RAPID CITY (AP) - A state board has taken final action to seize $130,000 from a failed oil-drilling company, while acknowledging that an open well left near Wasta could pollute underground water.
The Rapid City Journal reports the Board of Minerals and Environment approved Thursday the findings of fact, conclusions of law and order in the case of Quartz Operations LLC. The order by the board took away the company's oil and gas permit and required them to forfeit the $130,000 worth of bonds. The money will be contributed to any future expenses at the company's failed drilling site.
The money is not enough to match the $2 million required to plug the aquifers pierced by the company's borehole.
Department officials say they will monitor wells in the area for changes in water quality.
