Drilling mishap roils neighbors

McALLEN — A malfunction at a Shell natural gas drilling site has prompted safety concerns from nearby residents who have long complained of the company's presence in their neighborhood.

On Tuesday, a hose that transports lubrication to the drill bit at a Shell natural gas site came lose, causing a loud popping sound, said Kelly C. op de Weegh a spokeswoman for Shell Oil Company.

The drill site - off McColl Road south of Expressway 83 - has been opposed by residents of the Fairway Grande subdivision since the city granted Shell two drilling permits for the area earlier this year.

Op de Weegh said about 20 gallons of fluid was released during the incident, but it was all contained to the drill site and cleaned up that day.

She said the rig's safety equipment automatically shut the rig down within eight seconds and no one's safety was in danger.

"Regardless, it was startling, but ... there was little safety risk," Op de Weegh said.

Residents of the Fairway Grande disagree.

They say the incident underscores their concerns about the risks of having drill sites so close to their neighborhood. There are seven wells or drill sites in and around Fairway Grande.

The noise during the hose malfunction was "unbearable," said Marte de Alejandro, a resident of Fairway Grande. He said it was louder than a fighter jet at full throttle.

"We certainly don't want to go through this anymore," de Alejandro said.

Op de Weegh said the company plans to continue drilling at the site for another month and will then evaluate whether it is worth pumping natural gas there.

Shell officials have said they take safety concerns seriously and have 24-hour on-site supervision, safety valves and extensive emergency management training to mitigate risks. Meanwhile, city officials say they were obligated to grant Shell the drilling permits, since there is no evidence of potential for danger at the site.

Shell has also downplayed residents' concerns about the risk of explosions and the release of toxins from drill sites.

But Shell is in the unusual position of defending its safety procedures at the same time it is fighting off a lawsuit from the family of a worker who was fatally injured at one of its gas well sites.

Sergio Rincon Sr. died after getting injured in a forklift accident April 6 at a site operated by Shell on Jackson Road south of Ridge Road in Pharr.

Rincon was employed by Nabors Drilling, which Shell had contracted to perform drilling services at the site.

According to the suit, another Nabors employee was using a forklift to move equipment when the load fell off and hit Rincon's head. Rincon, 51, was hospitalized and died from his injures April 10.

The suit accuses the companies of failing to provide proper training and supervision.

Op de Weegh declined to comment on the suit but called the death tragic.

In their response to the suit, Nabors and Shell both argue that due to Nabors' employment agreement, Rincon's case must be submitted to binding arbitration as opposed to a jury trial.

They also suggest that the negligence of other parties contributed to Rincon's death.

Op de Weegh noted that the safety issues surrounding the forklift accident are separate from the sort of concerns residents have about the well safety.

Shell officials met with residents of Fairway Grande Wednesday night, but community members seem to be growing increasingly frustrated that their fight to boot the wells from their community seems futile.

Several weeks ago, residents met with Shell officials as well as city leaders to discuss similar concerns.

"The only guarantee we could have (of safety) is for them to not be so near a populated area," de Alejandro said.

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Ryan Holeywell covers McAllen, PSJA, the Mid-Valley and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446.