Major drilling accident in NW PA. Media banned from site. Threats of shooting, arrest

[FourScore]

Major drilling accident in NW PA. Media banned from site. Threats of shooting, arrest
by Michael Morrill
Mon Jun 07, 2010 at 11:03:44 AM PDT

An explosion at a natural gas well in northwest Pennsylvania resulted in a spill of at least a million gallons of oil and chemicals mixed with water. According to the AP report, there was a shower of gas and chemical-laden water shooting 75 feet into the air. The leak continued for at least 16 hours. The accident was so severe that the area was evacuated and the Federal Aviation Administration prohibited flights in the area.

When I heard of the accident on Friday afternoon, I immediately left the meeting I was attending in Washington, DC and headed for the site with my trusty Flip Camera in hand.

So where are the photos and video showing the extent of the pollution?

They don’t exist, because EOG Resources, the owner of the wells, won’t allow anyone on the site, especially with a camera. When I tried to shoot some video, they not only wouldn’t let me on the site, they told me I might be shot for being on their property and then sent thugs to chase me and threaten me...

SNIP

...I found a road on a ridge that appeared to head close to the accident site and walked about a half mile on that road when I was stopped by two men in a Gator. They asked me what I was doing out there and I said I was just taking a hike. They told me that I was on property owned by the Punxsutawney Hunt Club and the members didn’t appreciate trespassers. They told me, in a veiled threat, that I should leave now and as long as I was heading out I would probably not get shot.

I’m not one to back down easily, but I wasn’t ready to take a bullet for a grainy video of the spill site. I wished them a good day and turned back to my car, a couple of miles and bridgeless brook away. As I crossed the brook barefoot I noticed another pickup truck parking on the opposite hill, blocking the path. When I approached the truck two men got out. The older man got in front of me and said “Show me some ID.”

I asked him who he was and he grabbed my arm and told me I was on private property. I shook his hand off and continued walking. Without looking back, I told him there was nothing posted that indicated the land I was on was private property. He yelled to me, “We know where your car is. We called the police. You’ll be arrested when you get back to your car.” He then added, “We know you’re taking water samples...”

SNIP

...There has been very little news coverage of this major accident and part of the reason is the lack of access to the site. It’s hard to report when you have no information. It’s harder when the perpetrators are in full control of what little information has been released. “Nothing to see here,” EOG Resources assures us. “It was only a million gallons and we took care of it.”

If that’s the truth, it’s a huge accident that threatens local waterways that flow into the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay. But what if it’s worse than that? We don’t know because there are no independent eyes and ears on the site. Haven’t we learned yet that we should never rely on the word of the people who caused the problem?...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/6/7/873718/-Major-drilling-accident-in-NW-PA.Media-banned-from-site.-Threats-of-shooting,-arrest

[RKP5637]

1. If we ever knew all of the crap that goes on like this each day... What a country...

[branders seine]

2. this is Amurika dammit

not some commie crap shithole with gummint regulation

[glitch]

24. Corporations RULE! FSA! FSA! FSA! nt

[jtrockville]

3. Lots of people don't know about the Kingston coal ash spill either.

Largest coal ash spill in US History. Happened in our lifetime, yet hardly anyone knows about it.

I guess it would burst the myth that coal is clean.

FOSSIL FUELS ARE FILTHY

[Kalyke]

8. Sadly, I know about it.

I live less than 30 minutes away.

And, everyone I know - EVERYONE - has had the worst allergies this spring, bar none. I'm not sure if it's from the fly ash or from all the rain and pollen Mother Nature is using to dissipate the fly ash or a combination of both - but the allergy season in East Tennessee has been the worst in recent record:

http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/110609/spring-allergy

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/09/spring.allergies/index.html

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/slideshow-worst-cities-for-spring-allergies

[jtrockville]

12. Sorry to hear you're in the midst of it. How's the cleanup going?

Too bad we don't get regular updates on the national news. Then again, it was barely mentioned when it happened.

[Kalyke]

18. Not good

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/may/19/tva-to-store-ash-in-kingston/

Now the EPA says it's OK to store the damn shit on an engineered foundation of sand, gravel and other fabrics and surround it with a "cement pond" (borrowed from The Beverly Hillbillies).

[jtrockville]

20. Ugh. I just emailed Rachel Maddow and asked her to report an update.

The nation needs to hear about this.

[TorchTheWitch]

56. we got it bad in Pa, too

Looks like Knoxville, TN area has it the absolute worst and Philly area PA is number 6 in the ten worst places this year for spring allergies... worst on record.
http://www.rodale.com/spring-allergies

I've had ongoing horrible allergies this year along with nearly everyone I run into - EVERYONE has been complaining about it like never before, and a lot of these people say they've never really gotten any kind of seasonal allergies before. Even my dog is getting hit hard this year, so much so that it's effecting his skin which has never happened before. The vet says a lot of dogs have been coming in with severe spring allergies that have never been effected before at all. My beast always got drippy eyes in the spring, but nothing like the streaming drippy gooey eyes he has this year along with this itchy flakey skin. I was soooo sure it had to be some kind of parasite or fungus he had but it's severe spring allergies! Both of us have been just miserable, and neither of us has had it go on this late in the season... it's usually all over with by the end of April or beginning of May, but that was NOTHING compared to now! I'm hoping as summer progresses this crap will finally slack off for both our sakes... we can't take much more of this hideous crap.

[stuntcat]

33. Kingston coal ash spill,, EVERYONE should care

I heard about it because of the anti-coal mailing lists I'm on, but if it was up to my news, or the NPR I hear all day I'd have no idea about it.

I hope that if people could see all the consequences of coal then they'd care enough to stop using it.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

4. Best not to inform the peasants in circumstances like this...

our new media directorate from the corporate owners.

[DBoon]

5. the right to bear arms

means hired corporate goons have that right too, and they will use it (and as they have done so many times throughout US history)

[Waiting For Everyman]

6. K&R

:kick:

[frebrd]

7. K&R! n/t

[Echo In Light]

9. K/R

[mod mom]

10. Pilly Enquirer: Gas spews from N.W. Pa. well rupture

from Friday ( & nothing since):


Gas spews from N.W. Pa. well rupture

By Amy Worden
Inquirer Harrisburg Bureau
HARRISBURG - Natural gas and polluted wastewater blasted out of a well in Northwestern Pennsylvania for 16 hours before being contained Friday in what officials say was the state's most alarming drilling-related accident in recent years.
No injuries were reported and no fire broke out, a grave risk with large amounts of airborne natural gas.

The well ruptured at 8 p.m. Thursday, sending a gas plume 75 feet into the air and wastewater cascading into the ground just as the gas contractor was preparing to begin production at the well, the officials said.

The accident happened as EOG Resources Inc. of Houston was preparing to start production at a deep well in the Marcellus Shale, the rich gas reserve underlying most of the state. The site is on private land at the edge of the Moshannon State Forest. The nearest house is more than a mile away.

State officials said they were still trying to determine exactly what happened, but said unexpectedly high gas pressure caused drilling crews to lose control of the well. They also said a safety device known as a blowout preventer had failed.

Workers at the site were evacuated, and contaminated wastewater, a by-product of the hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, process used to extract underground gas, was eventually contained, according to Department of Environment Protection officials.

-snip

Read more: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/20100605_Gas_spews_from_N_W__Pa__well_rupture.html#ixzz0qCIYql6l

[gratuitous]

11. Oh, no injuries reported

So that's that. Nothing to see. We'll just move along now. Show's over. Everything's all right again.

I hope the Inquirer follows up, but for some reason, I'm not sanguine.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

29. "No injuries reported" makes me wonder

how many injuries there were.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

35. another failed blowout preventer?

what are the odds?

[dixiegrrrrl]

13. The history buffs among us will recognize these tactics

which were used by the mills, factories, mines of the 20's and 30's.
Including Henry Ford hiring toughs and using the police to keep troublesome union organizers and
press away from the factories.

[MadMaddie]

21. My first thought the Republicans have ushered in another era

of Robber Barrons and huge corporations......

[wordpix]

60. only now we have modern technology to totally destroy wide areas

[a la izquierda]

26. Sounds like the 1880s-1920s

Total bullshit. i have no idea where this country is going, but it's not heading in any kind of good direction.

[Bunny]

14. There was another gas well explosion just today in W. Va.

There seems to be more openness about this one in the media.

7 hurt in W.Va. gas well explosion

MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. -- Seven people were injured early today in an explosion at a two-day-old gas well that had recently started drilling to the deep Marcellus shale formation in rural West Virginia.

Thomas Hart, director of emergency services for Marshall County, said crews from 20 fire departments are on the scene in a remote area outside Moundsville as flames continue to shoot 50 feet into the air. Fire crews are keeping the flames from spreading to equipment on the drilling site, but they are waiting for experts to be sent from well owner Dallas-based Chief Oil & Gas of Wexford, Pa., for help with extinguishing the fire. The rigging was extensively damaged.

Ms. Gittins said the well, the second to be drilled on that pad, was still "flaring," or burning, gas at noon, "which is what you want to happen." She said she didn't know how long the well flaring would continue.

The West Virginia explosion is the second major accident at a Marcellus shale drilling operation in four days. On Friday, natural gas and drilling fluids escaped from a Marcellus shale well operated by EOG Resources in Lawrence Township, Clearfield County, Pa., for 16 hours, threatening to pollute a nearby stream.



Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10158/1063830-455.stm?cmpid=news.xml#ixzz0qCKs0akX

[lunasun]

15. Do you mean

EOG Resources, formerly known as Enron Oil & Gas Co, based out of Texas???
No surprise really then on your treatment by these thugs or that safety did not prevail

[femrap]

42. Good eye....

they did say EOG is HQed in Houston. Unbelievable.

[Submariner]

16. Don't draw any quick conclusions now until Sarah Tweets us

her drilling talking point.

It will probably be something like this:

"See you environmentalists, you banned offshore drilling, and now were spilling on land instead of unseen underwater...it's all your fault Democrats, also"

[malaise]

17. There's a huge gas well explosion in Granbury Texas

as well -still on fire and shown on GEM$NBC.

A large explosion at at gas well has caused a large fire. Residents could feel the ground shake and see flames shooting very high in the air. The fire can be seen from 30 miles away. The fire is near Granbury, Texas in Hood County. The fire was reported about 3 p.m. CDT at 2101 County Road 1120 in Hood County.

Fire department tanker trucks and brush trucks are responding to the scene along with regular fire equipment.
http://www.arlingtoncardinal.com/2010/06/07/gas-well-explosion-near-granbury-texas-southwest-of-dallas-texas/

[Tsiyu]

25. Only four of how many spewing geysers worldwide?

the Gulf, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Texas


like Mama's blown all her gaskets


gonna burn us off like we're nasty little ticks





*Caution to literal-minded DUers: Just a random, Paganish thought, not to be confused with any scientific treatment of geologic forces or the rate of combustion/flow in a given model at 21% O2.




It's likely wells explode all day every day everywhere...

[femrap]

44. 'gonna burn us off like

we're nasty little ticks'....I sure hope this applies to all the big oil boyz who have made our world such a f*cking mess.

That's a great phrase...I see Cheney's ugly mug on a dog's back with my dad's cigarette reading to burn him to death.

[WinkyDink]

19. And THIS is PA! Does ANYBODY believe we hear the truth about our M.E. Illegal Invasions??

[Kievan Rus]

22. Can't let anything get in the way of KKKorporate profits, now can we?

[ShamelessHussy]

23. SOP

standard operating procedure

as we are all getting a course in with the Gulf, catastrophe

[Prof Lester]

27. Horrible, Horrible.. But no surprise!

What surprises me is the free-market fundymentalist kooks who advocated deregulation as the cure for all economic woes are still preaching the same old silly ass song. It's a sort of religion, this neo-Liberal hooey. It isn't rational at all. Even though they yap endlessly about Reason and rationality.. they ain't got any. Morans stooging for psychopaths. But it's our fault for putting up with these idiots. We were told. We were warned. But we went along with the whoring, bullshit media liars instead. And still do. Limbo.. Peckerhead.. they're none of 'em in prison yet. Don't understand why not. You go around fomenting murder against the ELECTED (as compared to that usurper Bush and his gang of crooked claim-jumpers) President of the Nation.. and you're not locked up? Why not, Limbo? Why not, Peckerhead? It's a goofy religion, alright.

[BolivarianHero]

28. Drill baby drill!!!

nt

[niceypoo]

30. I say that to my republican co-workers

when they start whining about socialism.

[Capitalocracy]

31. Everyone PLEASE sign this petition

We need to send a message that we want accountability.

BP STANDS FOR BALLOT POISON

Pledge not to vote for any candidates receiving campaign donations from BP in 2010.

Petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/bp2010/petition.html



Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=113423272036102

Twitter: @bpballotpoison

[fasttense]

32. The "free" market at its best. n/t

[Altoid_Cyclist]

34. This wasn't too far from where I live. I've been ranting about the ongoing Marcellus Shale disaster.

Please check out the link in my signature line.

Pennsylvania is one of the states being decimated by the Marcellus Shale boom.

The link provides many examples of the damage being done in Hickory, PA and also provides a lot of examples of "accidents" in other parts of the country as well.

Three weeks ago I was in Pittsburgh for a medical test and I struck up a conversation with the Cardiac Radiologist. It turns out that she actually lives in Hickory with her husband and children. The things that she told me were almost enough to bring tears to my eyes.

Her husband asked to see the maps showing where all of the gas lines were being drilled. Their property (3 acres) doesn't contain a well, but through the magic of horizontal drilling, there is drilling taking place under their house and property. After trying to make him jump through as many hoops as possible in the hope that he'd abandon the idea, they finally relented and said that he could see the maps.

When it came time to produce the maps, the company changed the plans and informed them that instead of bringing them to their house, he would have to go to their office where he would be "escorted" to a location where he could see them. They said that they felt physically threatened by him and his wife since they were asking so many questions. The problem IMHO is that they are both well educated (he's a teacher) and the company knew that they couldn't be lied to as easily as some of the local politicians that okayed all of the drilling.

Anyone who stands up to the drilling company or the politicians is then attacked by the local newspaper as being backward, against jobs, uninformed or just plain crazy since they don't want anyone rocking the boat or causing real questios to be asked.

Some of these wells are sitting right up against a school. They burn off toxic chemicals which then blow across the school property. One of their friends works for the drilling company and he won't tell them what the chemicals are due to wanting to keep his job.


Gas drilling activities behind the Vo-Tech school in Houston, Pennsylvania

I brought up the point that it is 100% un-American, but these companies have so much political and financial power that maybe they should consider moving in order to safeguard themselves and their children especially. That is so screwed up that I hated to mention it, but she said that it was alright since they are already looking into getting out of the town that they thought would be their home for the rest of their lives. WTF is wrong with this country?????

[GoddessOfGuinness]

36. Altoid_Cyclist, this post deserves its own thread...

I hope you'll consider posting it in GD. For that matter, I'll bet Rachel Maddow would be interested in this information...I think it really deserves national attention.

Thanks for posting!

[EnviroBat]

39. One of the toxins is benzine.

I believe I heard that mentioned on the news last night.

[Spoonman]

40. I have to call this what it is,

COMPLETE BS!

The "husband" in your story never saw any map(s) without a court order issued under a mineral rights dispute/claim.

The information in those "maps" is highly protected, and worth MILLIONS/BILLIONS of dollars. If the companies drilling project (plan) is compromised, an individual could go out and "buy up" properties critical to the project. Sort of like insider trading.

Some of these wells are sitting right up against a school.

PA DEP will not grant a well permit within 1 mile of ANY public building!
No permit will be issued within 200 feet of any building without the owners written consent. This includes so much as a chicken coop!

No oil/gas company will drill close to a school because of the liability, and with directional technology, they don't need to!

They burn off toxic chemicals which then blow across the school property. One of their friends works for the drilling company and he won't tell them what the chemicals are due to wanting to keep his job.

Wrong, and once again BS! They are flaring off natural gas (actually referred to as "simple gas")to release the pressure on the well to maintain control of it while bringing it online. Your own pictures clearly shows this process occurring. Simple gas burns very clean, but does not burn with the "blue" flame due to the moisture content in it.

There is NO drill rig on the location, thus drilling was already completed.

Once the well is online, they burn NOTHING!

Sorry to rain on your parade, but with 20 years of (Health, Safety and Environmental) experience and knowledge in (oil and gas) seismic, drilling and production, I am more than qualified to call you out on this.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

48. Excuse me, I didn't realize that you knew these people and live in the area.

I think that I'd rather believe someone who is actually living through this hell. Have you actually checked my link or checked any of the thousands of other easily obtainable news reports about what is going on in PA?

Did you notice the picture of the drilling operation with the caption mentioning the Vo-Tech School? 200 feet isn't exactly what I'd call an awe inspiring safety zone when dealing with hazardous materials.Did you see the pictures of the wastelands being created by the "Frac" chemicals? Did you read the accounts of waterways and drinking water being contaminated by benzene, toluene and other known and unknown chemicals? I worked with a lot of hazardous chemicals for around 20 years and at no time did any expert that I worked with say that 200 feet would make a safe barrier. Bhopal is a still killing people a lot more than 200 feet away from the original accident scene 25 years later.

Did you read the OP the other day about the Delaware River being endangered by the drilling activities?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4409590

Tell you what, you can believe whatever you want, but I've never known Cheney, Halliburton or paid off politicians to give a damn about the health and well being of the "little people" like the rural citizens found in almost all of the areas set aside for drilling.

The fact that PA has issued a moratorium on drilling for Marcellus operations makes me think that there might be more going on than you realize.

Here's another link if you'd care to check it out.
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/rperks/destroying_dimock_natural_gas.html

As I said, you can rebut parts of what I said as possibly being in error. However, there is no freaking error on the ecological and health disaster going on in the Marcellus region.

[stuart68]

52. Evil dick

Has nothing to do with this. You can't get elected in these towns unless you are a dem, in a state with 2 dem senators and a dem gov.

They are crooked.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

55. I take it that you didn't read the link.

Since you didn't, I'll give you the condensed version.


'Tricky Dicky' the 2nd?
Halliburton tractor trailer parked along a country road near Buffalo, Pa. Frac fluids were exempted from the Safe Drinking Water Act in 2005 while former Halliburton CEO Dick Cheney was Vice President of the US.



Secret Sauce
Frac fluids are considered "proprietary" formulas and therefore NOT subject to full disclosure of their chemical makeup, even to emergency personnel. Things will improve in this area if The FRAC Act is passed by Congress.

The gas drilling industry is heavily diesel engine based, while Washington, Allegheny, Beaver and Westmoreland counties were listed among 37 counties in the United States that fail all three air pollution measures used by the American Lung Association in their 2009 State of the Air report. Washington County got an "F"


Excerpts from testimony by Mark W. Smith, Bradford County Commissioner, to the State Senate April 9, 2009 regarding the impact of Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Exploration


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“One of the more significant problems local governments face is the stress the industry has on our roads and bridges. The majority of roads in our townships were never built to withstand the heavy and constant truck traffic that horizontal well drilling and injection requires. One well drilling operation may involve over 1,000 truck loads.”


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“As the industry increases their operations we can only expect a negative impact on our bridges.”


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“There are areas in terms of regulation that local governments are struggling with. In some cases Pennsylvania regulations and regulatory agencies are in transition. It is unclear if the challenges of balancing industry and public safety are being met. There is great local concern that D.E.P., even with their proposed increased staffing has no chance of keeping up with the pace of the drilling activity, let alone the increased responsibilities D.E.P. is taking away from conservation districts.”


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“There are concerns about the regulation of “drilling pits” or ponds, disposal of what is known as “drilling mud,” which in some cases is being encapsulated in the pond’s liner and buried on the land owner’s property after drilling ceases. Water quality and possible contamination is also of concern.”


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I would urge the D.E.P. to reconsider its fast track approach to permitting and reinstate local responsibilities to county conservation districts and to take into consideration looking at other aspects of the industry that may require D.E.P. attention to ensure public safety and environmental protection.”

"On April 1, 2009 Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection, (D.E.P.), eliminated local conservation districts from the permit process of Erosion and Sedimentation and Stream and Wetlands in relation to the natural gas industry."


April 7, 2009 - Some specific concerns we have in regards to your decision are as follows:

The lack of input D.E.P. has sought in regards to this decision, both from the public and from conservation districts.

The lack of staff, training and local contacts for D.E.P. to adequately manage and issue these permits.

The fact that this change will eliminate municipal notice of drilling activity.

D.E.P. is telling local conservation districts to turn over all gas industry related records, which represent decisions made at the local level.


http://www.scribd.com/word/full?id=14139846&access_key=key-22ctbftvog6a44pu8z9l


Yep...facts can get pesky.

As far as which party has the power, most of PA is as red as you can get.
And BTW, "paid off local bottom feeders" (quote from Bruce Cockburn) AKA local politicians can have any letter after their name and still be bought off.

Not that you will, but you might want to check out this link also.

I'll highlight the point for you.

From the Susquehanna County Gas Forum:

The state legislature is bought and sold by oil and gas companies interested in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale gas deposits.

At least, that is the accusation made today by several government reform organizations and a local state representative.

Joined by the League of Women Voters, Penn Future and State Rep. David Levdansky, Common Cause accused the oil and gas industry of trying to buy the state legislature through campaign contributions and multi- million dollar lobbying campaigns.

The accusers said the goal is to prevent tough regulations of Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling and a severance tax on its extraction of natural gas.

http://gasdrillingawarenesscoalition.wordpress.com/2010/05/13/contributions-from-drilling-companies-to-campaigns/

[stuart68]

58. I did - you did not read my response, apparently

a dem gov, 2 dem senators, elected a dem president and you say PA is as red as you get ?

Maybe some facts will help
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/record-number-of-pa-democrats-registered/
A total of 4,044,952 people are now registered to vote in the Democratic primary; a total of 3,215,478 are registered for the Republican primary.

That is roughy a 25% dem margin in PA.

Regardless of what is exempt or permitted, the governor can, for public safety, place a moratorium on the practice, but he does not. He does not want to. Don't blame anyone bu thte folks who allow the bad practice to continue.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

61. So in other words, BP isn't in any way responsible for the Gulf disaster either.

Sorry, but in my mind, the people committing the crimes are just as guilty as the people who allow them the opportunity to commit them. And the fact remains that thanks to Cheney nobody knows to this day what chemicals are being used and spilled.

However, feel free to continue to exonerate the companies destroying the environment here and I'll continue to try to hold them responsible.

Calling Arlen Specter a Democrat is a real stretch and there's a pretty good chance that our next Governor (Corbett) and Senator (Toomey) will be R's.

As James carville said "Pennsylvania is Pittsburgh on one end, Philadelphia on the other, and Alabama in between.

Luckily, Pittsburgh and the Philadelphia area have enough of a (D) population to occasionally override the rest of the state in a statewide election.

However, to say that this is a pure Blue state is not even close to the truth. The county vote was basically 3 to 1 in favor of McCain if you look at this map.

http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/states/president/pennsylvania.html

[stuart68]

62. uh, no

BP screwed up and is responsible for the gulf disaster.

MMS screwed up and someone needs to be penalized.

Arlen S is a dem - Obama said so, and proactively backed him against a real dem.

Carville makes fun of "Alabama in the middle" but he is not laughing now - if 1% of the gulf oil were spilled in Martha's Vineyard, we would have already seen Tony Hayward doing the perp walk. It's just those silly redneck red staters down south so f'em.

As for no one knowing what chemicals are used, that is BS - I guarantee our 2 dem sens and dem gov either know or could find out wiht 2 phone calls... but they won't...

[stuart68]

51. Oh stop

There you go with those silly facts.

Btw - these are democratic controlled areas of a state with a dem governor. These folks have a chance to make money off clean burning fuels. Let them make some money, but how about making sure the bad actors are properly scrutinized. Oh, yeah, this is NE PA where the dem judge was sending kids to juv detention because his dem buddy owned the jail and they split the profits. Money is money and corruption is corruption.

[bertman]

57. stuart68, great points about the money and the corruption. Those silly facts seem to always

get in the way of the "truth".

As was pointed out in an earlier post, this type of gas drilling requires HUGE quantities of water, which they get from the water table, plus they pump those goddam chemicals in for the fracking mix.

The people who allow this to happen on their land are more worried about making a buck than the long-term--or even short-term--consequences of their actions. Of course, they have been told by the natural gas folks that this is all safe and healthy and will help Murka to stay great.

The Audubon Society did an article on this last month (I think). Very scary stuff.

[stuart68]

59. so then let's stop it

this is like the EPA slinging crap about the dispersants BP used. BP used them because the EPA approved them. Ban them and they will figure out how to use less harmful (read more expensive) means, or not do it at all.

and yes, the folks just want the money.

[bertman]

64. "So then let's stop it". Isn't that why we elected our Democratic President

and Congress?

:shrug:

[stuart68]

65. Silly rabbit

Didn't you know we can't do anything unless we have a republican voting with our dem president and 59 dem senators .....

[bertman]

66. Sorry. I forgot. (slaps forehead). nt

[femrap]

45. Wasn't this on

'Now' a few weeks ago? Some guy from PA went all over the country to see if similar things were taking place? And didn't he end up making a movie about it?

Or is my memory off?

[Altoid_Cyclist]

49. Yes. I saw that also.

As I mentioned, people are free to believe whatever they want to believe.
One person didn't care for what I said, but they aren't stuck living here either.

Anecdotal evidence combined with documented exploding wells and flammable drinking water convince me that this isn't fine wine and the nectar of the Gods that is being forced on people.

Interesting article from today:

On June 3, about 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a natural gas well “blowout” shot natural gas and drilling fluids 75 feet into the air and onto the ground. As the name makes clear, a “blowout” is the industry’s term for a surge of pressurized oil or gas that causes an eruption -- basically the same thing that caused the explosion and fire at BP’s Deep Horizon offshore drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in the biggest oil spill in U.S. history. Fortunately, there were no injuries from the natural gas blowout. But that doesn't minimize the potential dangers.

“The event at the well site could have been a catastrophic incident that endangered life and property,” John Hanger, secretary of Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection, said in a statement to reporters. “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.”

Just yesterday there was another explosion 55 miles south of Pittsburgh, in West Virginia, when a crew digging a natural gas well hit a pocket of methane. Also yesterday, in Texas, one worker was killed and several injured when a natural gas pipeline erupted.

On the same day as the blowout last week, I happened to be touring natural gas development not too far away in upstate Pennsylvania. I was in the bucolic township of Dimock, northwest of Scranton, accompanied by NRDC experts and colleagues from the Waterkeeper Alliance. We met with local residents who have learned by hard experience that natural gas drilling is a threat not just to their rural way of life but also to their water supply and their health.

Read more:
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/rperks/destroying_dimock_natural_gas.html

[femrap]

50. Thanks for the

link. Yes, the show was on 'Fracturing.' You should tell the dude who says this can't happen to go to PBS and look at this past 'Now' show on fracturing.

All the past shows are there. He can watch the water light on fire!

All the easy ways to get oil/gas are done....now they're injecting huge amounts of water.

Shit.

[Blue Owl]

37. Just throw the keys to big oil

and let 'em fuck this place sideways.

That appears to be the role of government nowadays.

[earth mom]

38. K & R!

:grr:

[harun]

41. Kucinich or Grayson need to introduce legislation that makes it a crime not to

report cases like this publicly. Telling the Gov't and then the Gov't helping cover it up isn't cutting it.

[blindpig]

43. Kill Capitalism

[Spoonman]

46. A little insider knowledge..............

My company had a six man crew on this location, and I have personally been on this site twice!
Mr. Morrill is embellishing quite a bit.

The accident was so severe that the area was evacuated and the Federal Aviation Administration prohibited flights in the area.

Flights below 1000 feet were restricted, but a MINOR detail like that is not quite as dramatic as his inference.

because EOG Resources, the owner of the wells, won’t allow anyone on the site, especially with a camera.

No dumb-ass, they won't allow you on site because
1. The OBVIOUS danger
2. You are not part of an emergency response team
3. You might accidentally cause an ignition (because you are obviously ignorant already)

they told me I might be shot for being on their property and then sent thugs to chase me and threaten me.

Statements like this are the number one reason I DO NOT admit to ANYONE in the industry that I'm a Democrat.
I would bet my first born child that this did not happen! The oilfield has become extremely proactive with regards to workplace violence, weapons on location and drug and alcohol abuse.

I had an entire crew run off an EOG location because one of my hands threatened to "bitch slap" a rig hand.

Along the way I saw still and flowing water with oily residue. Some of it may be from the spill, but most of it was uphill from the accident site. That means the water in this area is likely contaminated from the numerous gas wells being drilled.

Next time do a little more research before you start "creating" your story.
Having first hand knowledge of this area, I happen to know for a fact there are no wells past or present uphill from this location!

Now let's factor into this the authors on statement that the fluid shot 75 feet into the air, hell I'll double that and still prove my point.
- the well bore sits on a 4 acre level pad, and is over 300 YARDS from the perimeter! This would make his assertion impossible even with a 100 mph wind!

I asked him who he was and he grabbed my arm and told me I was on private property. I shook his hand off and continued walking. Without looking back, I told him there was nothing posted that indicated the land I was on was private property. He yelled to me, “We know where your car is. We called the police. You’ll be arrested when you get back to your car.” He then added, “We know you’re taking water samples...”

The instant you were informed the land was private property, you are trespassing.

The truth is, I had filled up some drinking water bottles with samples of water from various sites along my hike. I’m not sure what use they will be, but I thought it was important to at least get something that could be independently tested.

You are also guilty of theft, by taking ANYTHING off the property, including water samples.
Your sampling methods suck as well - "drinking water bottles" (sterility in question)
Your ignorance is really demonstrated by this act, because even a moron knows that your data is only as good as the quality of your sample!
(Sterile sample jar, total water column (or did you skim the surface to amplify the contents), chain of custody, temp control, etc.....)

it’s a huge accident that threatens local waterways that flow into the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay.

Drama, drama - but no substance. EVERY well pad has a trench around it for two purposes. First it is part of the storm water permit, and second to contain and divert any spill. It did exactly that in this incident. All the frac water ran into the diversion channel and into the lined retention pit!

I’m calling on Governor Ed Rendell and Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger to use their offices to grant access to the spill site to the media, environmental organizations and the local population.

Good luck with that, not even the President can grant PUBLIC access to private property! Like your water sampling knowledge, your constitutional knowledge is amateur at best.


As the Corporate Health, Safety, and Environmental Director for a large oilfield services company, I believe the hypocrites at BP should be held criminally liable for the gulf disaster.
They fucked up grossly, with little to or no concern for the potential consequences.

People need to know the truth, and this article is a clear example of bullshit and lies meant to stir up controversy.
Public awareness should result in positive actions, and only negatives result from misinformation.

[hay rick]

54. Thanks for your post.

Not a popular point of view here (from within the industry)- but valuable.

Hydrofracturing video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QefLQKLb5co&feature=related
And many more...for the curious.

[Hubert Flottz]

47. Sounds like you ran into the guys that gave James Bond a hard

time. Energy company thugs threatening to shoot people? Sounds more like 1880-1930 than 2010. Ludlow and Matewan come to mind.

1914: The Ludlow Massacre

snip...

In 1918 a monument was erected to commemorate those who died during the strike. These individuals all died in the Ludlow Massacre, and are inscribed on the monument as follows:

Louis Tikas, age: 30 years
James Fyler, age: 43 years
John Bartolotti, age: 45 years
Charlie Costa, age: 31 years
Fedelina Costas, age: 27 years
Onafrio Costa, age: 4 years
Frank Rubino, age: 23 years
Patria Valdez, age: 37 years
Eulala Valdez, age: 8 years
Mary Valdez, age: 7 years
Elvira Valdez, age: 3 months
Joe Petrucci, age: 4 ½ years
Lucy Petrucci, age: 2 ½ years
Frank Petrucci, age: 4 months
William Snyder Jr, age: 11 years
Rodgerlo Pedregone, age: 6 years
Cloriva Pedregone, age: 4 year

http://libcom.org/history/1914-the-ludlow-massacre

[BrklynLiberal]

53. The US has sold its body and soul for energy.

[OrpheusSang]

63. Wow

we can only assume the worst - what are they hiding?