Two environmental consulting firms—Eagle Environmental Consulting, Inc. and Tasman Geosciences—are accused of submitting falsified lab data for more than 400 oil and gas sites in Weld County, Colorado. The manipulated data affected soil, groundwater, and contamination reports, leading to improper site closures or remediation approvals. The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) has issued corrective action orders, including seven formal notices of alleged violations, and operators must respond within 28 days. Companies like Chevron, Occidental (Oxy), and Civitas have acknowledged the issues and are cooperating with the ECMC. The Commission has signaled that criminal investigations and additional enforcement measures may follow.
Read and watch the full CBS news story here.
In an official statement on the ECMC website, ECMC Director Julie Murphy stated, “I’ve said it before and I will reiterate now: this is an aberrant and disappointing situation. Maintaining the integrity of the data upon which ECMC — or any regulatory body — bases decisions is essential. Our permitting, compliance, and enforcement procedures — including the submission of reports, data, and samples by operators — are grounded in an expectation that all parties abide by the law and follow a basic professional, ethical code of conduct. At this point we believe that the issue is isolated to individual actors who have betrayed our trust and their profession.”
However, we’re left with more questions than answers:
1) Why does the ECMC Director believe the issue is isolated to “individual actors”?
2) What incentive would these actors have to falsify data that would only stand to benefit their clients (i.e., Civitas, Chevron or Occidental)?
3) Will the punishment match the crime?
For the communities with oil and gas operations nearby, as well as communities with operators like Civitas “knocking on the front door”, mistrust will likely grow for oil & gas operators and contractors alike.
