Natural Gas Well Ruptures in Pennsylvania, Causes Spill and Evacuation

We’ve long covered the issue of gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale across New York, Pennsylvania and other Eastern states and here’s a reason why as a Pittsburgh news outlet is reporting:

Natural gas and drilling fluids are spewing from an out-of-control well in Clearfield County. Emergency officials said a mile-wide area has been evacuated after an operation drilling into the Marcellus Shale ruptured on Friday. The FAA has issued a flight restriction in the immediate area.

According to a news release from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, a well which was in the frack process ruptured in Clearfield, spilling frack water and unignited wet gas.

This spill is likely a toxic mix of who know what (because industry won’t reveal what’s in their fracking fluid). So yeah, it’s not just off-shore drilling that is an environmental and human health threat and it’s not just oil.