1 Killed, 4 Injured In Gas Well Accident

Two friends and I recently visited a well site in the Spring Lake area of Asylum Township, Bradford County, PA. We stopped to talk with some of the workers who were taking a break near their white pick-up trucks. They were very friendly and pleasant and seemed to enjoy a little break, talking with a few local ladies. We asked them about the loud noise. They said it was a frack pump which has to provide a lot of pressure while the horizontal drilling is in progress. My friend asked one man if he was concerned about hydrogen sulfide, a deadly gas when inhaled in even small amounts. He said, "Nah! We don't worry about that. We have alarms. It just doesn't bother us really."

Thursday a service rig operator, an employee of Chipco Oil and Gas Well Services, died from inhaling hydrogen sulfide in Guernsey County, Ohio. Four men were injured; one is in critical condition. Read the story here. The video is powerful.

The men, who were preparing to cap the well, were injured while trying to rescue the man who subsequently died. They had encountered what is commonly called "poison gas" or "sour gas." This lethal gas is NOT uncommon in the gas drilling industry. A volunteer fire department chief said,

It happens all over. It's something they're trained to deal with but, sometimes it happens so fast that their protective clothing doesn't warn them quick enough....

What do we know about hydrogen sulfide? What about the public? How far away does a person have to be to keep safe? Is there hydrogen sulfide in the frack fluid deposited in the sludge pits?

NEOGAP ASKS: What measures are in place to protect residents? According to ERG and the Gas Research Institue 100 ft is not a safe proximity to a gas well during hydrogen sulfide events.

NEOGAP/Grendell Bill will increase these setbacks and require hydrogen sulfide monitoring to protect the public. SB 165 just introduced by Niehaus DOES NOT.

NEOGAP

Northeast Ohio Gas Accountability Project

www.neogap.org www.ogap.org

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!
DEADLY GAS IS COMMON!

Wrongful Death: Gas Drillers Pose Serious Danger On Our Roads

I just got back from a trip to Bradford County, PA. I'm glad I am still in one piece and my car is okay. The gas drilling truck traffic is horrendous. And, on the country roads where I was, you just have to pray when a truck approaches. There is nowhere to go except to pull over as far as possible and hope you don't end up in the ditch. These trucks go very fast. And they are tearing up little country roads. The potholes are huge. The pavement is broken up into little pieces in many places.

Last September (2008), a woman from Cleburne, TX, was not so lucky. She was killed when two pieces of oil field equipment fell off a truck and crushed the driver's side of her Ford Explorer. The truck driver reportedly had numerous driving infractions on his record. He had several tickets, a suspended license, and was not qualified to be driving the tractor-trailer.

When gas drilling comes to your neighborhood, watch out. Prepare to be scared. It's a terrible feeling.

Read the article from the Cleburne Times-Review (07/08/2009) here.

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!
WE WANT SAFE ROADS-AT LEAST!

Pipeline Rupture in Florida's Martin County

A pipeline operated by Florida Gas Transmission Co. ruptured on May 4th, forcing 80 Martin County residents from their homes. A nearby high school was closed and Florida's Turnpike and Interstate 95 shut down. In this case, there was no fire, making the investigation easier. The broken pipeline is part of a 5,000-mile system running from south Texas through several states and into the Florida Panhandle. After the repair is made, the pipeline will operate at a reduced pressure while the gas company tries to figure out what caused the rupture. The pipeline was built in 1959 and was last inspected in 2004.

What the general public may not know is this:

Every year, DOZENS of natural gas pipeline accidents are reported to the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

Since 1986, 65 people have died and 259 have been injured by natural gas transmission lines, according to the PHMA. Even more casualties have been caused by accidents involving smaller lines that link to homes and businesses. Deaths: 364. Injuries: 1,556.

This pipeline incident is the ninth pipeline incident in Florida for Florida Gas Transmission since 1998. The causes of the incidents were lightening, corrosion, material failure, excavation damage, and natural force.

This incident raises many questions. Are people sufficiently aware of the serious danger posed by pipelines? Are gas companies going to be given permission to lay pipelines everywhere, including heavily populated residential areas? Will pipelines be inspected appropriately? Is it common knowledge how many people have been killed or injured in pipeline accidents?

Read the whole article here.

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!