CARBON COUNTY, WY — Two Wyoming residents, Darwin Crawford and Mark Orchard of Baggs, were sentenced this week to one year of supervised probation and ordered to pay $28,330 in restitution for their roles in illegally dumping oilfield waste on federal land.
The men pleaded guilty earlier this year to a reduced charge of willful injury and depredation of government property, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson issued the sentences on Monday.
Court documents reveal that in the spring of 2018, the defendants, both field operation managers for Crowheart Energy, instructed crew members to dump approximately 10 barrels of waste generated from oil-water separators and maintenance operations at the East Echo Springs Saltwater disposal facility. The site is located on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) property southwest of Rawlins.
Investigations showed petroleum hydrocarbon levels at the illegal dump site ranged from 11,000 to 15,200 parts per million, compared to just 18 ppm in uncontaminated soil samples. The defendants had directed the crew to dig a hole, dump the waste, and backfill the area.
Crowheart Energy fully cooperated with authorities and later cleaned the site in 2024 to meet BLM standards. A roustabout from another company alerted the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which launched the investigation that the BLM later took over.
The illegal dumping caused permanent damage to public lands and threatened the nesting habitat of protected species like the greater sage grouse and sage thrasher, according to DOJ public affairs contractor Lori Hogan.
Though the original charge carried a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, the plea deal reduced the charge to a less severe offense with a maximum penalty of one year in jail.
A second charge related to violating Interior Department regulations was dismissed.
Attorneys for both men declined to comment on the case.
