A partial list . . . more fracking nonsense coming your way down a railroad track, highway or river real soon.
Charge your video camera, get a YouTube account and put a tort lawyer on speed dial. Or just ban it. That works too.
The next time some gas bag says, “Fracking can be done safely,” or some such drivel, show them this list:
April 201404/11/2014 April 30–A CSX train carrying fracked crude oil derails and bursts into flames in downtown Lynchburg, VA, spilling oil into the James River and forcing hundreds to evacuate.
April 30– Two oil workers die and nine others are injured in an explosion at a RKI Exploration and Production well site in West Texas. Loving County Sheriff Billy Hopper says the workers were operating a rig that separates production fluids, such as oil from water. April 27– Zachary Buckles, 20, of Glasgow, Mont, dies at a Continental well site 5 miles south of Williston, ND of apparent H2S gas exposure. This is the 38th oilfield death investigated by OSHA since fiscal year 2010. April 25-Eight families sue a natural gas company for personal injuries they attribute to fracking operations in AK. April 25–Four people are injured, due to a lightning strike a Southwestern Energy gas drilling site in Faulkner County, AK. April 23–Around 20 garbage cans full of illegally dumped oil filter socks are been found north of Crosby, ND. April 23–An explosion at a Williams natural gas processing plant Opal, Wyo. causes the evacuation of the town. April 22–A six-person Dallas jury awards a middle-class north Texas ranching family nearly $3 million from Aruba Petroleum Inc. company whose drilling caused years of sickness, killed pets and livestock, and forced them out of their home for months. April 18–500 tons of soil is removed after a “significant leak” is discovered at a frack pond operated by Range Resources. There are questions as to whether or the DEP was properly notified. April 10–Chevron is cited with nine violations for their February gas well explosion in Greene County, PA including one count of refusing to allow state investigators onto the property, in violation of oil and gas laws. April 9–High pressure causes approximately 650 barrels of oil and 450 barrels of brine to spill from a tank on an Oasis Petroleum site in ND. April 9–A substance used to give natural gas its odor leaks from a dehydration station in Wyoming County, PA. April 7–A 37-year-old worker is found dead at a Noble Energy pump station in WV. April 7–An illegally dumped “frack sock” (a filter used in the process that can be radioactive) is discovered along the road in Dunn County, ND. April 5-Six families are evacuated after a 12-inch pipeline operated by Williams explodes. The cause of the explosion and fire is thought to be shifting earth. April 5– David Zamora, 43 from Victoria Texas, is crushed to death by a piece of heavy equipment at the Rice Energy Big Foot Pad Smith Township, Belmont County, OH. April 4– A compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle explosion kills 59-year-old Gerald Throw, of Sobieski, Wis. and injures passenger, 29-year-old Jose Perez of Green Bay. Sheriff’s officials say a box-style truck was slowing to make a turn into a parking lot of Ace Manufacturing Inc. when its load shifted, potentially compromising the truck’s compressed natural gas fuel system. That fuel system detonated. April 2–A semi-truck tips over in Marshall County, WV spilling hazardous material on the road. The road is closed for nearly 12 hours. Reports indicate several drums containing poisonous liquid spilled onto the road. A HAZMAT crew was called to work to clean up the mess. The driver of the truck was not endorsed to carry this kind of dangerous material and citations are pending, according to deputies. April 2– True Oil Llc is cited by the DEP for violation of 78.55 – No Control and Disposal/PPC plan or failure to implement preparedness, prevention, and contingency (PPC) plan in West Mahoning Twp., Indiana County, PA. The PPC plan involves the transfer of drilling waste. April 1– Atlas Resources Llc spills and “unknown amount” of brine that is carried out of the secondary containment because of “[r]ecent precipitation events.” A vegetation kill is noted. March 201404/11/2014
March 31–Between 300 and 1,000 people are evacuated whenthe Williams Northwest Pipeline facility, in Plymouth WA explodes and catches fire. Deputies say they don’t yet know when residents will be allowed to return home.
March 31–Stone Energy Corp cited for 78.55 – No Control and Disposal/PPC plan or failure to implement PPC plan in Elk Twp., Clarion County, PA. March 31–Stone Energy Corp cited for 78.55 – No Control and Disposal/PPC plan or failure to implement PPC plan in Ashland Twp., Clarion County, PA. March 27-Rex Energy (Re Gas Dev Llc) cited for 78.56LINER – Improperly lined pit in Lancaster Twp., Butler County, PA. March 25-At least 1,638 gallons of tar sands oil leaks from BP’s Whiting refinery into Lake Michigan. March 25-A tanker truck rolls over in Harrison County, OH spilling drilling mud. The driver took the turn too quick, rolled into the opposite lane and ultimately into a ditch. March 25– Swepi Lp is cited with 78.54 – Failure to properly control or dispose of industrial or residual waste to prevent pollution of the waters of the Commonwealth in Liberty Twp., Tioga County, PA. March 22-A 4-mile wide oil spill is discovered by hikers in Utah’s popular Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. March 21–On a DEP “Incident- Response to Accident or Event,” XTO (Exxon Mobile) is cited with SWMA301 – Failure to properly store, transport, process or dispose of a residual waste in Buffalo Twp., Butler County, PA. March 21– On a DEP “Incident- Response to Accident or Event,” XTO (Exxon Mobile) is cited with SWMA301 – Failure to properly store, transport, process or dispose of a residual waste in Connoquenessing Twp., Butler County, PA. March 21– Rex Energy (Re Gas Dev Llc) fails to properly store, transport, process or dispose of a residual waste (SWMA301) in Forward Twp., Butler County, PA. March 20– Trimont Energy Llc illegally discharges industrial waste to waters of Commonwealth without a permit (307CSL) just outside of State Game Land 25 in Cranberry Twp., Venango, PA. This is their forth violation at the site in 10 days. March 17-A 5-inch crack is discovered in a Sunoco pipeline running through the Oak Glen Nature Preserve in Ohio. The EPA calculates that more than 20,000 gallons of crude oil leaked before anyone noticed. March 13-Approximately 30 gallons of toxic brine spills from a Williams gathering line Susquehanna County, PA. Ice had built up in an aboveground pipeline connection between the Jeffers Farms wells and the Zick Compressor Station near Route 106, causing the pipes to discharge brine. March 12-Trimont Energy Llc is cited with 78.56(2) – Failure to maintain 2 ‘ of freeboard in an impoundment near State Game Land 45 Venango County, PA. March 11-Trimont Energy Llc is cited with 78.54 – Failure to properly control or dispose of industrial or residual waste to prevent pollution of the waters of the Commonwealth near State Game Land 45 Venango County, PA. March 11-Officials find over 200 industrial-sized black garbage bags filed with radioactive frack filter socks in an abandoned gas station in Noonan in Divide County. March 10-A spilt wellhead is discovered on an XTO site in Indiana County, PA spraying oil, brine water & “white water.” March 4-A massive explosion and fire at an oil and gas drilling site north of Greeley, CO rocks neighbors out of their beds. There are reports of injuries. 02/13/2014 Feb 26-A gas well blowout in Acadia, LA has forced the evacuation of 40 people within 1 ½ mile of the well. It will several days before the well is capped.
Feb 20-Cabot is cited with “Operator shall prevent gas and other fluids from lower formations from entering fresh groundwater. Failure to operate and construct the well to ensure the integrity of the well is maintained and health, safety, environment, and property are protected” in Dimock, PA. Feb 18-XTO is cited for “Improper casing to protect fresh groundwater Inadequate number of centralizers installed on surface casing. Spacing was 200′, whereas regulations dictate that spacing should be no more than 150′ apart” at a well in Forward Twp., Butler County, PA. Feb 15–Flames from a well fire in Greene County, PA go out 3 days after exploding. One worker is injured and other is missing and presumed dead. Feb 13-More than 600 barrels of wastewater spilled at an Oasis Petroleum well site in Williams County, ND. Feb 13–A Whiting Petroleum Corp oil well in North Dakota is leaking between 2,000 and 3,000 gallons per day of fracking fluid after a blowout preventer failed. Some material reaches a nearby stream. It take several days to control. Feb 13–A NiSource gas pipeline explosion in KY injures two and levels two homes. A nearby barns and cars are set ablaze. 20 homes near the 60 ft. crater were evacuated in the middle of the night Feb 13–1,000 gallons of crude oil spill when 21 rail cars crash in Westmoreland County, PA Feb 12-A gas well in Greene County, PA explodes. One worker is injured and other is missing and presumed dead. The fire burns for days. Feb 12– Oil sprays onto agricultural land next to a Zavanna site in ND. Feb 12– Approximately 35 barrels of oil spills from a Newfield Production Co. site in McKenzie County, ND. Some of the oil had sprays onto the snow and a small frozen pond near the site. January 201401/07/2014
Jan 31-A Canadian National Railway Co train carrying fuel oil and other hazardous materials derails and spills in southeast Mississippi, forcing the evacuation of nearby residents.
Jan 31-A Tulsa, Okla., is fined $1 million for dumping 4,700 gallons of crude oil into a tributary of the North Platte River. An independent contractor was regularly draining produced waterinto the creek. Company officials were aware of the discharges, but did not report them to the authorities, the investigation found. Jan 27– 1,000 gallons of crude oil spills into the Delaware River from a Monroe Energy LLC site in Delaware County, PA Jan 27-A tank battery farm explodes in OK. Jan 27-A tank battery farm explodes in OJan 25-Flames shoot 200-300 meters in the air when a pipeline operated by TransCanada explodes South of Winnipeg. Jan 24– Daniel Rice, 33, dies when his wastewater truck explodes in Knoxville, AR. It appears methane gas had built up in the tank which triggered the explosion. The explosion is felt as far away as a mile and a half from the scene. Jan 23-Flame shoot 100 ft. in the air when a gas well explodes in Boston Heights, OH. Workers on the site told witnesses “they heard something weird so they ran for their lives.” Jan 22-A pipeline ruptures spilling 1.6 million litres of wastewater in Alberta. Jan 21-Old Glory Energy is cited for an improperly lined pit in Clarion County, PA Jan 20-Train cars carrying crude oil and sand derailed on a Philadelphia bridge early this morning, leaving the cars intact but leaning over the Schuylkill River. Sources suggest that the oil was from the Bakken Shale. Jan 18-Wastewater pits flood after heavy rains and snow in Kennetcook, Canada. Jan 16-The Brown family in Texas, blame 32 earthquakes in the past few months that have damaged their property on nearby waste injection wells. Jan 9-A worker is flown to a Youngstown, OH hospital with a head injury he suffered while clearing ice from a pipeline. Jan 9-A federal judge imposes more than $280,000 in financial penalties on a Marcellus Shale surveying firm and a foreman who were caught using 19 undocumented Mexican workers on a project in northeastern Pennsylvania. Jan 7-Train cars carrying crude oil and propane derail and explode causing the evacuation of about 150 residents in New Brunswick. Jan 6-The Williams Natural Gas compressor station catches fire in West Windsor, NY. Jan 2-A tank explosion at a JB Oil & Gas site in Tyler County, WV send one worker to the hospital and sends fluid onto the ground.  |
Great list. Thanks for compiling! Just a note: I think you want to relabel the top of list as “April 2014” as opposed to “April 2013”
Done, thanks Nancy. This list is updated regularly, stay tuned.
Chris, what happened to the rest of this year? I read just above that “This list is updated regularly. . . .” How often?
workin’ on it
stay tuned
Thank you for the hard work in tracking all this, please keep updating.
G. W. BUSH: “MY BEST PHILOSOPH IS JESUS CHRIST”
Energy Policy Act of 2005
“Following four years of unsuccessful attempts to pass an energy bill, the 109th Congress took up an energy bill again in 2005, with a House version passing in April and a Senate version passing in June. The Senate and House both approved a conference bill with substantial majorities in late July, and the President signed the bill on August 8. ACEEE estimated the bill would save about 2% of U.S.energy use in 2020, compared to about 10% for a bill with our recommended efficiency provisions.
See the press release, Conference Energy Bill Misses the Big Targets, for ACEEE’s comments on and summary of savings estimates of the final bill.
Comprehensive summary of the final bill
Efficiency Title. The energy efficiency title includes new equipment efficiency standards for 16 products and calls for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to set efficiency standards via a rulemaking on three products. Aside from provisions on standards, this title addresses combined heat and power, appliance labeling, research and development, efficiency in federal and public facilities, building energy codes, public housing, and other efficiency topics.
Tax Title. The final bill includes $2.3 billion in incentives for high-efficiency vehicles, new and existing homes, commercial buildings, and for manufacturers of high-efficiency appliances.
Vehicle Fuel Economy. EPACT 2005 marginally weakened the existing CAFÉ situation. ACEEE analysis indicated that full use of this loophole could erode actual fuel economy of the U.S.fleet by up to 5%.
Electricity Title. In the electricity title, the final bill contains new Public Utilities Regulatory Practices Act (PURPA) compromise language that sustains the ability of combined heat and power facilities and other non-utility power generators to sell power into utility grids.”
What is the “Halliburton Loophole”?
The “Halliburton Loophole” refers to legislation introduced in the 2005 Energy Policy Act that exempts hydraulic fracturing and oil and gas drilling from certain sections of the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 and the Clean Water Act of 1972. As such, the Halliburton Loophole legislation represents a significant reduction in federal oversight of drilling and fracking operations.
The Energy Policy Act passed in Congress and was signed into law by President George W. Bush in the summer of 2005. The act was the result of a four year period of bipartisan negotiation in an effort to establish sweeping federal policy reforms in a diversity of energy platforms including coal, nuclear, hydroelectric, ethanol, and oil and gas6. Changes introduced included the creation of new safety standards, the restructuring of licensing procedures, the subsidizing of energy research, and of course, the exemptions that constitute the Halliburton Loophole.
What does Halliburton have to do with it?
As the discovery of vast amounts of natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation has made drilling and fracking a pressing issue in the densely populated east coast of the United States, the term “Halliburton Loophole” has become increasingly apparent in popular culture. However, the actual legislation it refers to does not actually mention Halliburton in any capacity. Where did this term come from?
Mainly, this form of reference stems from the involvement of then Vice President Dick Cheney in the insertion of the exemptions into the 2005 Energy Act. Cheney was chairman of the Energy Policy Task Force established by President Bush—an organization that wielded heavy influence in the 2005 legislation and recommended inclusion of the exemptions8. Cheney was also a former executive of Halliburton. In a secondary capacity, the term is resultant of the fact that Halliburton has always been strongly associated with fracking. Although experimental hydraulic fracturing methods were first developed in the late 1940s by Stanolind Oil, the fracking process was first patented under the name “Hydrafrac” by the Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Company in 194910.
In short, the term “Halliburton Loophole” is a result of associations between Halliburton and the insertion of the exemptions as well as between Halliburton and the technology itself. The “Halliburton Loophole” does not in fact refer specifically to Halliburton or grant the company any special powers or exemptions.
The Halliburton Loophole and the Safe Drinking Water Act
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was implemented in 1974 with the goal of preserving the purity and safety of the limited supply of potable water in the United States. The act granted and enhanced federal regulatory power over industrial operations with the potential to cause pollution in drinking water supply. In fact, the SDWA constitutes the bulk of the EPA’s authority to enforce protection of US water supply11. A special focus of the SDWA is the establishment of extensive restrictions on “underground injection” which is defined as “the subsurface emplacement of fluids through well injection” 3. This definition would include fracking operations and subject them to any and all restrictions outlined in the Act.”