this brine might even contain hydrochloric acid. It is therefore far from just "salt water" and definitely not harmless for the environment. It is a frightening thought that millions of gallons of this stuff polluted with drilling chemicals are pumped permanently into soon 4 brine disposal injection wells in Lenawee county, and over 1200 such wells in Michigan. Once not needed anymore, these injection wells are entirely unmonitored after only a short observation period of a few years. A time bomb for the artesian aquifers of our state.
2.) Savoy Energy showed once more that they are not a decent partner to communities and land owners on whose property they operate. They did not communicate the incident, did not appear on site and even avoided commenting to the press. They have done so in every incident exposing a great arrogance and lack of respect.
3.) The fact that Savoy was not required to inform the township and other officials but only the DEQ shows once more that the industry is not regulated well enough and that there are not sufficient laws in place to safeguard people and the environment. In addition, the scale of the accident was solely determined by the polluter Savoy Energy itself - a general pattern that allows energy companies to almost completely regulate themselves as if they could be trusted to operate in the best interest of the community and the environment. The history of Savoy's conduct of flaring perfectly useful natural gas for almost 2 years and violating the Clean Air Act on their Adrian production facility shows that they are NOT trustworthy at all. In addition, the leaks found by the EPA more than 1.5 years ago were still found at a recent revisit - showing that Savoy Energy does not even care about the few existing laws - not even a federal law like the Clean Air Act!
1.) "Brine" is a very corrosive fluid that dissolves metal pipes despite added anti-corrosive chemicals. In this case I suspect that this brine might even contain hydrochloric acid. It is therefore far from just "salt water" and definitely not harmless for the environment. It is a frightening thought that millions of gallons of this stuff polluted with drilling chemicals are pumped permanently into soon 4 brine disposal injection wells in Lenawee county, and over 1200 such wells in Michigan. Once not needed anymore, these injection wells are entirely unmonitored after only a short observation period of a few years. A time bomb for the artesian aquifers of our state.
2.) Savoy Energy showed once more that they are not a decent partner to communities and land owners on whose property they operate. They did not communicate the incident, did not appear on site and even avoided commenting to the press. They have done so in every incident exposing a great arrogance and lack of respect.
3.) The fact that Savoy was not required to inform the township and other officials but only the DEQ shows once more that the industry is not regulated well enough and that there are not sufficient laws in place to safeguard people and the environment. In addition, the scale of the accident was solely determined by the polluter Savoy Energy itself - a general pattern that allows energy companies to almost completely regulate themselves as if they could be trusted to operate in the best interest of the community and the environment. The history of Savoy's conduct of flaring perfectly useful natural gas for almost 2 years and violating the Clean Air Act on their Adrian production facility shows that they are NOT trustworthy at all. In addition, the leaks found by the EPA more than 1.5 years ago were still found at a recent revisit - showing that Savoy Energy does not even care about the few existing laws - not even a federal law like the Clean Air Act!
