04/15/24 - 66 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA: http://tinyurl.com/msuwtctm
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Gas Well Fire In Western PA Kills Two Workers, DEP Investigating
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A shallow gas well drilled in May 2008 caught fire in a wooded area of Indiana Township, Allegheny County, Friday after an explosion occurred while workers were welding equipment at the well site. Pipelines connected to the well to collect the gas and other fluids have been shut off to isolate the well. The well was not a deep Marcellus Shale gas well.
"DEP staff is on site working with first responders and Huntley and Huntley to determine the safest way to shut the well in," said George Jugovic Jr., DEP's southwest regional director. "The first step to ensuring the safety of the public and first responders on scene is to put the fire out and shut the well in."
Jugovic added that once the site is secure and safe, DEP will thoroughly investigate the incident. DEP staff is working to collect information about the cause of the explosion and the reason workers were welding at the site.
The well, named the Murray Heirs #6 well, was completed in May 2008. At a depth of 3,500 feet, it is considered to be a shallow well.
Although the well was not a deep Marcellus Shale gas well, the Marcellus Shale Coalition issued this statement on the gas well fire--
“Our Coalition may not represent this particular company or these particular workers, but the events that took place today represent an absolute tragedy for everyone involved in producing energy here in Pennsylvania. Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to the families who lost loves ones today.
“What happened in Indiana Twp. today reminds us all how critically important it is to value the health and safety of your workforce. That’s why our member companies and their contractors continue to work day-in and day-out to ensure those protections and safeguards are in place, and are constantly improved and strengthened, as new technology and insight becomes available.
"These are investments we will continue to make, part of an industry-wide effort to implement a series of best management practices aimed at ensuring that clean-burning energy resources from the Marcellus are developed the right way, and in a manner that protects our workers and the environment above all else."
NewsClips: Two Workers Killed In Non-Marcellus Gas Well Explosion 2 Killed In Gas Well Explosion In Western PA
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7/26/2010 |
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