Chesapeake Rig Takes Out Utility Poles
Wheeling Intelligencer
17
November 2010
By Casey Junkins
CAMERON - A flatbed truck carrying a Chesapeake Energy natural gas
drilling rig flipped while traveling on Cameron Ridge Tuesday
afternoon, closing the road and taking out several utility poles in the
process.
"There have been accidents before, but this is the first time they have
taken down power lines," said Mike Mucheck, deputy director of the
Marshall County Office of Emergency Management regarding the drilling
companies. "They seem to bring a lot of inconvenience."
An American Electric Power spokesman said all electricity should be
restored by this morning, and other officials said the road should be
reopened by today. Mucheck said the truck would be transported to
Cameron.
Marshall County Sheriff John Gruzinskas did not know late Tuesday if
the driver of the truck would be cited for the accident, or if there
were any injuries in the crash.
Jim Richardson, operations manager with Mercer Well Service, working on
behalf of Chesapeake, said the accident occurred around 1:30 p.m.
Tuesday, when the rig caught a power line, breaking a utility pole. He
said drilling equipment has traveled on the road many times with no
problems.
"The Mercer Well Service Rig was traveling on a permitted route.
Emergency responders were contacted immediately," Richardson added via
e-mail.
"A portion of the road was closed until the power company was on the
scene to safely resolve the issue. There were no injuries, other
damages or any other vehicles involved in the incident."
This traffic accident is but one example of the hazards the drilling
industry can cause on West Virginia's rugged terrain. The Wetzel County
Action Group - on its website at www.wcag-wv.org - showcases photos and
videos of large trucks running off the side of roads that are not
designed to handle such vehicles.
Also, a Chesapeake gas well on Pleasants Ridge near Cameron ignited in
September. For this incident, West Virginia Department of Environmental
Protection officials cited Chesapeake for "failing to prevent the
release of natural gas and the potential pollution of waters of the
state."
However, Chesapeake is not the only driller to experience such
difficulties. An AB Resources well about 6 miles south of Moundsville
exploded in June, after workers penetrated a methane pocket in an
abandoned coal mine.
State regulators ultimately cited AB Resources for failing to set
casing at the permitted depth for the site, and for inaccurately
reporting coal seam depth.
Still other residents have complained about possible water
contamination and air pollution caused by the heavy drilling activity
in Marshall and Wetzel counties.