If
you are still wondering why there is such maintained and increasing support for
the #NoDAPL protectors, take a look at this:
This spill is part of the reason.
Just
think of the 60,000+ of gallons of oil pouring into the river that provides the
drinking water for over 10 million people.
Would
you drink, swim or eat anything near this river?
A
North Dakota oil well owned by Oasis Petroleum Inc blew out over the weekend
and has yet to be capped, leaking more than 67,000 gallons of crude so far and
endangering a tributary of the Missouri River, according to Ernest Scheyder of
Reuters.
The
cause of the blowout remains unknown, though state officials surmise it may
have been caused by hydraulic fracturing of a nearby well in a situation
referred to in the industry as “communication” between wells.
Thick
gray smoke rose from the Helling Trust 11-15H well site on Monday afternoon as
dozens of tractor-trailers hauled in vacuum trucks and other cleanup equipment.
Oasis is trying to cap the well by pumping in a thick mixture of mud and clay,
state officials said.
The
blowout happened at 11 p.m. local time on Saturday. The company worked all
weekend to regain control of the well, including flying in staff from its
Houston headquarters, but so far efforts have been unsuccessful, according to
state and local officials.
The well is about 15 miles south of White Earth, North
Dakota, in Mountrail County.
Scheyder
says, “Unlike most blowouts, this one did not produce a geyser of crude but a
smaller burst roughly 5 feet (1.52 m) in height that sprayed oil onto the well
pad. Some of the oil pooled onto the pad and some was carried by a light wind
to the White Earth River, a tributary of the Missouri River, roughly 850 feet
(260 m) down a nearby cliff.”
“This
is not your typical blowout,” said Bill Suess of the state’s Department of
Health.
A
light sheen of oil was on the nearby river, and a Reuters reporter counted at
least 16 absorbent booms that had been installed in an attempt to keep the oil
from moving downstream.
State
officials reported approximately 84,000 gallons of saltwater also leaked from
the well. Crude oil extracted from the state’s Bakken shale formation typically
contains high concentrations of brine (salt water) that must be separated.
Oasis
said it was working “to ensure that safe and thorough remediation efforts are
completed in a timely fashion.”
The
company has hired a Superior Energy Services to assist in capping the well.
Take
this oil spill into consideration when you are deciding whether or not you
should support the #NoDAPL movement.
Please
make the correct, wise and informed choice for the future of America, the
future of your children.
Source
: organic and healthy