EPA v. WILLIAMS COMPANIES, INC (WILLIAMS MOBILE BAY PRODUCERS) (NATIONAL CASE)

Case summary

APRIL 20, 2023 - COMPLAINT FILED On April 20, 2023. the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, the States of Alabama, Colorado, West Virginia, and Wyoming, and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality announced a settlement with The Williams Companies, Inc. and several of its subsidiaries (Williams), and Williams? successor at the Ignacio Gas Plant, Harvest Four Corners, LLC (Harvest) (collectively, Defendants). The settlement will strengthen leak detection and repair practices and significantly reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), methane, and other pollutants at 15 natural gas processing plants located in Alabama, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia, Wyoming, and on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. The consent decree was filed on April 20, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado along with a complaint that alleges Defendants violated leak detection and repair requirements in federal, state, and tribal clean air laws, resulting in excess emissions of VOCs and other harmful pollutants to the atmosphere. As part of the settlement, Williams will pay a $3.75 million civil penalty for the alleged violations. THIS CASE IS PART OF EPA'S EXISTING NCI. IMPROVING AIR QUALITY: ENSURING ENERGY EXTRACTION ACTIVITIES COMPLY WITH ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS. THESE FACILITIES POTENTIALLY EMIT VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS AND HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS WHICH HAVE PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNS. ON MARCH 14, 2016, REGION 3 MADE A DIRECT REFERRAL TO DOJ FOR VIOLATIONS AT TWO FACILITIES LOCATED IN MOUNDSVILLE, WEST VIRGINIA; ON OCT 13, 2017, REGION 8 REFERRED A CASE TO DOJ FOR VIOLATIONS AT TWO FACILITIES IN COLORADO; AND ON JUNE 17, 2019, REGION 7 REFERRED A CASE TO DOJ FOR VIOLATIONS AT ONE FACILITY. IN ADDITION, REGION 5 HAS CONDUCTED AN ONSITE EVALUATION WHICH IDENTIFIED SIMILAR VIOLATIONS, AND IS CURRENTLY DRAFTING A LETTER REFERRAL TO DOJ. WILLIAMS OPERATES 15 GAS PROCESSING FACILITIES IN REGIONS 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 AND 8 AND IS HEADQUARTERED IN TULSA, OK. THERE IS ONE FACILITY LOCATED IN REGION 4 AT 6000 ROCK ROAD, CODEN, AL. REGION 3, 4,AND 5 INSPECTORS EVALUATED THE LEAK DETECTION AND REPAIR (LDAR) PROGRAM AT THE CODEN, AL FACILITY ON APRIL 17-19, 2018,USING MONITORING EQUIPMENT. POTENTIAL VIOLATIONS WERE FOUND AT THE AL FACILITY, WHERE ARE SIMILAR TO VIOLATIONS IDENTIFIED IN REGIONS 3, 7 AND 8.

Defendants (9)

• MID-CONTINENT FRACTIONATION AND STORAGE, LLCNamed in complaintNamed in settlement
• UTICA EAST OHIO MIDSTREAM LLCNamed in complaintNamed in settlement
• WILLIAMS FIELD SERVICES COMPANY, LLCNamed in complaintNamed in settlement
• BARGATH LLCNamed in complaintNamed in settlement
• WILLIAMS OHIO VALLEY MIDSTREAM LLCNamed in complaintNamed in settlement
• HARVEST FOUR CORNERS, LLCNamed in complaintNamed in settlement
• WILLIAMS MOBILE BAY PRODUCERS SERVICES LLCNamed in complaintNamed in settlement
• WILLIAMS COMPANIES, INC.Named in complaintNamed in settlement
• DISCOVERY PRODUCER SERVICES, LLCNamed in complaintNamed in settlement

Facilities (1)

• WILLIAMS MOBILE BAY PRODUCER SERVICES, LLC

  6000 ROCK ROAD, CODEN, AL, 36523

  Registry ID: 110043783625

Statutes cited

• CAA 111 — New Source Performance Standards

Enforcement conclusions (1)

• WILLIAMS COMPANIES, INC (WILLIAMS MOBILE BAY PRODUCERS) (NATIONAL CASE)entered 2023-12-27

  Primary law: CAA

  Federal penalty: $311,850 · State/local: $284,625

Timeline (5 milestones)

• 2019-08-27Referred To Dept Of Justice
• 2019-08-29Enforcement Action Data Entered
• 2023-04-20Complaint Filed With Court
• 2023-04-20Final Order Lodged
• 2023-12-27Final Order Entered