House exploded in Greene County on Halloween! WHY?

From an Article by Anya Litvak, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, December 20, 2018

Each day since a house in Clarksville exploded on Halloween, a Peoples Natural Gas worker has visited the home’s hollowed shell to monitor for signs of leaking gas.

Some days it’s there at a “highly elevated level,” said Barry Kukovich, a spokesman for the North Side utility. Others it isn’t.

State regulators and several gas companies with wells and pipes in the area are still sorting through clues about whose gas leaked into that Greene County home before the explosion.

Many gas samples have been taken and analyzed and investigators for the state Public Utility Commission are preparing to excavate several areas around the site for still more sampling, according to PUC spokesman Nils Hagen-Frederiksen.

With a dense soup of coal and gas infrastructure in the area, the investigation can take months, Mr. Hagen-Frederiksen warned.

Beyond pinpointing the source of the gas — “the what” as he called it — the PUC also wants to know “the why.” “Is this an isolated thing or is this a symptom of a broader problem,” Mr. Hagen-Frederiksen said. “And if so, what is necessary to address that.”

Morgan Township in Greene County is a complicated laboratory.

Within a half-mile radius of the burned down house is a well pad with five horizontal Marcellus wells, four gas storage wells that plunge down to a storage field underlying the area, and three other old gas wells. In addition, two inactive coal mines meet below the property and at least three pipelines also fall within the half-mile ring.

Investigators are analyzing gas samples from these features to match their signature to the gas detected at the site of the explosion. But the fact that all this infrastructure is so close together could mean gas from one source gets mixed with gas from another, confounding the analysis.

For example, the gas that Peoples delivers to area homes is sourced from local Marcellus Shale wells, like the ones on EQT Corp.’s Hildebrand well pad across the street from the former home of Mike and Lora White.

Peoples shut off its distribution line to the home on the day of the accident, when Cody White turned on a stove burner and the house he shared with his parents, his girlfriend and their young son went up in flames. Mr. White, and his girlfriend and child were airlifted to a hospital burn unit. According to updates on Facebook fundraising sites, they were released shortly after and are all doing well.

Peoples said that its gas line has been shut off since the accident and that a pressure test of it the day after the blast revealed no leaks.

EQT is also doing an internal investigation, said spokeswoman Linda Robertson.

“Although we are still awaiting results of some of the tests, to date there has been no evidence to indicate the accident resulted from an issue with an EQT production well or pipeline,” she said, including the company’s gas storage field in that assessment.

The PA Department of Environmental Protection, which along with federal pipeline regulators and the fire marshall, is involved in the investigation, also found the nearby storage wells and associated pipelines to be in good shape, according to inspection reports done in early November.

Mr. Hagen-Frederiksen said that while the investigation may stretch on for a while — the last time the PUC investigated a house explosion, it took more than a year to memorialize its findings — the area of the explosion continues to be monitored daily to collect data and to protect public safety.

A log-cabin house near the blast site that was evacuated after high gas readings were detected there remains empty. It is also being surveyed daily.

SEE ALSO THE ORIGINAL STORY: Anya Litvak: Gas explosion levels a house in Greene County

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State Impact Pennsylvania —- Your Guide to Pipelines

https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/tag/pipelines/

Marcellus natural gas pipeline and shut-off valve

From an Article by Reid Frazier, NPR State Impact Pennsylvania, November 2, 2017

A New York company is planning to build a natural gas plant in Pennsylvania’s biggest coal county. Hilltop Energy Center LLC, a Huntington Bay, N.Y.-based company, is proposing to build a 600-megawatt natural gas power plant in Cumberland Township, Greene County.

Construction on the plant could start in November 2018, says William Campbell, III, an environmental consultant for the project. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) held a public hearing Thursday in Carmichaels, Pa. for the facility’s proposed air quality permit.

The project is among dozens vying to take advantage of Pennsylvania’s booming gas industry. Energy firms have proposed over 40 gas-fired projects in Pennsylvania since 2011, according to federal data. Fourteen are under construction or operating.

In southwestern Pennsylvania, five gas plants have been proposed, and one –Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station – is under construction, said Alan Binder of the DEP’s Southwest Bureau.

Campbell says the state’s surge in natural gas production is the main reason why the company is building the plant in Greene County, the largest coal-producing county in the state. “There is a surplus of gas, which means gas prices are very low, and predictions are they’re going to stay very low, which makes it very economical and makes this a great region for this kind of plant,” Campbell says. “Greene County has the site, it has a receptive population here that is good for this (type of project). It’s the right location.”

Binder said that since Pennsylvania does not meet federal standards for ozone, a pollutant that can exacerbate asthma and cause lung disease, the plant will be required to install equipment to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds–two classes of chemicals that create ozone.

In addition, the plant will be required to purchase Emissions Reduction Credits, or ERCs, to displace the pollution it will create by buying credits for pollution reductions from plants that are cleaning up or shutting down.

The plant will employ 20 to 30 full-time employees once completed.

The PA-DEP will take public comment on the plant’s proposed air quality permit until November 12, 2017.

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Pittsburgh, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)

The proposed natural gas-fired combined cycle power plant has a 620 MW generating capacity. Hill Top applied for air quality plan approval in March 2017.

Individuals may submit written public comments to the attention of Alexander Sandy, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, asandy@pa.gov, or fax to 412-442-4194. Written testimony must include the commenter’s name, address, and phone number and reference the proposed Hill Top Energy Center Plan Approval (PA-30-00233B). Public comments will be accepted until November 12, 2017 at 11:59 PM.

A copy of Hill Top Energy Center’s application, DEP’s technical review memo, and other relevant information is available for review at DEP’s Southwest Regional Office at 400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

Appointments to review the application materials can be made by calling 412-442-4000.

Documents are also available on DEP’s Southwest regional webpage, http://www.dep.pa.gov/About/Regional/SouthwestRegion/Community%20Information/Pages/default.aspx, or by visiting Flenniken Memorial Library, 102 E. George Street, Carmichaels, PA.

Chevron's Lanco Well Pad Fire

Chevron fined $940,000 for fatal gas well fire in Greene County PA

From an Article by Stephanie Ritenbaugh, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 1, 2015

Chevron Corp. is facing a nearly $940,000 fine from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, in addition to a $5 million settlement related to a fatal gas well fire in 2014 in Greene County, PA. (The location is near Bobtown, close to the Mason-Dixon line, i.e. the WV state line.)

The PA-DEP said Monday that it will fine a subsidiary, Chevron Appalachia LLC, for violations related to a fatal explosion at the company’s Lanco well site in Dunkard Township, Greene County.

“The penalty points to Chevron’s failure to construct and operate the well site to ensure that health, safety and environment were protected, as required by the state’s Oil and Gas Act,” the PA-DEP said.

Last week, the San Ramon, Calif.-based company agreed to pay $5 million to settle a wrongful death suit involving Ian Robert McKee, a worker who was killed at the explosion at the Marcellus Shale well site on February 11, 2014. Another worker was injured in the incident.

Mr. McKee, 27, was a field service technician for Houston-TX-based Cameron International Corp., a contractor to Chevron. Mr. McKee was at the well site in Dunkard with a crew of 19 other contractors when it exploded, igniting flames that were fed by leaking natural gas for five days before they finally extinguished themselves.

The explosion happened as workers were preparing the Lanco 7H well for production. The force of the explosion damaged and ignited another well, the Lanco 6H, on the same well pad.

Chevron has since inspected other wells with similar installations and has made operational changes and issued guidelines on how those changes are carried out, according to the PA-DEP.

Of the $5 million settlement, about $2.9 million will establish a trust for Mr. McKee’s son, Ian Robert McKee Jr., according to court documents filed last week. Mr. McKee’s fiancee gave birth to their son months after the incident. (Ian McKee was living in Morgantown, WV, while working at the Lanco well site.)

NOTE: This Marcellus shale gas well pad fire burned for many days. The fire was so hot that residents of the area were kept over 2 miles distant and some local roads were not accessible. Chevron offerred a certificate for a free large pizza and a bottle of soda pop for those who were inconvenienced by this event.

See also: www.FrackCheckWV.net

Driver killed after water tank truck goes off Route 88 in rollover crash in Greene County

From a News Report of WTAE, News 4, Pittsburgh, July 16, 2014

JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP, Pa. - A driver who carried water for the oil and gas industry was killed after his large tank truck rolled over, hit another vehicle and crashed into a Greene County woman’s garage.

Sky 4 flew over the accident scene Wednesday afternoon on Route 88 in Jefferson Township, not far from Clarksville Road, and showed the truck lying on its side in a grassy area off the side of the road.

Video in Original Article: Watch Ashlie Hardway’s report

State police said Leroy Melvin Knisley, 42, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, lost control of the tanker truck on a curve, traveled into the opposite lane, and rolled over the hillside.

Helicopter video showed the garage ripped apart, and debris scattered around the truck, which had an ECM Energy Services logo on it.

Frances Biel was outside checking on her vegetables when she got the fright of her life. She estimated that she was 10 feet away when the crash happened.

“I was in my garden and, of course, I can’t hear real good, but then all of a sudden I hear a ‘bing, bang’ and then I happen to look and my garage was coming toward me,” Biel said. “I thought it was going to meet me too, but it didn’t.”

And this wasn’t the first time. “I’ve built I don’t know how many garages — three for sure,” Biel said. “It must be going to happen all the time, by the looks of it.”

“We’ve had cars every time you turn around in the yards, one way or the other,” neighbor Earl Arnold said. “There’s times I’ve sat there and I just hear the tires squeal and I’m waiting on it to come through my house. You just get used to it, and you hope they don’t come through, but you hear them squealing and you think they’re coming.”

State police said Thursday they will soon begin running radar in the area to in an effort to curb speeders. Residents told police speeding is an issue in that stretch of Route 88.

“It was brought to their attention, both from being at the scene and from citizens also in the area that brought up the fact that it is a pretty sharp bend in the roadway. There have been multiple accidents in that particular location from what they feel might be a problem with speeding,” said Trooper Stefani Plume. “They do plan to go out, if they have a chance, and hang out in the area, run radar in the area.”

PennDOT spokeswoman Valerie Petersen said crews will be replacing the damaged guard rail and at that time will assess if PennDOT can do anything to make the road safer. Several yellow signs warning drivers of bends already exist, and Petersen said the 45 mph speed limit is appropriate for that stretch of roadway.

The driver of an SUV that was hit was flown to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. Police said she suffered moderate injuries. Sky 4 video showed her vehicle with a shattered windshield, sitting on a flatbed tow truck.

From an Article of Forbes.com, April 24, 2013

A truck carrying drill cuttings from a hydraulic fracturing pad in the Marcellus Shale was rejected by a Pennsylvania landfill near the end of April after it set off a radiation alarm. The truck was emitting gamma radiation from radium 226 at almost ten times the level permitted at the landfill. The MAX Environmental Technologies truck was first quarantined at the landfill, which is operated by MAX, and then sent back to the fracking pad—Rice Energy‘s Thunder II pad in Greene County—to be redirected to a site that can accept higher levels of radiation.

“It’s low-level radiation, but we don’t want any radiation in South Huntingdon,” Tom Cornell, a township supervisor where the landfill is located, told the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. The cuttings in the truck were found to emit 96 microrem per hour of radiation, and the landfill is required to reject materials that emit more than 10 microrem. The EPA’s standard for air pollution is 10,000 microrem per year (also known as 10 millirem/year).

Originally this story stated the radiation level in the truck was below EPA’s air-pollution standard for radium-226. But Pennsylvania measures radiation in hourly emissions and EPA’s standard in terms of yearly emissions. The radiation level in the truck is roughly 84 times higher than EPA’s standard.

Radium 226 is a naturally occurring radioactive material that forms from the decay of uranium-238. It emits alpha and gamma radiation, and it tends to accumulate in bone if inhaled or ingested, according to EPA:

“Long-term exposure to radium increases the risk of developing several diseases. Inhaled or ingested radium increases the risk of developing such diseases as lymphoma, bone cancer, and diseases that affect the formation of blood, such as leukemia and aplastic anemia. These effects usually take years to develop. External exposure to radium’s gamma radiation increases the risk of cancer to varying degrees in all tissues and organs.”

Radium is a well known contaminant in fracking operations, particularly in the Marcellus Shale formation.

“The material in question was radium 226, which is what we expect from shale drill cuttings,” said John Poister, spokesman for Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection. “Every landfill in the state has radiation monitors, and this showed the system did work.” MAX has applied for a permit to accept a higher level of radiation at its South Huntingdon landfill.

Pennsylvania claims to be “the only state that requires through regulation that landfills monitor for radiation levels in the incoming wastes.”

The location of Rice Energy’s Thunder 2 well pad is just a few miles north of Monongalia County, WV, and a few miles east of Marshall and Wetzel counties in the far southwestern corner of Pennsylvania.

“Should waste trigger a radiation monitor, the landfill must use a conservative and highly protective protocol that DEP developed to determine if the amount and concentration of the radioactive material can be accepted. This protocol ensures that the materials, such as Marcellus Shale drill cuttings and other sources of naturally occurring radiation in the waste stream, do not pose a risk to public health during disposal.”

Radium is also perceived as a threat to water quality. The brine that returns to the surface after hydraulic fracturing has been found to contain up to 16,000 picoCuries per liter of radium-226 (pdf). The discharge limit in effluent for Radium 226 is 60 pCi/L, and the EPA’s drinking water standard is 5 pCi/L.

In January the Pennsylvania DEP announced it would undertake a year-long peer reviewed study of radiation contamination associated with fracking wells.

“The agency will collect samples of flowback water, rock cuttings, treatment solids and sediments at well pads and wastewater treatment and waste disposal facilities,” according to a DEP news release. “The study will also analyze the radioactivity levels in pipes and well casings, storage tanks, treatment systems and trucks.”

Robert Shipman of Greene County, Pa. and  owner of Allan’s Waste Water Service was arraigned on 98 charges relating to the illegal dumping of loads of waste which included Marcellus shale drilling wastewater and sludge and restaurant slop.  The news story states that vast quantities of waste water were illegally dumped between 2003 and 2009 in a half-dozen Pennsylvania counties.