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On August 24, 2024, DEP’s Oil and Gas and Emergency Response staff were dispatched to the Banco 21-1A conventional producing gas well in Allegheny Township, Westmoreland County owned by Patriot Exploration Corp in response to an emergency call.
A 9-year-old child operating a tractor made an “uncontrolled descent” down a hill and collided with the gas wellhead causing significant damage and dislodging the shut-off value for the well, which began releasing natural gas.
A well tender for Patriot Exploration arrived on scene and made several attempts to shut off the gas. In addition to the damage caused by the tractor, there was a rabbit lodged in the producing tubing within a valve initially preventing it from closing.
After several attempts, the well was shut in and plans were made to repair the damage, however the tractor was not moved because a larger piece of equipment was needed to hoist the tractor out of the way.
DEP inspection report.
PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:
-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - August 24 to 30 - Water Pipeline Blowout; 9-Year-Old Hits Conventional Gas Well; 5 Abandoned Shale Gas Wells [PaEN]
-- Range Resources Shale Gas Water Pipeline Suffers Blowout In Washington County [PaEN]
-- 9-Year-Old Drives Tractor Into Conventional Well Causing Gas Leak [PaEN]
-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - August 31 [PaEN]
-- DEP Posted 66 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In August 31 PA Bulletin [PaEN]
Related Articles:
-- Sept. 19 Webinar: A Year Later: Have Leaders Addressed Health Concerns From Natural Gas Development Raised In University Of Pittsburgh Public Health Studies? [PaEN]
-- DEP Oil & Gas Technical Advisory Board Meets Sept. 5 On Strategies To Prevent Well Abandonments; Injection Well Primacy; Tracking Water Contamination; Other Topics [PaEN]
-- State, United Mine Workers Announce First-In-PA Registered Apprenticeship Program To Plug Oil And Gas Wells Abandoned By Conventional Well Owners; DEP Issued 711 Violations For Well Abandonment So Far In 2024 [PaEN]
-- Appalachian Regional Commission Selects Job Training, Revitalization Groups For Communities Impacted By Coal, Power Plant Closures; Underserved, Marginalized Communities; 5 In PA Serving Coal, Oil & Gas Counties [PaEN]
-- Pittsburgh Works Together Releases New Report: The PJM Grid In Peril: What Will Keep The Lights On? [PaEN]
-- Sen. Yaw To Introduce Bills To Establish PA Baseload Energy Development Fund Based On Texas Model; And Have One Permit For Power Plants [PaEN]
-- Ready For 100% Montgomery County: Communities With Half The County Population Support Clean Energy Future [PaEN]
-- DEP Permitting Efficiency: 19,222 Permits Since 11/2023; Decisions On 15,794; 2 Currently Eligible For PAyback Did Not Meet Decision Deadlines; No Application Fees Refunded [8.27.24]
-- Washington & Jefferson College To Host Pittsburgh Regional Carbon Capture Conference Oct. 22 In Washington County [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- TribLive Guest Essay: Gov. Shapiro Needs To Step Up His Environmental Game - By Tom Pike, Protect PT
-- Public News Service: Shale Gas Fracking Boom In PA Raises Health, Environmental Concerns
-- Tribune-Democrat: Shapiro, Mineworkers Create Apprenticeship To Plug Oil & Gas Wells Abandoned By Conventional Well Owners
-- Wilkes-Barre Times: State Announces Apprenticeship Program To Plug Oil, Gas Wells Abandoned By Conventional Well Owners
-- TribLive: PA Apprenticeship Program Expands To Including Training To Plug Oil, Gas Wells Abandoned By Conventional Well Owners
-- Pittsburgh Business Times: State, United Mine Workers Partner On New Apprenticeship On Plugging Oil & Gas Wells Abandoned By Conventional Well Owners
-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Natural Gas Subsidy Plan Rolled Out To Stabilize Grid [Sen. Yaw’s Energy Development Fund ]
-- Utility Dive: PA Senator [Sen. Yaw] To Introduce Energy Fund Bill, Bill To Require One Permit With One ‘Statute of Limitations’ For Power Plant Projects
-- Reuters: Texas Energy Fund Approves Gas-Fired Power Plants For Next Stage Of Consideration
-- Utility Dive: Texas Energy Fund Elects 17 Gas-Fired Power Plant Projects Totaling Almost 10 GW For Possible Loans
-- Utility Dive: PJM December Electricity Auction Prices Could Jump 157% Over July Auction, Morgan Stanley
-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Pittsburgh Works Report: Red Tape, New Power Plant Delays Put PJM Electric Grid ‘In Peril’
-- Utility Dive Guest Essay: Getting Real About Electric Grid Reliability In PJM After July Capacity Auction - By Glen Thomas, Former Chair of the PA Public Utility Commission
-- PennLive Guest Essay: Troubling Times Are Ahead For American Energy - By Commonwealth Foundation [59% Of Energy On PA’s Electric Grid Comes From One Fuel]
-- TribLive Guest Essay: Biden Clean Power Plant Reboot Will Cripple PA’s Energy Affordability - By Sen. Greg Rothman (R-Cumberland) [Need To Diversify Our Energy Generation Away From 59% Natural Gas To Prevent Price Spikes]
-- WHYY/BillyPenn: PECO Customers Could Face Double-Digit Electricity Bill Increases Next Year; Experts Blame Growing Demand, Lagging Transition To Renewable Energy
-- Inside Climate News: US Appetite For Electricity Grew Massively In First Half Of 2024; Solar Power Rose To The Occasion
-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Ad Crable: Air Monitoring Study By CNX Resources Finds Fracking ‘Poses No Public Health Risk’; Environmental Groups Critical
-- WHYY: Philadelphia Gas Commission Passes Rules To Limit Public Participation In Budget Process
[Posted: August 29, 2024]
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