GhostBlogger sent this in:
A natural gas compressor station had an explosion and fire on Tuesday in the Jonah Field in Wyoming. Two people were hurt, but one local news report was more worried about the damage to the equipment than the injuries or environmental damage:
“…(company spokeswoman Kayla) Macke said it’s too soon to speculate on the impact to production
or the duration of the shut-in.”
Let’s not let any casualties stand in the way of profits! Chesapeake wants to put 15 compressors near
neighborhoods.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Any info as to the radius/area affected by the explosion proper, the fire, and the resulting (increased) plume?
The damage radius & detail were not given yet, but it made a decent sized smoke cloud:
http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/two-suffer-injuries-in-fire-explosions-at-wyoming-natural-gas/article_1e7e73ac-e3a0-563a-bff1-0b6a716457da.html
We in Minisink Valley, New York are fighting the proposal of natural gas compressor station here in our town. The MInisink Valley Compressor Station is to be built by Millennium Pipeline, whose parent company in Nisource. The fear of an explosion is one of the many reasons we dont want the compressor station. They want to put ours smack in the middle of a residential area. We are scared to death and what happen Jonah field is precisely the thing we are afraid of. We hope everyone is well and nobody got hurt. Hopefully these gas companies start considering the safety of these things and especially keep them out of residential areas. Are first home is roughly 600 feet away from the proposed site and we have 145 homes within a half mile. Hopefully the government steps in to help us.
Don’t count on Fire Departments to aggressively fight a fire at a compressor station. It’s far too dangerous to do that.
http://www.pinedaleroundup.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=2294
For an example of how wide the kill zone can be around a large pipeline (gas compressors are hooked up to them), the 12 campers near Carlsbad, NM, that were killed by a gas pipeline failure in 2000, were 675 feet away from the rupture site, & all had lethal burns.
US Senators are also getting complaints about gas compressor siting issues:
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/business/display.htm?StoryID=129002
Artimus PA had a gas compressor explosion on November 3, 2011:
http://energy.aol.com/2011/11/03/midnight-pennsylvania-explosion-fuels-new-marcellus-gas-safety-c/
http://www.wrta.com/pages/11375061.php?
People within 2 miles of the compressor station were evacuated. Think of the havoc that kind of evacuation would create in a crowded suburb.
Wow! I wonder why we never heard about this one?
Everyone’s concerns and comments are legitimate here. However, being someone that has been directly involved with natural gas compressor facilities over the last twenty years, I have only heard of a few. While compressors are potentially dangerous, there are procedures available to make them far less dangerous. Statistically speaking, it is highly unlikely that most of us will ever be impacted by an accident such as this. Large corporations that have vast experience in compression operations will be more willing to talk with folks and discuss your fears and concerns. And unfortunately sometimes they choose to ignore and not address those concerns for fear of lost profit, I agree. But try and keep an open mind in that just because a company wished to install a compressor facility, doesnt mean that there will an explosion or problems. These installations of gas delivery and compression equipment must be maintained, and it requires trained and skilled people to do that, so it creates jobs in areas otherwise are economically stale. The benefit for a comunity far outwieghs the concern in providing jobs, retail revenue, home construction, and dollars received by towns from royalties. Dont be afraid to voice your concern and opinions, but try and keep a open mind and listen to what these companies have in mind to protect your interests and well being. Be safe and be happy folks!
In our experience, which is vast in the Barnett Shale, the rate of problems associated with compressor facilities is 100%. Maybe there are few explosions but the problems are endless.