THREE OHIO OIL &GAS EXPLOSIONS, WELL BLOWOUTS OR GAS RELEASES IN TWO WEEKS –TWO WORKERS ARE DEAD AND ANOTHER INJURED

THREE OHIO OIL &GAS EXPLOSIONS, WELL BLOWOUTS OR GAS RELEASES IN TWO WEEKS –TWO WORKERS ARE DEAD AND ANOTHER INJURED

Noble County sheriff identifies dead worker from oil well explosion

November 13, 2014 SUMMERFIELD, Ohio (AP) — Authorities say a worker at an eastern Ohio oil well has died in an explosion at the facility.

Noble County Sheriff Stephen Hannum said in a statement Thursday that 48-year-old Norman Butler of Virginia died in the accident Wednesday afternoon near the CONSOL Energy well pad, about 40 miles north of Marietta.

Authorities say the explosion occurred near an oil well head and caused a fire, which was contained but continued to burn Thursday. Rescuers were also still on the scene late Thursday morning attempting to recover Butler’s body from the site.

A spokeswoman with Blue Racer Midstream, which owns and operates the facility, says all production wells and pipelines at the site have been secured. She says the company will continue to work with authorities to investigate the accident.

Norman Butler, 48, was an electrical contractor working on a pump condensate operated by Blue Racer Midstream.

The pump moves condensate, a toxic liquid that is a byproduct of oil and gas production, from oil and gas wells into pipelines that lead to processing facilities.

Butler would have been testing and calibrating electrical components on the pump, said Bill Strickland, vice president of Buffalo Gap Instrumentation and Electrical, the company that employed Butler.

The explosion was the second major incident in Ohio in two weeks for Blue Racer.

On Oct. 28, a Blue Racer pipeline caught fire in Monroe County, just east of Noble County. The pipeline was carrying natural-gas condensate from eastern Ohio to a natural-gas processing plant in West Virginia.

The October fire burned several acres of woods and forced families from their homes.

Blue Racer is a relatively new company formed by two larger energy companies: Dominion, headquartered in Richmond, Va., and Caiman Energy II, based in Texas.

The company also recently was cited by the Ohio EPA for violating an air-pollution permit in Carroll County after nearby residents complained about odors near one of the company’s facilities. Tests showed higher-than-allowed levels of volatile organic compounds.

Nikoloric, of Blue Racer, said the company was working to resolve the EPA violations.

There have been several other incidents at fracking sites in Ohio this year, including a Jefferson County well that ruptured last month, releasing natural gas and methane into the air and forcing evacuation of nearby homes.

And in June, a fire at a Monroe County well pad caused a spill that stretched 5 miles along a nearby creek and killed more than 70,000 fish and wildlife.

Worker killed in pumping skid accident in Ohio's Noble County

November 13, 2014

A statement today from Blue Racer Midstream:

DALLAS – Nov. 13, 2014 – Late yesterday afternoon at approximately 4:15 p.m. an accident occurred at a condensate pumping skid in Noble County, Ohio that is owned and operated by Blue Racer Midstream (“Blue Racer”). The skid is adjacent to a CONSOL Energy well pad which was not operating at the time of the accident. The accident resulted in the death of an employee of Blue Racer’s electrical contractor. The name of that employee is being withheld pending notification of family members. There were no other injuries to Blue Racer or CONSOL Energy employees or contractors.

The Noble County Sheriff’s office arrived on the scene immediately following the incident along with local fire departments, the Noble County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), and the state Fire Marshall. The site has been secured and all production wells and pipelines have been shut in and secured. Safety is our first concern. With that in mind, we will work closely and diligently with all of the proper authorities as they investigate the accident.

Everyone at Blue Racer Midstream is deeply saddened by this event. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family members and friends that have been affected. We would like to extend our appreciation to Noble County Sheriff, Stephen S. Hannum, and his team, and to local fire departments, the Noble County EMA, and the State Fire Marshall for their rapid response.

MANDATORY EVACUATIONS FOR GAS WELL LEAK - Investigation into gas well incident under way – Jefferson County, Ohio

October 30, 2014

MINGO JUNCTION - Residents were allowed to return to their homes yesterday and an investigation into a malfunction at a gas well near the Mingo Sportsmen's Club off county Road 26 that allowed natural and methane gas to leak into the atmosphere is now under way. This was a Utica Shale gas well.

Jefferson County 911 Center Director Rob Herrington said the mandatory evacuation, that at one point included residents from approximately 400 homes, was lifted at 6:45 a.m. Wednesday.

"The well head site was secured and the danger has passed," Herrington announced in a press release.

"We initially ordered the evacuation for a two-mile radius surrounding the well head site. That was then cut back when the weather improved last night. We were concerned because we had 94 percent humidity and rain showers that were holding the natural and methane gas close to the ground," explained Herrington.

Herrington said representatives from the Texas-based Boots and Coots International Well Control Inc. were flown in to work on the gas well, "that released millions and millions of cubic feet of gas. The well head was releasing 5,900 pounds per square inch and it was a very dangerous situation.

"There was a concern that the valves at the well head had been sheared off, but the Boots and Coots crew was able to get down in the well and get the valves to work and to get them shut off at 6:45 a.m. today. That's when we released the evacuation order," continued Herrington.

"The Ohio Department of Natural Resources was on the scene today starting its investigation into what exactly happened last night. We aren't sure yet but hope to have a follow-up with the press within the next couple of days," Herrington said.

Heidi Griesmer of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday night, "the Ohio EPA is responding to an incident at an oil and gas well in Jefferson County. The company reported the release to the Agency's 24-hour spill hotline immediately. Ohio EPA is working with local officials and first responders, as well as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and will be onsite until the incident is under control," noted Griesmer.

"Everyone cooperated last night and I am pretty pleased with the outcome. No one was injured. The law enforcement and fire departments worked very well under the circumstances going door to door to inform the affected residents and get them out of their homes. And the public cooperated with us, which made the job easier," said Herrington.

Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla said Buckeye Local schools were closed Wednesday because of the gas leak.

"We used the Buckeye Local school buses last night to transport the people who had to be evacuated to evacuation centers in Brilliant and Smithfield," he said.

"At one point we had 13 deputies there along with the Wells Township and Smithfield police and firefighters from the Brilliant, Hillndale, Wintersville and Smithfield assisting us with the evacuation. There were a lot of doors to knock on, but everyone did a very good job," said Abdalla.

"There was no fire but there was the risk of an explosion because of the gas being leaked at the site," added Abdalla.

He said the gas leak initially was reported at approximately 7 p.m.

According to Herrington, the well is owned by American Energy Partners of Oklahoma City, with offices in Ohio based in Cambridge.

USA, OH, JEFFERSON CO, OCTOBER 31 2014. MANDATORY EVACUATIONS FOR GAS WELL LEAK HAS BEEN LIFTED UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29 2014, 07:52 AM EDT

The mandatory evacuation in Jefferson County is over at this time. Residents that were forced to leave their home overnight Wednesday due to gas leak along township road 187 can return home. Officials say the well site owned by American Energy Partners is secured at this time and there is no current danger to the public.

Original Story: A gas well leak is causing major evacuations in Jefferson County. Officials say it happened near Fernwood State Park and the Mingo Sportsmen's Club. The specific location is along Township Road 187 near County Road 26. We're told the call came in around 7:45pm. Officials say residents could hear and smell the gas, which we're told is natural and methane gas. Officials believe that a well head owned by American Energy Partners sheared off. There is no fire but that is a concern. The Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency has issued a 1 mile radius mandatory evacuation. Officials have opened up the community center in Brilliant for residents if they need a place to stay. Residents will be unable to return to the area until the leak is fixed. To do that, a specialized group from Houston is being brought in. Here are the roadways affected by the mandatory evacuation: Township Rd 177 - Cross Creek Township Rd 177A - Cross Creek Browns Hill Rd - Cross Creek Sheep Rock Rd Call United Way at 2-1-1 for information. United Way is providing shelter at the Wells Twp. Senior Center, Smithfield Volunteer Fire Department, and Buckeye North Elementary in Brilliant.

Drilling worker injured in Guernsey County explosion

October 27, 2014

A well worker in Guernsey County was injured late Friday in a well explosion.

The injured worker was airlifted to the burn unit at Akron Children's Hospital.

The well near Quaker City is being drilled by Pennsylvania-based Eclipse Resources.

The accident occurred about 11:41 p.m. Friday.

The name of the injured worker was not released.

Few other details were immediately available.

On November 14, 2014, another worker died at a fracking site

In northern Colorado today, a man was killed and two others seriously injured when a frozen high-pressure water line ruptured. One man was hit by a stream of water or fracking fluid and was killed by the impact.

The Colorado men were working for Halliburton, which had been contracted to perform fracking operations at the well. A Halliburton spokeswoman said the injured men were flown to nearby hospitals.

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