Well Blast Prompts Call for Stricter Regs
Fatal natural gas explosion in Indiana Twp. was state's 2nd since
June
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
25 July 2010
By Jim McKinnon
The fatal explosion Friday at an oil and gas well in Indiana Township
was an anomaly in this state, once the world's leader in commercial
production of oil and natural gas, according to the state Department of
Environmental Protection.
Still, the agency will call for more stringent regulations for oil and
gas prospectors in the state, beginning with a previously scheduled
public meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at its headquarters at The Waterfront
in West Homestead.
Friday morning's blast was the second recent explosion at a well in
Pennsylvania, DEP spokeswoman Helen Humphreys said. No one was injured
in the previous blast on June 3 at a Marcellus Shale well in Clearfield
County.
"Whether that's an unfortunate, tragic coincidence, I don't know," Ms.
Humphreys said Saturday, about 24 hours after the explosion killed two
subcontractors working for a local drilling company.
That company, Huntley & Huntley Inc. of Monroeville, posted a
message on its website offering sympathy for the families of the two
victims and promising to cooperate with local authorities while it
conducts its own investigation.
In its message, the company also noted that the explosion, which
occurred about two miles deep into the woods off Rich Hill Road,
involved a shallow oil well that also generated some natural gas. The
well was not drilled into the Marcellus Shale bed.
On Saturday, authorities identified one of the victims as Kevin Henry,
46, of New Florence. Autopsies conducted Saturday were inconclusive for
both victims, the Allegheny County medical examiner's office said.
The second man, whose name has not been released, was burned beyond
recognition. Forensic investigators said they will have to rely on
dental records for positive identification.
The two men had been working at the site with a third man who was not
injured.
Police have not released his name, but they said he has provided
information for the investigation.
The blast at the two-year-old well caused a fire and flung a
12-foot-by-8-foot oil storage tank about 70 yards from the site.
Investigators -- including the county fire marshal and police
detectives, township police, the federal Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives -- have not determined its cause.
The well is one of a handful in Indiana Township owned by Huntley &
Huntley Inc., which operates about 350 wells in Western Pennsylvania.
No other injuries were reported at the blast site, although three
firefighters from Springdale Township -- among the estimated 200
emergency workers who responded -- were treated at a hospital for
smoke- and heat-related problems.
Allegheny County Emergency Services Chief Robert Full could not be
reached Saturday for comment on the investigation.
Huntley & Huntley, in its statement, said routine maintenance was
being performed on one of two oil storage tanks when the explosion
occurred. Subcontractors were performing the work, according to the
statement.
As the gas-fueled fire burned, the company called in experts from Wild
Well Control in Houston, Texas. Three workers safely capped the well
within an hour of their arrival Friday night.
On Friday, EMS Chief Full said local firefighters had been directed
only to keep cool water pouring on two other oil storage tanks at the
site.
Explosions at oil and gas wells had been almost nonexistent in
Pennsylvania until the previous blast in Clearfield County, the DEP's
Ms. Humphreys said.
"There's been a lot more oil and gas drilling, and any time you have
increased activity, there's the potential for problems," she said.
"That's why the DEP is proposing new regulations to strengthen the
instruction standards for oil and gas wells."
Those proposed regulations will call for better casing of wells with
cement.
The state code on drilling appears to focus on requirements to insure a
well is registered, drilled and constructed properly, and maintained or
safely capped or plugged when it is spent.
There appear to be few provisions for emergencies like Friday's
incident, although drilling companies are required to post bonds and
notify the DEP within 24 hours of any emergency.
No regulation presently requires a drilling company to make
arrangements to have experts like those who work for Wild Well Control
available within Pennsylvania.
In Pennsylvania this year, 3,345 well permits have been approved. This
includes five new ones in Indiana Township among the 31 granted in
Allegheny County.
The highest number granted this year was in Bradford County, where 468
had been granted through June.
Jim McKinnon: jmckinnon@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1939.