How many times have you told a policeman that someone was speeding and he then went to their house and gave them a ticket?
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) inspects reserve pits in the Fayetteville Shale only when someone registers a complaint. This is a reactive process. Check out the conclusion on page 15 of this study to see why a proactive, random inspection process is a better model.
Random inspection would allow:
- Tracking of when pits are actually constructed (Currently, we know how many applications were received --*1,278 this year as of yesterday-- but not how many have actually been built.) Knowing rates of pit construction allows better (read actual) tracking of water usage.
- Increased industry accountability across the board - not just where people are more likely to complain. If an inspector can pop up anywhere, anytime, industry is forced to play by the rules everywhere.
Currently, ADEQ inspects a site after a complaint, then issues a write-up and gives the industry a compliance time-table. If you could drive 100 miles per hour all the time and know that you would only get a warning would you do it?
What happens in areas where no one complains? Are those the epidemic realms of the future?
Wouldn't it be better for everyone involved if rigorous, random inspections were practiced and stiff penalties were enforced?
What if the industry knew they could keep ADEQ's limited enforcement staff busy with minor complaints while larger issues were being perpetrated elsewhere?
Don't think BIG ENERGY is capable of dirty tricks in a bad economy?
Think again.
*Of these 1,278 applications, 41 on-site inspections have occurred this year, 25 of which were found to be out of compliance (61%).
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