Group leads reality tour of drilling sites in Bradford County – Gas Drilling – The Times-Tribune
August 3, 2011
Group leads reality tour of drilling sites in Bradford County – Gas Drilling – The Times-Tribune.
DEP Fines Chesapeake More than $1 Million
May 17, 2011
*COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
Dept. of Environmental Protection*
Commonwealth News Bureau
Room 308, Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg PA., 17120
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
05/17/2011
CONTACT:
Katy Gresh, Department of Environmental Protection
*DEP Fines Chesapeake Energy More Than $1 Million*
Penalties Address Violations in Bradford, Washington Counties
HARRISBURG — The Department of Environmental Protection today fined Chesapeake Energy $1,088,000 for violations related to natural gas drilling activities.
Under a Consent Order and Agreement, or COA, Chesapeake will pay DEP $900,000 for contaminating private water supplies in Bradford County, of which $200,000 must be dedicated to DEP’s well-plugging fund. Under a second COA, Chesapeake will pay $188,000 for a Feb. 23 tank fire at its drilling site in Avella, Washington County.
“It is important to me and to this administration that natural gas drillers are stewards of the environment, take very seriously their responsibilities to comply with our regulations, and that their actions do not risk public health and safety or the environment,” DEP Secretary Mike Krancer said. “The water well contamination fine is the largest single penalty DEP has ever assessed against an oil and gas operator, and the Avella tank fire penalty is the highest we could assess under the Oil and Gas Act. Our message to drillers and to the public is clear.”
At various times throughout 2010, DEP investigated private water well complaints from residents of Bradford County’s Tuscarora, Terry, Monroe, Towanda and Wilmot townships near Chesapeake’s shale drilling operations. DEP determined that because of improper well casing and cementing in shallow zones, natural gas from non-shale shallow gas formations had experienced localized migration into groundwater and contaminated 16 families’ drinking water supplies.
As part of the Bradford County COA, Chesapeake agrees to take multiple measures to prevent future shallow formation gas migration, including creating a plan to be approved by DEP that outlines corrective actions for the wells in question; remediating the contaminated water supplies; installing necessary equipment; and reporting water supply complaints to DEP. The well plugging fund supports DEP’s Oil and Gas program operations and can be used to mitigate historic and recent gas migration problems in cases where the source of the gas cannot be identified.
The Avella action was taken because on Feb. 23, while testing and collecting fluid from wells on a drill site in Avella, Washington County, three condensate separator tanks caught fire, injuring three subcontractors working on-site. DEP conducted an investigation and determined the cause was improper handling and management of condensate, a wet gas only found in certain geologic areas. Under the COA, Chesapeake must submit for approval to the department a Condensate Management Plan for each well site that may produce condensate.
“Natural gas drilling presents a valuable opportunity for Pennsylvania and the nation,” Krancer said. “But, with this opportunity comes responsibilities that we in Pennsylvania expect and insist are met; we have an obligation to enforce our regulations and protect our environment.”
For more information, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us <http://www.depweb.state.pa.us
>.
Natural Gas Well Blows Out In Bradford County, Pa. | ENR: Engineering News Record | McGraw-Hill Construction
April 22, 2011 1 Comment
Natural Gas Well Blows Out In Bradford County, Pa.
04/21/2011
Late on April 19, a natural gas well in Bradford County, Pa. blew out and spewed thousands of gallons of drilling waste fluids into local fields, streams and Towanda Creek.
The well blowout occurred during hydrofracking operations at a well operated by Oklahoma Citybased Chesapeake Energy around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday evening.
Although the well emitted what Chesapeake is calling “limited amounts of gas,” gas plume modeling performed by both the Bradford County Emergency Management Agency and Chesapeake suggests that “any natural gas releases will not pose a risk to the area’s public safety,” says Brian Grove, senior director of corporate development at Chesapeake.
The blowout occurred at a time when the practice of hydrualic fracturing is under increased scrutiny, as local groups and environmental organizations cite environmental concerns.
Skip Roupp, deputy director of the Bradford County EMA, said on April 21, that the well “is stable, but not completely controlled.” He said crews were finishing repairs to the berm surrounding the well site, and that Chesapeake had brought in a firm specializing in well containment to kill the well.
The firm, Houston-based Boots and Coots, planned to pump first lost circulation materials such as pieces of plastic and ground-up tires into the well, then heavy mud, to staunch the leak. Another firm was using a vacuum truck and other containment equipment to collect the “very small amount of frac flowback fluid,” still leaking from the well, says Dan Spadoni, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, North Central Regional Office.
Officials say they don’t know what caused the breach in the well. However, the breach was located in a wellhead connection, and that is where investigators will focus initially, says Grove, adding, “There is no evidence of a downhole casing-failure of any type.
While officials are investigating, the incident, Chesapeake has voluntarily suspended all well-completion operations in Pennsylvania, Grove says.
The PA DEP has several personnel onsite overseeing the well containment operations, as well as individuals collecting environmental samples of water near the well and near home wells. The results of the sample tests are not available yet, Spadoni says.
Spadoni says that although well blowouts typically are a result of “multiple” violations that can result in civil penalties, “first and foremost the focus right now for all parties involved is on killing this well.”
Energy companies insist they can extend gas leases; landowners take them to court | syracuse.com
February 27, 2011
Energy companies insist they can extend gas leases; landowners take them to court | syracuse.com.
Energy companies insist they can extend gas leases; landowners take them to court
Published: Sunday, February 27, 2011, 10:10 AM Updated: Sunday, February 27, 2011, 11:43 AM
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Mark Petitte crossed out a clause on his gas drilling lease with Chesapeake Energy that would have allowed the company to automatically renew the lease when it expired Feb. 11. The company says it is extending the lease on his Otisco property anyway.
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