- WV State Police Are Busy
The Wheeling Intelligencer and other news sources have reported seven (7) truck accidents in twelve (12) days, primarily in Marshall and Wetzel counties of the WV northern panhandle. One was across the Ohio River in Jefferson county, OH. Six of these trucks are known to have been serving the Marcellus shale gas industry, and possibly all seven.
1. August 19th — A flatbed pickup truck pulling machinery from a gas drilling site fell partially off of Rine’s Ridge near Graysville in Marshall county after a portion of road crumbled away. This truck had pulled over to the shoulder of the road to allow a larger truck to pass. A similar slip roughly 20 yards from Friday’s accident had recently been repaired. The stretch of road has seen heavy truck traffic over the past year, with signs at the bottom of the roadway warning motorists to use caution and beware of large trucks.
2. August 17th — A truck hauling a crane along U.S. 250 near Belton in Marshall county crashed and flipped onto its side, damaging a bridge. Officials could not confirm that vehicle was commuting to or from a gas drilling rig.
3. August 12th — A water truck serving drilling operations rolled over a 70 foot embankment on Huff Ridge Road in Wetzel county. No injuries occurred in this accident.
4. August 12th — A truck crashed on Ohio Route 43 in Jefferson county, OH, carrying chemicals to a drilling site. There were no injuries in this accident.
5. August 11th — A truck hauling drilling wastes rolled about 100 feet down an embankment on Blake Ridge Road in Wetzel county, smashing the truck’s cab.
6. August 10th — A truck serving a Stone Energy drilling site rolled off American Ridge Road outside New Martinsville in Wetzel county.
7. August 8th — A fatal accident occurred on US 250 near South Highland Avenue at Moundsville in Marshall county. The driver was killed. Apparently the brakes were defective on the tanker truck carrying by-products or wastes, possibly without the proper documentation in the truck.
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A Chesapeake truck wrecked in Marion County this evening, spilling 9 barrels of synthetic oil onto the road and into a stream that feeds into White Day Creek.
And what did Chesapeake have to say for themselves? Synthetic oil is more environmentally friendly than it used to be.
Really? A lot of things are more environmentally friendly than they used to be. That doesn’t mean we should dump them into our drinking water suppy. The gas industry’s arrogance knows no bounds.
http://www.wdtv.com/index.php/home/local-news/8488-first-on-5-news-exclusive-tanker-truck-spills-chemicals-in-marion-county-stream
Tanker Truck Spills Chemicals in Marion County Stream
Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 August 2011 22:24
Written by Zach Maskell
Wednesday, 24 August 2011 22:06
A tanker truck in Marion County hit a tree around 5:00 p.m on Wednesday, and sent chemicals into a stream that runs into the White Day Creek.
We spoke with a few of the folks who live nearby, and they told us Chesapeake Energy warned them not to let their animals go near the water.
Chesapeake officials say the third party delivery truck was going to their Bunner Ridge natural gas drilling site location.
Fire officials say that truck hit a tree and knocked open a valve, spilling what Chesapeake’s calling a synthetic-based oil. That oil is one of the chemicals used in the fracking method.
About nine barrels worth of the fluid spread about a mile and a half down the road.
Chesapeake officials wouldn’t release much on scene, but in a press release they said “There is no immediate threat to the environment.”
They also say they’ve put booms in the water to prevent it from spreading any further down the river.
They are expected to be on scene all night putting down absorbent on the road way, digging the fluid out of ditches, and sucking it out of the water.
Stacey Brodak at Chesapeake says the synthetic oil is more environmentally friendly than it used to be.
The Department of Environmental Protection was on scene to survey the spill.
This doesn’t include the truck accident that occurred at White Day Creek on the 24th: http://monongahelagas.wordpress.com/2011/08/25/tanker-accident-sends-fracking-chemical-into-white-day-creek/. So make that eight.