1 million gallons of pollutants spilled!

Breaking News: Gas well leak, Clearfield County, PA

This time it is a gas well in PA, spewing gas and drilling fluids.

What will the environmental impact be?

Regular Photo Size Pa. Well Leaking Natural Gas, Fluids FAA Issues Flight Restriction In The Area HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania environmental officials say natural gas and drilling fluids are escaping from an out-of-control well in a remote area and there is a danger of the gas exploding. Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Dan Spadoni said Friday that no one has been reported injured and that there are no homes within a mile. He says the polluted water hasn't reached a waterway. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a flight restriction shortly after 11 a.m., saying no planes below a 1,000 feet should go within three miles. Spadoni says the accident happened late Thursday night when unexpectedly high gas pressure in the new well prevented crews from containing it.

[edit on 4-6-2010 by butcherguy]

[edit on 4-6-2010 by butcherguy]

I'm not normally much of a doom and gloomer, but, come on -- what the heck else is going to happen? Never mind, I don't want to know....

Let's just hope these companies that specialize in out of control wells are a bit more on top of things than BP.

I also noticed how it said that the contaminated water hadn't reached a waterway yet....

Let's hope this gets contained before we do anymore damage to our environment. Further, this will certainly provide more ammunition for the "No More Drilling" crowd. Anything else happens and I'm going to start thinking possible sabotage....

This well is in the Marcellus Shale formation and there have been warnings about the type of methods that have been used to get this gas out.

They have been hydrofraccing and more recently, exploding LP gas mixed with oxygen underground to fracture the rock.

The news story refers to unexpectedly high gas pressures in the well.

Isn't that what happened in the Gulf?

*Double post.*

[edit on 4-6-2010 by gwydionblack]

reply to post by butcherguy


This is truly interesting. The area matches up with a quake that appeared on USGS about 2 days ago in PA. It surprised the hell out of me because in all my years following quakes, I've never seen anything significant pop up in my home state.

Personally, I think the events are the planet fighting back against us. What the environmental effects are that THIS will have are yet to be seen, but I will assume that it will only get worse as time goes on.



Edit: Scratch that, it is NE of Pittsburgh so the quake wasn't in the same area. Tis interesting nonetheless.

[edit on 4-6-2010 by gwydionblack]

This news from WJAC -TV in Johnstown, PA

According to state Rep. Bud George's office, initial reports from Process Equipment Manufacturers' Association said three of four wells were secured. The other well was releasing frack water and unignited wet gas, which caused the evacuation. Officials said an estimated 1 million gallons of frack water was uncontrolled as of 11 a.m. in the area of exit 111 on Interstate 80.




A MILLION GALLONS OF CONTAMINATED WATER!

[edit on 4-6-2010 by butcherguy]