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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (May 24, 2018) – The Office of Environmental Remediation (OER) at the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) has accepted a Voluntary Remediation Program application submitted by MarkWest Liberty Midstream & Resources, LLC to address environmental conditions at the Mobley Plant in Wetzel County.
The site is located at 14624 North Fork Road in Pine Grove and includes approximately seven acres. The plant was constructed on previously vacant land in 2011 and serves the function of removing transmission pipeline-quality methane, purity ethane, and natural gas liquids from an inlet of rich field gas. On February 20, 2016, a release of Dowtherm MX occurred from a low point drain in the hot oil system. According to the Material Safety Data Sheet provided by The Dow Chemical Company, Dowtherm MX consists of 90.0% 1,1-biphenyl, bis (1-methylethyl) and 10% alkylbiphenyls. The release impacted the immediately surrounding surface area and flowed into the stormwater management system which discharges into the North Fork of Fishing Creek through an ephemeral tributary. As a result, the water supply for the town of Pine Grove was interrupted. In response to the release, impacted soils and sediments were excavated and removed from the site. Additionally, dams were built within the tributary and North Fork of Fishing Creek to remove residual Dowtherm MX from the surface water. Actions have been taken to prevent the release of oil or Dowtherm MX to the water sources by installing instrumentation controls to stop the flow of water off-site should a future release occur. The site was undeveloped prior to the current use as a natural gas processing facility. Future site use will continue to be industrialized as a natural gas processing facility.
OER has negotiated a Voluntary Remediation Agreement (VRA) with the applicant.
Under the VRA the applicant will work with the WVDEP to identify human health and ecological risks associated with current and potential future uses of the site, establish applicable remediation standards, and ensure that standards are maintained at the site. Upon completion of the remediation, a final report will be submitted to OER for review and approval.
West Virginia’s Voluntary Remediation and Redevelopment Act encourages voluntary cleanups of contaminated sites, as well as redevelopment of abandoned and under-utilized properties, with an objective of counteracting the lack of development on sites with contamination or perceived contamination. By providing financial incentives to invest in brownfields, this approach protects communities and the environment while still promoting economic development in West Virginia.