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Court case reveals frac water plans

Soured business deal unveils treatment project

By BRIAN FERRY bferry@timesobserver.com
POSTED: July 30, 2010

As a result of an agreement in Warren County court Wednesday, a private-public entity and its former project manager are going separate ways.

James Christensen was enjoined from claiming he is working on behalf of Northwest Energy Resource Group (NERG), Kinzua Development Associates (KDA), and Pennsylvania Alliance for Cooperative Innovation (PACI) and from sharing information and contacting investors regarding a project of those groups.

Judge Maureen Skerda met with attorneys representing defendant Christensen and plaintiffs PACI, KDA, and NERG, in chambers as the parties had negotiated an agreement. Skerda approved that agreement and imposed an injunction.

Tim King is listed as the vice president of PACI, manager of KDA, and manager of NERG.

According to court documents, Christensen was appointed in February to be the project manager for a KDA project that would create a "water and frac flowback treatment facility... in Pennsylvania" for shallow well oil and gas development operations. NERG was formed by KDA to move forward with investments for the project.

The facility would reduce the "total dissolved solids" in the water from about 100,000 mg per liter to 500 mg per liter or less prior to being discharged to a publicly owned treatment works or sold to oil and gas operators for reuse, according to a proposal included in the court documents.

There was no indication where the facility would be located or into what publicly owned treatment works the fluid would be discharged to. When asked for comment, King advised only to refer to the court documents.

In the petition for injunction, the plaintiffs said Christensen had entered into a non-disclosure agreements with PACI in January.

The document states that Christensen "removed himself from the project" on May 2.

On May 6, according to the document, Christensen was "designated as an information conduit to certain project investors..."

"Defendant has continued to have meetings with investors, members and other parties without the presence or knowledge of plaintiffs... caused other investors and members to violate their individual contractual responsibilities..." according to the petition.

"Various investors have informed plaintiffs that they will be moving forward with the project without plaintiffs with the assistance and advisement of defendant," according to the document.

According to Skerda's order, Christensen may not solicit proposals nor share information related to the project; may not contact (the confidential list of) investors or contacts of the project... regarding any water and frac flow back water treatment facility; may not represent himself as manager of NERG; and may not represent himself as a representative of KDA.

Member Comments
View Comments: | 1-9 | Post a comment
Knewcombe
07-31-10 2:08 PM
I hope anyone considering leasing their land for gas wells will watch "Gasland" first. One man may be out, but the whole thing isn't easy money and just a place to send waste water. The process has changed lives and made water unusable. Even water filters deteriorate from the chemicals left over. I would hate to see beautiful Warren County and surrounding areas ruined for some measly amount of money.

Riggle
07-30-10 6:31 PM
Googled KDA, King, AIliance for Cooperative Innovation, NERG. Geeeezus!! What a cabal of garbage. From the Marina, to Bradford, to Clearfield, to Chicago, to PKP--on and on. Watched the interview WICU did at the Marina with King in April. What the H is going on? Publius--you could be right. (Liked GROcherry grove) It gets crazier and crazier. Shhh, don't tell the public.

Publius
07-30-10 2:31 PM
...although, if the there was a chance for a fat grant, some private investment, a long-term planning process...who knows, maybe he'd consider it.

Publius
07-30-10 2:29 PM
No, "friend". I was using sarcastic parody in an apparently failed attempt at humor. As far as I know, Mr. King is not involved in skate park plans. This is a tough audience.

friend
07-30-10 11:58 AM
is Tim King involved in the skatepark fiasco?

TheOtherVoice
07-30-10 11:54 AM
Publius....lol...I like.

Publius
07-30-10 9:54 AM
alkalinegram's was better. At least he (or she, or it) included some rumor. I've always preferred rumor over court documents. They're far more colorful. After a long day of reading court documents, I go home and reach for a tall, cold rumor. Always refreshing...and less filling.

Publius
07-30-10 8:31 AM
A new group of investors known as the Clarendon Alliance for Tim King's Latest Gambit has been formed to purchase the Borough of Clarendon with a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Freebies. The Borough will be managed by a division of that group known as the Tim King Memorial Skate Park Associates, which has ties to a proposed group known as GROCherry Grove. King is planning a theme park in Cherry Grove. The theme? Public Private Partnerships. World's most expensive roller coaster.

alkalinegram
07-30-10 7:04 AM
If the court case is in Warren, wouldn't the frac and blowback watering down facility (dillution) be located in Warren County? Clarendon perhaps? Thats all I really gather out of that and from a rumor I heard.

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