Update from Cecillea Pond-Mayo, spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, on a meeting there today with Marcus Devine, head of Poseidon Energy, facing a proposed enforcement settlement for pollution violations.
Devine is a former director of ADEQ and is responding to problems at a waste disposal facility in White County, including illegal dumping of sludge from gas wells.
Said Pond-Mayo:
Mr. Devine informed us during the meeting today that he has hired an engineering firm to develop a remedial action plan. We will have to approve that plan when it is complete.
The meeting today was very productive, but a final agreement has not been reached. There was some discussion of some of the technical provisions in the proposed Consent Administrative Order which we plan to review. ADEQ has no plans reduce the proposed penalty amount [$14,400].