Gas eruption fallout
Blowout preventer fails after fracking
By Fritz Mayer
CLEARFIELD COUNTY, PA — A geyser of gas and fracking fluid that erupted out of control for 16 hours on June 3 and 4, at times shooting up to 75 feet in the air at a Marcellus Shale drilling operation in Clearfield County, has lead to inevitable comparisons with the continuing hemorrhaging of oil in the Gulf of Mexico.
In both cases, failure of the blowout preventer—a series of valves that allow operators to control pressure at the top of the well—was part of the picture, if not the entire story.
In the case of the Clearfield County incident, which occurred about 90 miles northeast of Pittsburgh in Moshannon State Forest, Neal Weaver, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), wrote in an email, “It is clear that the blowout preventer failed, but our investigation will not be limited to just that issue, but the drilling, fracking and post-fracking operations as a whole.”
The company that owns the well, EOG resources, formerly known as Enron Oil & Gas Company, called the incident a “control issue” and noted that no injuries resulted from it and no houses were damaged. Critics counter that there are no homes within a mile of the well, and that campers in the area had to be evacuated, and emergency management officials declared a no-fly zone over the area.
The DEP called the incident serious. “The event at the well site could have been a catastrophic incident that endangered life and property,” said DEP secretary John Hanger. “This was not a minor accident, but a serious incident that will be fully investigated by this agency with the appropriate and necessary actions taken quickly.”
Governor Ed Rendell ordered work on all EOG wells temporarily halted, and said that the state would not be relying only on its own experts to determine exactly what caused the explosion, but would also engage outside experts to “get to the bottom of what happened.”
The incident will likely be discussed by lawmakers in Harrisburg as they debate the merits of implementing a natural gas severance tax in the state, and consider whether to pass a moratorium on the leasing of public lands for gas drilling.
Senator Bob Casey, who in 2009 introduced the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act, which would require drilling companies to disclose the contents of fracking fluid, said this was a situation that could have been much worse.
Casey said, “Natural gas drilling offers Pennsylvania a great economic opportunity; however, incidents like this blowout are a reminder that there are dangers and that precautions must be taken to protect the health and well-being of Pennsylvanians.”
Other explosions
In an unrelated incident, a Marcellus Shale gas well being drilled in Moundsville, WV, some 50 miles south of Pittsburgh, erupted in flames on June 7, and seven workers who suffered burns were sent to a local hospital and reported to be in fair condition.
The drilling company had been drilling through an abandoned coal mine when a gas pocket suddenly ignited, sending flames up to 70 feet into the air.
The fire was expected to remain burning for several days or more as emergency workers attempted to cap the wells. According to various officials, the fire posed no further threat to buildings or individuals.
In a third incident involving natural gas, a pipeline explosion on June 7 in north Texas killed one worker and sent several others to local hospitals.
The blast was reportedly triggered when a crew installing utility poles accidentally struck the gas pipeline, and sent flames shooting 40 feet into the air.
Click here to view original report, River Reporter 6.10.2010
Showing posts with label Lawrence Twp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lawrence Twp. Show all posts
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Gov Rendell: no need to ban new gas drilling
Gov. Addresses Concerns for Gas Well Safety
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell says an overall ban on new Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling isn’t necessary. Rendell made the comments in response to the Marcellus Shale gas well blowout Thursday night in Clearfield County.
Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection has launched an investigation into the incident at the Lawrence Township well that shot natural gas 75 feet into the air for 16 hours. DEP Secretary John Hanger says the investigation will look into the well’s entire history. EOG is barred from drilling or fracking at its more than 70 Pennsylvania wells until the investigation is complete. But the governor says drilling by others can continue....
“Given the degree of monitoring that we have and the checks and balances we have, we can go on and do this,” says Rendell. “Even for EOG, we’re not stopping them from extracting gas. We’re stopping them from any new drilling. They’ve got plenty of wells that are working right now, extracting gas.”
Rendell says current regulations have prevented major disasters for decades of oil and gas drilling, but he says they should be strengthened to minimize the potential for accidents.
He says two sets of bills that would make regulations stricter will soon be voted on by the state’s Independent Regulatory Review Commission. One of those packages would control the disposal of wastewater. The other would try to increase safety in well construction.
Click here to see original article, posted by 90.5DUQ, Pittsburgh's NPR Station on their blog.
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell says an overall ban on new Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling isn’t necessary. Rendell made the comments in response to the Marcellus Shale gas well blowout Thursday night in Clearfield County.
Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection has launched an investigation into the incident at the Lawrence Township well that shot natural gas 75 feet into the air for 16 hours. DEP Secretary John Hanger says the investigation will look into the well’s entire history. EOG is barred from drilling or fracking at its more than 70 Pennsylvania wells until the investigation is complete. But the governor says drilling by others can continue....
“Given the degree of monitoring that we have and the checks and balances we have, we can go on and do this,” says Rendell. “Even for EOG, we’re not stopping them from extracting gas. We’re stopping them from any new drilling. They’ve got plenty of wells that are working right now, extracting gas.”
Rendell says current regulations have prevented major disasters for decades of oil and gas drilling, but he says they should be strengthened to minimize the potential for accidents.
He says two sets of bills that would make regulations stricter will soon be voted on by the state’s Independent Regulatory Review Commission. One of those packages would control the disposal of wastewater. The other would try to increase safety in well construction.
Click here to see original article, posted by 90.5DUQ, Pittsburgh's NPR Station on their blog.
DEP to investigate last week's well explosion in Clearfield County
DEP Plans Thorough Investigation in to Marcellus Shale Well Blowout in Clearfield County;
EOG Resources Well Released Fracking Fluid, Natural Gas for 16 Hours
HARRISBURG -- Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger said today that his agency intends to investigate aggressively the circumstances surrounding a blowout at a Marcellus Shale natural gas well in Lawrence Township, Clearfield County, and take the appropriate enforcement action.
At approximately 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 3, the operators of the well, which is owned by EOG Resources, Inc., lost control of it while preparing to extract gas after hydrofracturing the shale. As a result, the well released natural gas and flowback frack fluid onto the ground and 75 feet into the air. The well was eventually capped around noon on June 4.
“The event at the well site could have been a catastrophic incident that endangered life and property,” said Hanger. “This was not a minor accident, but a serious incident that will be fully investigated by this agency with the appropriate and necessary actions taken quickly.
“When we arrived on scene, natural gas and frack fluid was flowing off the well pad and heading toward tributaries to Little Laurel Run and gas was shooting into the sky, creating a significant fire hazard. That’s why emergency responders acted quickly to cut off electric service to the area.
“Right now, we’re focused on limiting any further environmental damage, but once that work is complete, we plan to aggressively look at this situation and see where things went wrong and what enforcement action is necessary. If mistakes were made, we will be certain to take steps to prevent similar errors from happening again.”
DEP learned of the leak at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Friday after it was informed by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. DEP immediately dispatched its Emergency Response and Oil and Gas program staff to the site.
PEMA, which elevated its activation level to coordinate resources among multiple state agencies, also worked with PennDOT to initiate an airspace restriction above the well, which the Federal Aviation Administration authorized on a temporary basis earlier today. The restriction prohibits flights at and below 1,000 feet of ground level within a three nautical mile radius of the well site. The restriction is in effect until further notice.
The EOG well pad is located in a rural area near the Penfield/Route 153 exit of Interstate 80 in northwestern Clearfield County. Three other wells on the same pad that have been drilled and fractured remain plugged and are not in danger.
EOG Resources, formerly known as Enron Oil & Gas Co., operates approximately 265 active wells in Pennsylvania, 117 of which are in the Marcellus Shale formation.
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Dept. of Environmental Protection
Commonwealth News Bureau
Room 308, Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg PA., 17120
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
06/4/2010
CONTACT:
Neil Weaver, Department of Environmental Protection
717-787-1323
Link to press release on DEPs website.
EOG Resources Well Released Fracking Fluid, Natural Gas for 16 Hours
HARRISBURG -- Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger said today that his agency intends to investigate aggressively the circumstances surrounding a blowout at a Marcellus Shale natural gas well in Lawrence Township, Clearfield County, and take the appropriate enforcement action.
At approximately 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 3, the operators of the well, which is owned by EOG Resources, Inc., lost control of it while preparing to extract gas after hydrofracturing the shale. As a result, the well released natural gas and flowback frack fluid onto the ground and 75 feet into the air. The well was eventually capped around noon on June 4.
“The event at the well site could have been a catastrophic incident that endangered life and property,” said Hanger. “This was not a minor accident, but a serious incident that will be fully investigated by this agency with the appropriate and necessary actions taken quickly.
“When we arrived on scene, natural gas and frack fluid was flowing off the well pad and heading toward tributaries to Little Laurel Run and gas was shooting into the sky, creating a significant fire hazard. That’s why emergency responders acted quickly to cut off electric service to the area.
“Right now, we’re focused on limiting any further environmental damage, but once that work is complete, we plan to aggressively look at this situation and see where things went wrong and what enforcement action is necessary. If mistakes were made, we will be certain to take steps to prevent similar errors from happening again.”
DEP learned of the leak at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Friday after it was informed by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. DEP immediately dispatched its Emergency Response and Oil and Gas program staff to the site.
PEMA, which elevated its activation level to coordinate resources among multiple state agencies, also worked with PennDOT to initiate an airspace restriction above the well, which the Federal Aviation Administration authorized on a temporary basis earlier today. The restriction prohibits flights at and below 1,000 feet of ground level within a three nautical mile radius of the well site. The restriction is in effect until further notice.
The EOG well pad is located in a rural area near the Penfield/Route 153 exit of Interstate 80 in northwestern Clearfield County. Three other wells on the same pad that have been drilled and fractured remain plugged and are not in danger.
EOG Resources, formerly known as Enron Oil & Gas Co., operates approximately 265 active wells in Pennsylvania, 117 of which are in the Marcellus Shale formation.
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Dept. of Environmental Protection
Commonwealth News Bureau
Room 308, Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg PA., 17120
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
06/4/2010
CONTACT:
Neil Weaver, Department of Environmental Protection
717-787-1323
Link to press release on DEPs website.
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