ConocoPhillips Alaska says gas release source is controlled

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - ConocoPhillips Alaska says a shallow gas reservoir that a waste disposal well had come into contact with was the source of a natural gas release first detected last month at one of its North Slope drill sites.

The company says in a video that it has identified and controlled the source of the release, which was first detected on March 4. The company says it’s in the process of plugging and permanently abandoning the waste well. The well was intended to be used for the regulated disposal of oil field waste.

A report from the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission listed the cause of the release as under evaluation. The commission, which oversees oil and gas drilling in the state, is investigating the incident.