Untrained Well Operators Faulted for June 3 PA Blowout

An independent investigation reveals that untrained personnel and the failure to use proper well control procedures were the principal causes of the June 3 natural gas well blowout in Clearfield County. The PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released the report today.

According to DEP Secretary John Hanger, the blowout - which allowed natural gas and wastewater to escape from the well for 16 hours before being brought under control - happened when the well’s operator, EOG Resources, and its contractor, C.C. Forbes LLC, lost control of the well while performing post-fracturing well cleanout activities.

“The blowout in Clearfield County was caused by EOG Resources and its failure to have proper barriers in place. This incident was preventable and should never have occurred,” said Hanger. He then ordered EOG Resources to take nine corrective actions, and C.C. Forbes  to take six corrective actions, and fined both companies -  EOG will pay $353,400 and CC Forbes $46,600.

"Make no mistake, this could have been a catastrophic incident," Hanger said. “Had the gas blowing out of this well ignited, the human cost would have been tragic, and had an explosion allowed this well to discharge wastewater for days or weeks, the environmental damage would have been significant.”

In light of the investigation’s findings, Hanger said his agency has written a letter to each company drilling into the Marcellus Shale to ensure they understand proper well construction and emergency notification procedures. The letter states that:
• A snubbing unit, which prevents pipes from ejecting uncontrollably from a well, may be used to clean out the composite frac plugs and sand during post-fracturing (post-frac) if coil tubing is not an option.
• A minimum of two pressure barriers should be in place during all post-frac cleanout operations.
• Any blowout preventer equipment should be tested immediately after its installation and before its use. Records of these tests should be kept on file at the well site or with the well site supervisor.
• A sign with DEP’s 24-hour emergency telephone number and local emergency response numbers, including 911 and the county communications center, should be posted prominently at each well site.
• At least one well site supervisor who has a current well control certification from a recognized institution should be on location during post-frac cleanout operations. These certifications should be in possession at all times.
• A remote-controlled, independently powered blowout preventer unit, which allows workers to control what’s happening on the rig at a safe distance, must be located a minimum of 100 feet from the well and operational during all post-frac cleanout operations.

Read entire DEP release here.

DEP Orders EOG Resources to Halt all Drilling in PA

Today the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) ordered EOG Resources Inc. to suspend its natural gas well drilling activities in Pennsylvania. This decision results from the June 3 blowout at one of the company’s Clearfield County wells, which spewed natural gas and more than 35,000 gallons* of drilling wastewater into the sky and over the ground for 16 hours. *previous DEP report pegged it at close to a million gallons

DEP Secretary John Hanger said that while the order bans all drilling and hydrofracturing, or fracking, operations for specified periods of time, the suspension will remain in effect until DEP has completed a comprehensive investigation into the leak and the company has implemented any needed changes.

“DEP staff, along with an independent expert, will conduct a detailed investigation of not just the incident that occurred last week in Clearfield County, but of EOG Resources’ drilling operations, as a whole, here in Pennsylvania,” said Hanger. “The Clearfield County incident presented a serious threat to life and property. We are working with the company to review its Pennsylvania drilling operations fully from beginning to end to ensure an incident of this nature does not happen again.”

The order prohibits EOG Resources from drilling activities up to seven days; from engaging in fracking operations up to 14 days; and from completing or initiating post-fracking operations for 30 days in any wells throughout the state. These actions and operations cannot resume until the department agrees that the investigation has been fully completed.

The results of the investigation will also help determine whether DEP should take additional enforcement action against the company, such as fines or penalties.

So far, Hanger notes that EOG Resources has been fully cooperative and in agreement with the department’s ongoing investigation and orders. 

At 8 pm on Thursday, June 3 the well’s operators lost control of it while preparing to extract gas after fracking the shale. Natural gas and flowback frack fluid shot 75 feet into the air, and spilled on surrounding ground.  The well was finally capped at around noon on June 4. The well was one of four located on the EOG well pad in a rural area near the Penfield/Route 153 exit of Interstate 80 in northwestern Clearfield County, near Moshannon State Forest.

“Fortunately, the well did not ignite and explode, and there were no injuries to the well crew or emergency responders,” said Hanger. “Our preliminary assessment is that the environmental damage was modest as the frack fluid was contained and did not appear to reach any streams, but DEP is continuing its monitoring efforts because sometimes the impacts of a spill like this are delayed. We have noted that a spring in the area has shown a spike in conductivity and that discharge is being collected by EOG for proper disposal.”

The secretary noted that the company expects to have a more accurate estimate of the amount of fracking water that was leaked after it finishes draining the pits and waterboxes it deployed to collect the fluids. As of June 7, initial estimates totaled 35,000 gallons, although more was certainly released and the company believes this accounts for a majority of the leaked water.

DEP’s preliminary investigation has determined that a blowout preventer on the well failed, but the agency does not yet know if that failure was the main cause of the incident. The blowout preventer has been secured and will be one piece of the investigation.

EOG Resources, formerly known as Enron Oil & Gas Co., operates approximately 265 active wells in Pennsylvania, 117 of which are in the Marcellus Shale formation.

Read the full press release here. 

For more information, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us.