Coterra Energy to pay $16.29 million for contaminating a town's water supply

Coterra Energy Inc. has plead no contest to charges of violating Pennsylvania’s Clean Streams Law. According to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Coterra Energy was charged in 2020 after the company contaminated well water in the town of Dimock. During the investigation, it was revealed that the company’s activities associated with drilling and producing unconventional gas wells were responsible for methane pollution in the local water supply.

As part of the plea agreement, Coterra will have to pay $16.29 million. This money will be used to construct a new regulated public water line. The company is also responsible for paying 75 years of water bills for the affected residents and providing treatment systems to treat the homeowners’ water supplies while the public water line is under construction.

“Residents of Dimock have waited far too long for the clean water Pennsylvania’s Constitution is supposed to guarantee all of us,” said Attorney General Josh Shapiro. “Today, Coterra, the corporate successor of Cabot Oil and Gas, took full responsibility for the crimes Cabot committed that polluted resident’s water. Under this historic settlement, Coterra will now pay to build a new public water line that will provide clean, reliable drinking water for generations to come.”