Columbia Gas, a major supplier of natural gas in Pennsylvania and a company that owns and uses a lot of gas pipelines, is training firefighters in how to handle natural gas fires:
Read More “Columbia Gas Working to Train Firefighters to Handle Natural Gas Fires”
Maryland’s Attorney General, Douglas F. Gansler, has filed an “intent to sue” on Chesapeake Energy because of the accidental spill of fracking fluid in April in Leroy Township, PA (read MDN’s story about the spill here). Mr. Gansler’s rationale for his litigiousness is that the fluid reached a small stream that feeds the Towanda Creek, and the Towanda Creek in turn empties into the Susquehanna River, and the Susquehanna River empties into the Chesapeake Bay. Therefore, according to Gansler, several federal statutes have been violated, including the Clean Water Act. Also, the City of Baltimore uses the Susquehanna as a backup source of water “in times of drought.”
Read More “Maryland AG Sues Chesapeake Energy Over Spill in Pennsylvania”
Chesapeake Energy has successfully replaced a wellhead that was defective and had caused a blowout with fracking fluid escaping from a well in Leroy Township near Canton in Bradford County, PA last week. Over a two day period, fracking fluid ran over neighboring land and some of it into a nearby stream that empties into the Towanda Creek. (Read MDN’s original article on the blowout here.)
The PA State Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is investigating the blowout and the potential environmental damage it may have caused. But that’s not good enough for the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA is now throwing its weight around. In a letter to Chesapeake citing the Clean Water Act and various other federal statutes, the EPA is demanding that Chesapeake provide a list of details to the EPA about the incident by May 9.
Chesapeake Energy experienced a blowout at a well being drilled near Canton in Bradford County, PA on Tuesday at 11:45 pm. A blowout occurs when the pressure systems fail and results (in this case) in drilling fracking fluids escaping in an uncontrolled manner. For a time the fluids from the Canton well spread over farm land and into a small stream that empties into the Towanda Creek.
Initially seven families were evacuated from the immediate area. Six of the families have now returned to their homes, but one family will need to stay relocated until the well is 100 percent under control. Crews have significantly decreased the amount of fracking fluid coming from the bore hole, but they have not yet fully stopped it.
A few weeks ago U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), wrote to U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu to ask him to investigate two house explosions in Bradford Township, PA (see MDN’s story here). Casey said he strongly believed the cause of the explosions was from migrating methane gas (natural gas) from “extensive new deep drilling activities” in the area. That is, those nasty, filthy Marcellus drillers caused it. Don’t look now Mr. Casey, but….oops. You were wrong again. The real cause was abandoned gas wells drilled 100 years ago.
After a full investigation, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) has found that an explosion and fire in Avella (Washington County), PA (see this MDN article) was due to mismanagement of natural gas liquids. According to the DEP, Chesapeake Energy, who owns and manages the well and storage site, did not follow industry standard practices in their handling of natural gas liquids. The liquids or “condensate” are a by-product produced by some Marcellus gas wells.
There was a fire earlier this week at a MarkWest Liberty Midstream natural gas compressor station in Mount Pleasant (Washington County), PA. No one was injured and the fire was quickly extinguished. It is now known that a faulty water heater caused the fire.
Read More “Cause of Fire at MarkWest Compressor Station in Western PA was Faulty Water Heater”
Chesapeake Energy was flaring three gas wells in Avella, located in Washington County, PA on Feb. 23 when tanks holding some 105,000 gallons of natural gas liquids exploded. Contrary to some reports, the explosion had nothing to do with hydraulic fracturing fluids. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation and not known at this time.
As for the three workers injured, at least one of them is still in critical condition:
An explosion last night at a well site along the Pennsylvania/West Virginia border injured three workers and resulted in a fire that burned for about three hours.
Read More “Explosion at Chesapeake Drilling Site in Western PA Injures Three Workers”
Talisman Energy shut down its four North American shale gas drilling operations for eight days following a fracking fluid release (MDN would call it an “accident”) on Jan. 17th at its drilling operation in Tioga County, PA, in the Tioga State Forest. According to Talisman, there were no injuries and the fluid was contained at the well site.