Loud Noises from Marcellus Operations Keeping Residents Awake in Taylor Co.

As reported by WBOY in Clarksburg, Roger Findley lives about 655 feet from the Equitable drilling site. “Our bedroom is in the front of the house, facing the well. And, we cannot sleep in our bedroom at night.” Often times, Findley sleeps on the floor in the back of his house to avoid the noise.

He says that the noise, dust and fumes from the site have kept him and his family indoors. “You have loud noises 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But, most of the time you smell exhaust and you smell fumes from some kind of chemicals they’re using, too. You know, you can smell that and when you start smelling that you don’t want to be outside because you don’t know what they are,” Findley said.

 

Back in 2009, Equitable started building the site across from Findley’s house. According to Findley, after he called the company regarding the noise and trucks along the road, Equitable offered to pay him about $1,500 in damages. “They wanted to write us a check and settle with us because of the noise, but the amount that they were going to give us was very small. And, when you sign the check, then you’re releasing all damages from that well that would happen from then on, as long as the well is there,” Findley said.

 

Findley says that the company has never offered an explanation for the noise or why the drilling site seems to operate every day during the week. “We were trying to get legislation passed, so that other people wouldn’t have to go through this. There’s no reason they had to drill so close to the house,” Findley said. Neighbors in Flemington say noise from a Marcellus shale drilling site there has been keeping them awake and never seems to stop. Equitable is now EQT.