Rig Damaged After Marcellus Shale Fire, Chief Says (6/7 WV)

[RamboLiberal]

June 7 (Bloomberg) -- Chief Oil & Natural Gas LLC said a rig was damaged in a fire after workers hit a pocket of methane while drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale near Moundsville, West Virginia.

“We will be able to continue drilling once we get a new rig in,” Kristi Gittins, a spokeswoman for Chief Oil, said in a telephone interview. Seven workers suffered injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening, she said.

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The accident comes after a “blowout” June 3 at a natural gas well operated by EOG Resources Inc. in Pennsylvania. The incident sent natural gas and drilling fluids onto the ground and 75 feet (23 meters) into the air, according to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.

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More accidents will increase pressure on state and federal agencies to create and enforce stronger regulations for the development of onshore oil and natural gas, Amy Mall, senior policy analyst with the Natural Resources Defense Council, a New York-based advocacy group.

“When people have this in their backyard they realize existing regulations aren’t strong enough,” said Mall in a telephone interview. “And even the existing regulations on the books are not being enforced sufficiently.”

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-07/rig-damaged-after-marcellus-shale-fire-chief-says-update1-.html

Yet I know a group of about 50 homeowners in an HOA who are hot to allow this in their suburban backyard. All they hear is the propaganda from the drilling company and the $$$$'s in royalty checks. Sad they aren't thinking of the greater good of their neighbors and their state's water supply.