No one was injured, state officials called the environmental damage modest, and the well did not ignite - unlike a Marcellus well in West Virginia that leaked, caught fire, and injured seven workers last week.
The Clearfield incident prompted anti-drilling activists to renew calls for a moratorium on new wells, and state environmental officials promised an aggressive investigation.
Taking away a different lesson from the nerve-wracking experience were the members of the Clearfield County Commission.
While withholding judgment on the performance of the company whose well blew out, EOG Resources Inc., the three commissioners said in an interview Thursday that they had written to the Texas contractor whose rapid-response team capped the runaway well and impressed local officials with its daring.
They invited the contractor, Wild Well Control Inc., to locate an office in Clearfield so that next time there is a blowout, a crew would be poised to react more quickly.
"They need to be here in the region," said Commissioner Joan Robinson McMillen, a Republican, who added that there had been no response to the invitation. "We'd love to host them here."
Commissioner Mark B. McCracken, a Democrat, said the county still wanted a share of the gas boom's benefits. "Something positive could come out of this potential disaster," he said.
"This county's wealth is based on natural resources," said John Sobel, a Republican. "Historically it has been, and it will continue to be."
The commissioners anticipate more Marcellus blowouts - an expectation that is not unreasonable.
