Criminal charges against 'Gasland' driller head to court

A gas driller on Friday waived its right to a preliminary hearing on criminal charges that it polluted the aquifer of a Pennsylvania community where high levels of methane leaked into residents' drinking water wells.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. was charged in 2020 with breaking state environmental laws after a grand jury investigation found the Houston-based driller failed to fix faulty gas wells that are leaking methane into groundwater in Dimock and surrounding communities. The grand jury criticized what it called Cabot’s “long-term indifference to the damage it caused to the environment and citizens of Susquehanna County.”

A preliminary hearing in the case was postponed repeatedly before the company's attorney's formally waived it Friday.

The waiver means the charges are forwarded to Susquehanna County Court for a potential trial, though the drilling giant says it has been in discussions with the attorney general's office on an “amicable resolution” of the case.

“Cabot’s decision to waive their right to a preliminary hearing is another successful step in our case against this defendant. While this is just one part of the legal process, it is also a recognition that the evidence against them is sufficient to proceed in the criminal process,” the attorney general’s office, which is prosecuting Cabot, said in a written statement.

The company has pushed back against the grand jury’s accusations and defended its record in the community. Cabot — which merged with Denver-based Cimarex Energy Co. last fall to form a new entity, Coterra Energy Inc. — faces 15 criminal charges, including nine felonies.

George Stark, a spokesperson for Cabot's corporate successor, said Friday: “This waiver demonstrates Coterra’s goal of achieving an amicable resolution with the Office of...