Well operators offer money to Vian
by Courtney Coble, Staff Writer
10 months ago | 975 views | 7 7 comments | 5 5 recommendations | email to a friend | print
Vian Board of Trustee members held an emergency town meeting Wednesday night to discuss a proposed saltwater disposal well.

Vice Mayor Verlita Meade said I-MAC Petroleum Services Inc. representative Charles Brooks offered the town $50,000 up front and $10,000 a year for 10 years if the town would allow the injection well.

“There was no response. It didn’t change anyone’s mind,” Meade said.

District 2 County Commissioner Steve Carter said he felt like the town of Vian received bad information at the recent hearing held in Tulsa.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) recently held a hearing in Tulsa on the proposed well. The decision was left up to Administrative Law Judge Kathy McKeown.

Town attorney Larry Vickers is starting the process of re-opening the hearing that was held in Tulsa.

“We want to get the transcript to present our side further with legal counsel,” Meade said. “We want to have everything together before the judge makes her decision.”

Brooks held a question and answer session during the meeting. Several residents asked questions and expressed their concerns regarding the danger of saltwater injection wells.

Of those residents, Sinclair Armstrong and David Thornton, District 3 Cherokee Nation tribal councilman, spoke strongly against the saltwater well.

“Armstrong gave statements adamantly opposing the well site,” Meade said.

Thornton spoke during the hearing held in Tulsa and noted that the Cherokee Nation had already sent in a letter to the OCC objecting to the well, following a meeting held at the Vian School auditorium on Sept. 17.

The letter, written by Ryan Callison, director of Cherokee Nation Environmental Programs, stated that I-MAC did not demonstrate a proven track record in safe underground injection wells in the area or financial resources to cover the cost of a spill, a sound plan for preventing contamination of drinking water aquifers with injected saltwater or containing and cleaning up spills of saltwater at the ground surface should it occur.

The letter also stated that geological faults in the vicinity of the proposed well, coupled with the history of wastewater injection in the well at Sequoyah Fuels, show there is considerable risk that injection of saltwater into the Arbuckle formation will contaminate wells and water supplies.

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comments (7)
« gradnsu@yahoo.com wrote on Wednesday, Nov 11 at 03:23 PM »
I too have several acres and will welcome the disposal for $50,000 plus $10,000 a year.
« anonymous wrote on Tuesday, Nov 10 at 02:44 PM »
Give me $50,000 and $10,000 a year and I will let you put it on my property
« anonymous wrote on Tuesday, Nov 10 at 02:44 PM »
« anonymous wrote on Tuesday, Nov 10 at 10:24 AM »
what you dont understand or relize is this county and most people in it are against growth and business they do not care about new jobs or money that a new business can bring in its a greddy county they think of there selfs there for this county well always be behind others its sad that everyone gripes about new jobs coming in ot the county
« chasbrooks11@yahoo.com wrote on Tuesday, Nov 10 at 09:39 AM »
Just to be clear, the money offered to the City of Vian was to address one of the primary issues heard during the protesting of the disposal well, that the City of Vian would not directly benefit from the well. The nature of the business does not require any sales tax etc to be paid to the City, so as owners we decided to attempt to address this issue by the offering of the money. Our purpose is to demonstate that we are senstive to the concerns of the City and show that we want to be an asset to the community on an ongoing basis. Other benefits to the City are two or three jobs paying well above the median income of the area, use of local contractors for construction and ongoing maintenance on the facility, purchasing of supplies and fuel from local business and the paying of ad valorem tax on an approximate two million dollar facility. What will be injected into the disposal well is 99 % salt water, which is there already. Our understanding is that the City of Vian is obtaining a second geological opinion on the well, which is exactly what they should do in order to make an informed decision. To this point there has been no scientific data pertient to our well that has been presented by anyone protesting. It would be extremely bad business on our part, considering the potential liability, to invest in a facility of this size that would bring any harm to the environment and risk being closed down by the governing authorities. What we are proposing is a highly regulated business.
« ubloan@yahoo.com wrote on Tuesday, Nov 10 at 03:49 AM »
I hope that the meeting was been successful and the things that was been discussed there went okay.

Regards,

Unsecured Business Loan
« mamorris_98@yahoo.com wrote on Monday, Nov 09 at 09:58 PM »
Why would Vian wish to accept another state's dumpings? Whether it's salt water, sludge, or any other garbage, it would be deleterious to Green Country's beautiful environment and possibly a hazard to our physical well being. Keep this salt water disposal well out of Green Country.

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