On Thursday, environmental groups said that if offshore drilling is permitted by President Obama, a blowout at a groping well near the coast of the Beaufort Sea highlights the danger to the pristine Arctic Ocean environment. On Wednesday, no crude oil spilled onto the tundra and none of the workers got hurt in the incident. However, approximately 42,000 gallons of drilling mud was discharged out of the well which was owned by Repsol E&P USA Inc. Colville River Delta’s blowout also released natural gas that could have caught fire.
In a statement, Pamela Miller of the Northern Alaska Environmental Center in Fairbanks said that what it shows is that there can be blowouts with exploratory wells thumping pockets of gas. On the other hand, Lois Epstein of the Wilderness society said that the well was drilled by a well known company which has a lot of experience. Adding further, he said that before drilling began, their plans were analyzed by the Alaska Oil and Gas conservation commission. In a statement, Lois Epstein said that drilling is a risky business. She said that accidents can never be predicted. Adding further, Lois said that some areas are sensitive to drilling and if you allow drilling in those areas then one has to take protective measures. Meanwhile, a member of Alaska Oil and Gas Conservative Commission, Cathy Foerster said that on Thursday, water and little amounts of gas continued to pour from the well. Cathay said that workers must hang around for gas to entirely clear before starting machinery that can be used to recover control of the well.
Adding further, she said that the root of the incident has not been determined so far but the investigation is still under way. It all started when Nabors Drilling, Repsol’s contractor infiltrated a shallow gas pocket at approximately 2,535 feet. The release of force resulted in a gas thrust that sent drilling mud discharging out of the hole. Drilling mud is used to grease the drill shaft and carry cut rock to the surface.
