Rawlins Field Office
| Contacts: | Serena Baker | |||
| 307-212-0197 |
Second Nadel & Gussman Oil Spill Discovered
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rawlins Field Office (RFO) reports a second oil spill has been discovered at a Nadel & Gussman (N&G) well in the Espy Unit, near Bridger Pass Road south of Rawlins.
BLM crews conducting an on-site inspection of a previous N&G oil spill at a tank battery discovered more than two weeks ago in the same field, found another area of contamination on public land approximately two miles to the northwest. An unknown amount of oil has leaked from the pumping unit stuffing box on an N&G oil pad, and flowed downhill roughly 150 yards. The contamination is not threatening any water source. The spill was not detected earlier as the road has been blocked by snow.
BLM has issued a Shut In Order to N&G, required immediate containment of the new leak and has issued a notice of violation to the company for failure to report the spill. The new spill has been reported to the Environmental Protection Agency, which is still on-site overseeing clean-up of the first oil spill.
RFO’s hazardous materials team will be monitoring the situation. For more information, contact Hazmat Coordinator Mike Newberry, 307-328-4247.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Rawlins Field Office 1300 North Third Rawlins, WY 82301