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Seneca Works to Clean Up Wastewater Spill at Tioga Co. Well Pad

Seneca Resources continues to clean up spilled wastewater at a pad in Charleston Township (Tioga County), PA. The Vandergrift 290 pad hosts six wells, four of which are active and producing, one of which is now plugged, and another is in the process of being plugged. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) reports active remediation efforts have continued for more than 30 days after a large wastewater spill was discovered. An initial DEP inspection of the site on May 13 (prompted by a complaint) found two large areas of “distressed” vegetation with evidence of a wastewater release. Read More “Seneca Works to Clean Up Wastewater Spill at Tioga Co. Well Pad”

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PA DEP Says Shell Ethane Plant Fire May Have Released Carcinogens

Footage of Shell’s ethane cracker in Monaca, Pa. shows smoke coming off the site. Image: Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community

Another incident happened Wednesday afternoon at the Shell ethane cracker plant facility in Beaver County, PA. This isn’t the first problem at the plant (see our cracker problem stories here). An explosion and fire (with smoke) were reported at the ethane cracker on Wednesday. A company spokesperson stated that smoke was seen coming off of a furnace unit at the plant around 2:20 p.m. She said the incident was managed by site personnel, and the smoke dissipated. However, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has a concern that “a possible release of an unknown amount of 1,3-butadiene and benzene” —both hazardous air pollutants and known carcinogens (cancer-causing). Read More “PA DEP Says Shell Ethane Plant Fire May Have Released Carcinogens”

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3 Years Later, Freeport LNG Returns LNG Storage Tank to Service

Freeport LNG’s export terminal with three liquefaction “trains” completely shut down (all three trains) in June 2022 after an explosion and fire (see Explosion Rocks Freeport LNG Export Plant – Offline for 3 Weeks). What was initially thought to be a three-week outage lasted for ten months. The plant finally returned online in March 2023 (see Freeport LNG Plant Back to Full Capacity Using 2.1 Bcf/d of NatGas). Since that time, one or more Freeport trains have been offline more times than we can count. Freeport announced yesterday that, finally, after three years, it has restored full operations to the last remaining component that was still offline since 2022—an LNG storage tank. Read More “3 Years Later, Freeport LNG Returns LNG Storage Tank to Service”

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Truck Hauling Frack Wastewater Overturns in Tioga County, PA

Tioga County, PA

On Monday, a tanker truck carrying fracking wastewater rolled 100 feet down an embankment in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, spilling about 2,000 gallons of flowback (brine) into a nearby stream. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the truck left the road and flipped onto its side into a small stream. About half of its load leaked out from the top hatch of the tank. The truck driver was not injured in the accident. Read More “Truck Hauling Frack Wastewater Overturns in Tioga County, PA”

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Tank Explosion at Westmoreland County Conventional Well Site

Production storage tank

On March 25, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) was called to the scene of a conventional well explosion in East Huntingdon Township in Westmoreland County. The explosion involved a production storage tank at the pad. The incident happened around 10:25 AM when the well tender was “blowing out the well” to the storage tank (we’ll explain). A “well tender” refers to the person responsible for the day-to-day monitoring, routine maintenance, and operation of a well site after it has been drilled and completed. Read More “Tank Explosion at Westmoreland County Conventional Well Site”

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Freak Accident Ignites Conventional Natural Gas Well in SW Pa.

Photos from accident report, courtesy of PA Environment Digest Blog (click for larger version)

A one-in-a-million, freaky-deaky accident happened in Westmoreland County, PA, that caused a conventional natural gas well operated by Kriebel Natural Gas Co. to explode. On March 19, a truck was hauling a trailer down nearby Interstate 76 Eastbound. The wheel/rim set (with brake drum and tires still attached) disconnected from the trailer and went flying. It hit the conventional gas well. The impact broke off the casing annulus wing from the well head and caused escaping natural gas to ignite. Read More “Freak Accident Ignites Conventional Natural Gas Well in SW Pa.”

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Small Wastewater Spill at Coterra Energy Well Pad in Northeast Pa.

Bridgewater Township

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) reports an estimated 300 barrels (12,600 gallons) of brine wastewater leaked at the Diaz Family Shale Gas Drilling Well Pad 2 owned by Coterra Energy, Inc. in Bridgewater Township, Susquehanna County. Unfortunately, some of the fluid escaped containment and seeped into surrounding areas outside the well pad. The incident was discovered on Wednesday, Feb. 19. What happened? Read More “Small Wastewater Spill at Coterra Energy Well Pad in Northeast Pa.”

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HG Energy Well Fire Near Jane Lew, WV Quickly Extinguished

A fire was reported at a natural gas well near Jane Lew (Harrison County), WV, on Saturday at around 2:15 pm. Multiple fire departments responded. One media report says the well location is listed as the Stickel Pad belonging to driller HG Energy. There were no injuries, according to 911 officials. The fire was extinguished within a few hours. Other than those barebones facts and a few photos (below), that’s all we know about this incident. The incident doesn’t seem to be a priority for local news media outlets to cover. Read More “HG Energy Well Fire Near Jane Lew, WV Quickly Extinguished”

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Gulfport Energy Well Explodes in Guernsey County, OH – No Injuries

Gulfport Goh pad fire (credit: Antrim Volunteer Fire Department)

Around 5:37 p.m. last Thursday, an explosion and fire at a well pad in Guernsey County, Ohio, resulted in a half-mile evacuation around the site. No extensive damage and no injuries were reported according to a local fire official. According to a statement issued by Gulfport Energy, a storage tank ignited that was located at the Groh pad, a pad drilled in 2012 (14 years ago). The local Antrim fire department (that responded) is located about 1.5 miles from the pad. Salt Fork State Park is 5.7 miles away, which local antis are having a hay day with. Read More “Gulfport Energy Well Explodes in Guernsey County, OH – No Injuries”

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NW Pa. Injection Well Leak Went Undiscovered for 109 Days

MDN is going to eat some crow with this story. In 2016, we called attention to efforts by neighbors (and anti-fossil fuelers) in Warren County, PA, in testing water sources near a wastewater injection well that had been operating since 2013 (see Concerned Citizens Test Water Near NWPA Injection Well, No Leaks). There had been no leaks from the Bear Lake Properties Bittinger #4 oil and gas wastewater injection well site in Columbus Township for (at that time) three years. We pointed out that injection well leaks are rare. However, there has been a leak at the Bittinger #4 well, and it was a doozy, traveling approximately 1,770 feet from the well site. That’s a full one-third of a mile. Not good. Even worse is that the company (due to an errant employee) failed to report the leak to the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) for 109 days. Read More “NW Pa. Injection Well Leak Went Undiscovered for 109 Days”

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Extra Context re Philly Refinery Fire, Closure, and EPA Fine

Earlier this week, MDN told you about the final chapter in the tragedy of the Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) Refining Complex (see Sad Final Chapter to 2019 Philly Oil Refinery Fire: $4.2M Fine). Anti-fossil fuelers are dancing on the grave of the now defunct refinery, celebrating in the final humiliation of a $4.2 million fine by the federal EPA. MDN friend Garland Thompson, a gifted reporter/writer who covers energy and technology issues for US Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine, wrote to us to point out missing facts in recent media coverage of the plant fire and subsequent closure. He provides some much-needed/missing context. Read More “Extra Context re Philly Refinery Fire, Closure, and EPA Fine”

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Sad Final Chapter to 2019 Philly Oil Refinery Fire: $4.2M Fine

In June 2019, a series of explosions and a massive fire occurred at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) Refining Complex (see Massive Explosion, Fire at Philadelphia Refinery). It took firefighters a full day to extinguish the blaze. The fire caused the oil refinery complex to close and lay off over 1,000 workers (see Philly Refinery to Close Following Massive Fire – 1,020 Jobs Lost). The owners put the facility, which had already been through a previous bankruptcy, up for auction. We (and many others) hoped that whoever purchased it would reopen the refinery. Those dreams vanished into thin air when it was announced the site would be converted into warehouses, complete with an increase in truck traffic, diesel fumes, and all sorts of headaches that come from a massive warehouse complex located in an urban area (see Philly Refinery Sold – To Become Huge, Polluting Truck Terminal). Sad. Read More “Sad Final Chapter to 2019 Philly Oil Refinery Fire: $4.2M Fine”

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Wastewater Spill at EQT Well Pad in Greene County, PA

We spotted a report about an aboveground pipeline that flows shale wastewater that sprung a leak and released an estimated 12,600 gallons of brine (salty water from deep below the surface) on the ground in Gilmore Township, Greene County, PA. The pipeline is owned by EQM Gathering, another name for Equitrans Midstream, which is now owned by EQT. The leaking pipeline connects to the Trust Well Site owned by EQT. It sure sounds like a serious spill (12,600 gallons) with the potential to contaminate local water supplies—until you dig into the state Dept. of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) report on the incident. Read More “Wastewater Spill at EQT Well Pad in Greene County, PA”

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New Freeport Residents Sue EQT for Contaminated Water in Greene Co.

In July 2022, MDN brought you news of a possible frac-out, or “inadvertent return” that happens when drilling mud pops out of places where it’s not supposed to — places outside the borehole being drilled (see Possible Frac-Out Reported at EQT Well Site in Greene County, PA). A landowner who lives near a well being drilled and fracked by EQT in Greene County, PA, complained her water well was fouled by EQT’s drilling and that a nearby abandoned well was releasing fluids and natural gas. According to the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), EQT confirmed some of its fluids were “communicating” with the abandoned well. Three area landowners who are not happy with EQT’s response to the situation two years later have launched a class action lawsuit. Read More “New Freeport Residents Sue EQT for Contaminated Water in Greene Co.”

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MVP Water Pressure Test Rupture Mystery Solved: Defective Weld

On May 1, a section of the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) ruptured during final pressure testing in Roanoke County, Virginia (see Section of MVP Ruptures Near Roanoke Under Water Pressure Test). An independent metallurgical test identified a defective weld in an elbow joint as a cause of the failure. No internal or external corrosion was detected on the section, which was installed in 2018.
Read More “MVP Water Pressure Test Rupture Mystery Solved: Defective Weld”

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Range Water Line Burst and Sent a PIG Flying Through the Air

We bet you never thought that old idiom about pigs flying was true. In this case, it is! Range Resources operates a temporary above-ground water pipeline in Mount Pleasant Township (Washington County), PA. The pipeline (essentially a giant water hose) flows Ohio River water to Range’s fracking sites. Range sent a PIG (pipeline inspection gauge) down the pipeline, and it got caught. The water pressure built up and exploded the pipe, sending the PIG flying through the air. Yes, Virginia, pigs can fly! OK, OK. After we got done laughing out loud about a flying pig, we settled down to read and better understand the situation. The pipeline explosion resulted in damage to a local farmer’s property, which was no laughing matter for the farmer.

Read More “Range Water Line Burst and Sent a PIG Flying Through the Air”