Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 16:06:23
I've got numerous links from our readers over the past couple of days. It looks like some major outlets are starting to catch on, or in the case of some, continue their fine work on hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) and the processes's potentially damaging effects on water.
Read more at Business Week, Pro Publica and the Scientific American. And thanks to all of you for the heads up.
UPDATE: Add these to yesterday's list. We've got ourselves a frackin' bandwagon. Denver Post. International Herald Tribune.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008 - 11:47:09
Monday, November 03, 2008 - 15:55:24
(Reserve Pit Near Greenwood, AR)
Teresa Marks, Executive Director of ADEQ, said reserve pits containing natural gas drilling waste will now be randomly inspected. It looks like all the pressure from the Times and from other concerned citizens might be paying off. As it stands, there aren't enough inspectors to randomly inspect every site. Maybe with some help from the legislature, that will change. Be sure to call your representatives and tell them you want more stringent guidelines for drilling waste, and more protections for our water.
Thursday, October 30, 2008 - 15:55:32
Max has had a couple of good posts today about the Game and Fish Commission. It turns out not everyone is as happy as they are that they got $35 million for the leases from Chesapeake Energy, but don't have to share it with anyone.
Check out the Arkansas Blog here and here for more info.
Thursday, October 30, 2008 - 15:45:48
Chesapeake Energy released their financial and operational results for the third quarter of 2008. Net income was 3.3 billion. Production was up 15% from third quarter results last year. Go here for the tiringly long report.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - 16:35:51
In honor of Halloween, why don't you send in your horror stories or other goulish experiences related to natural gas issues in AR, whether it's drilling, water issues, noise-complaints, or whatever else ails you. Feel free to include any other questions or concerns. Send to gerard@arktimes.com.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - 15:51:28
(Henrietta Wildsmith, Shreveport Times)
This is down around my neck of the woods (the Texarkana area). Shreveport is the parish seat of Caddo Parish. Apparently there was a gas line explosion today at about 130 p.m. One person was injured. The Shreveport Times has more.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - 13:46:07
How refreshing! Republicans in Pennsylvania are looking at the impacs of the Marcellus Shale play and trying to come up with honest solutions for dealing with possible problems. One solution: a natural gas tax. This might help take care of the roads once the trucks are gone, the schools once they're over-croweded, and maybe the water once it's polluted. Talk to some of the officials around here, like Sens. Johnson and Gilbert at the UCA Shale Summit, and you'll get a totally different view on how natural gas companies should be taxed.
Local officials worry about damage to local roads ill-suited for heavy truck traffic and equipment. School districts could be strained by families of gas company employees moving into town. And some residents are concerned about gas wells disrupting or polluting the water tables from which they draw drinking water.
Legislators must find the fairest way for companies to share those costs, whether by levying a tax or through some other means, said Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre, the GOP’s policy chairman.
“I do think there is an understanding that some sort of compensation for municipalities is warranted,” Corman said. “We just have to figure out the best way to do that.”
Get the full article here.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - 13:39:04
Is Shreveport the next Fort Worth? Drew Pierson of the Shreveport Times looks at shale developments in Texas and wonders if Louisiana can learn any lessons.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - 10:03:59
From contributor Rod Bryan:
When water is committed to a class 2 injection well, it is taken off the human radar. It is water that has been abandoned and cannot be reclaimed. Currently no agency in Arkansas is prepared to tell us the amount of water going into these wells. We've heard that the Arkansas Natural Resource Commission is "in the process" but shouldn't this have been in place well before the Fayetteville Shale rush of 2007-2008? Also, has anyone considered an alternate rehab of this water so that it might remain available for human use? Remember the guy who invented the Segway and that engine he made that distilled water from the East River?
It has come to our attention that various state agencies have memorandums of understanding regarding the complex inner workings of day-to-day operations. Is it not time to subject these memorandums to legislative and public review? We'd love to link to them right here right now. Couldn't we all sleep a bit better at night with a wee bit more transparency?
From 1997-2003, an average of 182 *reserve pit applications per year were made to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. In 2007 there were 1,024 such requests and in 2008, over 800 requests were submitted by mid-year.
This is on pace for a 900% increase!
Why was no money from the severance tax on natural gas delegated for this purpose? Federal funding to ADEQ has remained flat over the last several years. Perhaps now is the time to re-think the severance tax?
Earlier this year, the Oil and Gas Commission issued an order of cessation to a company that exceeded the pressure limit while drilling. This process is potentially disastrous if pipes burst from over pressurization. By law, we do not know the make up of the frac water that passes through these pipes. Can we imagine what it would be like to have unknown deadly contaminants in our groundwater? Perhaps we should consider mandating mechanical regulators that ensure no chance of human pressure errors?
Please consider, correct, and/or comment any and all of these observations in the comments below.
*Number One Google Ranking for the term: "reserve pit application" --dubious honor...
Thursday, October 23, 2008 - 14:01:15
It's been a crazy week around here. I haven't been able to keep up with the blog as much as I would have liked. There's been a lot going on. What with the meeting in Lonoke County (did anybody go?), and this from Pat Lynch this morning:
"State lawmakers question why the Department of Environmental Quality is asking for only four new regulatory positions to monitor Fayetteville Shale natural gas drilling, some saying that is not enough."
Finally! Some people are starting to pay attention to all this stuff. It looks like the Dem Gaz is finally in on the action with their story on the Lonoke meeting the other morning. If any of my eyes and ears out there attended the meeting, drop me a line. I want to get your input.
If you're concerned about the impact of natural gas drilling in your state, the only way to change things is to do it through the legislature. ADEQ needs more regulatory power, and some teeth to back it up. Write your elected officials!
Friday, October 17, 2008 - 16:18:00
Don't forget about the No New Coal Rally on the capitol steps tomorrow. From CheckOneTwo:
Please join us at the NO NEW COAL rally on the State Capitol steps this Saturday at 1 p.m. Great entertainment by socially-aware Arkansas acts: hip-hop from EPIPHANY, the folkie stylings of DAMN BULLETS, and the indie rock love from MAGIC HASSLE. Speakers educating us all on the harmful effects of dirty coal. This is an event where YOU can stand up and lend your voice. Come see us–tell Governor Beebe and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality to use their power to stop dirty coal.
Hope you can make it. The proposed coal plants would have a huge environmental impact on Arkansas.
Friday, October 17, 2008 - 16:08:43
An STW Water Reclamation Site
Well, they say if it sounds too good to be true, it's probably just what it seems, but this looks promising. GE Water & Process Technologies and STW Resources, Inc. have announced plans to reduce the amount of water that is wasted druing the fracking process. According to a GE press release,
The GE-STW collaborative will initially address the wastewater challenges of Barnett, Fayetteville and Appalachian Shale natural gas drilling plays - locations known for tough-to-treat wastewater. Utilizing GE patented Evaporator and Brine Concentrator technologies, the effort will help the regions reclaim approximately 70% of their hydraulic fracturing wastewater. The reclaimed water can be reused in the next well or safely returned back to the environment.
STW's webiste looks legit. They have a lot of pictures and some good info. I'm always skeptical, but being able to re-use 70% of frac water would greatly help the environment in gas-rich regions like ours.
Thursday, October 16, 2008 - 11:24:42
KATV ran a short news item on the ADEQ hearing in Prairie County on Tuesday night. However, if someone were watching the report I'm not sure they would really have any idea of what took place there or what the meeting was really about. I asked for a copy of the story and was pretty appalled at the lack of substantial information contained therein. Let's go through the report one graph at a time:
A STORAGE FACILITY FOR NATURAL GAS DRILLING IN PRAIRIE COUNTY WAS THE SUBJECT OF A PUBLIC HEARING TONIGHT.
I didn't realize a facility could store natural gas drilling in Prairie County... Who knew?
THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY HELD THE MEETING TONIGHT IN DES ARC TO DISCUSS A PROPOSAL THAT WOULD ALLOW A NEW COMMERCIAL NATURAL GAS WELL STORAGE FACILITY TO BE BUILT IN THE AREA.
A natural gas well storage facility? This just doesn't make any sense. The facility in question is a land-application site for drilling fluids, which may contain very harmful chemicals and have a negative impact on local wildlife, nearby streams or creeks, and ultimately drinking water.
PRAIRIE COUNTY LANDFARM HAS ASKED FOR THE PERMIT TO BUILD THE NEW FACILITY IN THE HICKORY PLAINS COMMUNITY.
There is no indication here that most of the citizens gathered at the meeting were opposed to the proposed permit. The only people in attendance who were in favor of the permit were the owners of the site themselves.
NO WORD WHEN A DECISION WILL BE MADE ON THE PROPOSAL.
The public comment period on the site was extended an extra 10 days, or until October 24th. If any of you have comments about this particular site, send them to ADEQ by then.
Pretty unbelievable. Why write anything at all?
Thursday, October 16, 2008 - 10:15:12
Oil giant BP is looking to possibly buy more natural gas properties from Chesapeake Energy. The WSJ reports the deal would be an early sign "that cash-rich global oil companies are prepared to embark on a spending spree as smaller natural gas producers scramble to raise cash amid declining energy prices and tight capital markets."
BP already purchased 25% of Chesapeake's Fayetteville Shale assets back in September.
BP has already done two deals with Chesapeake this year, spending a combined $3.65 billion to acquire fields in Oklahoma and a 25% stake in another field in Arkansas. A Chesapeake spokesman said the company wants to sell a stake in a Pennsylvania gas-field similar to the Arkansas deal. The spokesman declined to discuss BP's interest in acquiring additional assets. A BP spokesman also declined comment.
BP is under pressure to expand its portfolio of energy projects as concerns mount about its ability to expand production. The company has relied heavily on its Russian operations for future growth. But conflicts with the billionaire co-owners of TNK-BP, its Russian subsidiary, have put that strategy in question.
Thursday, October 16, 2008 - 09:21:12
There's been a lot of discussion here about the ADEQ hearing that was held in Prairie County on Tuesday night. Attendees have voiced their frustration with the event, which they believe gave an all-too-rosy picture of what happens at land-application sites for drilling fluids across the state. Here's a couple of letters that I've received over the past day and a half or so.
On October 14, 2008, ADEQ held a meeting on the proposed Prairie County Land Farm, LLC. The residents of the community of Cross Roads and the surrounding area made a solid case against the proposed dumping of byproducts of natural gas drilling from the Fayetteville Shale.
There is currently no active drilling in Prairie County. Citizens pointed out that dumping this liquid in reserve pits then applying it to the topsoil would contaminate the land, destroy wild life, contaminate the aquifer and streams in the area, as well as cause health problems to the residents due to the toxic chemicals residing in the liquid that they propose to dump.
ADEQ had a slide show showing this liquid being discharged on a beautiful green pasture, and all is happy in the world. This is by far not the case; the reserve and discharge area in the Carlisle area is a cesspool of toxins pooled on top of the ground and polluting the stream that lies parallel with the land application. ADEQ allows the permit holder to self-police the fluids that are being brought in to dump. ADEQ staff stated that the fluid did not contain toxins, but it is in their management plan for the pits. The 13 pits that exist in the state are all operating with violations and have never been shut down. Very few fines have been handed down for the violations.
Continue reading "Twice Poisoned: More From Prairie County" »
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 14:20:27
, AR - Henry Comer (owner).jpg)
Guess which one of these pictures (showing a land-application site for drilling fluids) was shown to an audience of concerned citizens in Prairie County at an ADEQ hearing last night. The picture was used to quell fears that fluids would be applied improperly, and if done correctly would look like the picture on the left. Most of the pictures I have seen from ADEQ inspection reports of these facilities look like the picture on the right. In fact, the picture on the left is from a land-application site in Greenwood, AR. I wonder why these don't show up at ADEQ meetings more often...
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 14:00:09
This from Deep Pockets (another great shale blog). Chesapeake is running a web caset of their stock holder meeting right now. You can listen in here.
Here is information provided by Chesapeake Energy in an Oct. 10 press release. The company is planning to discuss the topics below at its 2008 Investor and Analyst Meeting on Oct. 15 and 16.
The investor and analyst meeting is scheduled to be Web cast live from 2:30-5:45 p.m. on Oct. 15. On Oct. 16, the meeting will be on the Web from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Replay of the meeting will happen for 30 days on the Web. The Web cast can be accessed by going to Chesapeake's Web site and selecting the "News & Events" section.
A slide show presentation is also available on the company's Web site.
UPDATE: Looking over the agenda, it looks like tomorrow morning, at 9:15, Scott Sachs, VP of Geoscience, will give a presentation on the Fayetteville Shale. You can listen in by following this link.
Continue reading "Chesapeake Investor Meeting Online Now" »
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 09:45:34
ADEQ held a public hearing last night to answer questions and receive comments on a proposed land-application site for drilling fluids in Prairie County. Prairie County Landfarm, LLC, is seeking a permit to build reserve pits to hold, and then land-apply, drilling fluids from natural gas drilling operations.
Citizens of Des Arc are not happy about the plans. They have many concerns regarding the proposed land-application site, chief among them are the environmental impact on wildlife in the area. Citizens are also concerned about the impact on their town, roads and way of life in general. Prairie Co. Land Farm is set to accept fluids from over 100 trucks per day. That’s about one truck every 20 minutes rolling down narrow gravel roads and crossing school bus routes. They also wonder why their county has to accept this waste when there isn't one drilling site in Prairie County. ADEQ says they cannot speak to the traffic or highway concerns, and it seems the only recourse the people of Des Arc have in that regard is to take it up with the county judge who seemed just as defeated as everyone else in the room last night.
Basically what the meeting amounted to was a bunch of people in suits telling people in camoflauge hats and farm boots that everything was going to be alright when all the evidence suggests that’s not going to be the case. Attendees came armed with a list of current disposal sites and an even longer list of all their violations (inadequate walls around the pits, overflowing pits, improper discharge of fluids into nearby creeks or fields, etc.). ADEQ’s record of holding these sites to account is not very good, and these people knew that. They were asking for help in order to stop this operation from going in, and all ADEQ could do was shrug shoulders and basically say their hands were tied.
Continue reading ""They get the gold mine, we get the shaft!"" »
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - 12:53:03
From an ADEQ press release
PUBLIC HEARING ON LAND APPLICATION DRAFT PERMIT SET
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) will hold a public meeting and public hearing October 14, 2008, at Des Arc to discuss a proposed draft permit for construction and operation of a commercial natural gas well drilling fluids storage and land application facility in Prairie County. The event will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the AAM Building, 707 State Highway 11 North, in Des Arc.
The ADEQ will accept comments during the formal hearing portion of the event, which concerns a proposed draft permit for Prairie County Landfarm, LLC, P.O. Box 274, Cabot, AR 72023, The company proposes the construction, operation and maintenance of a commercial drilling fluids storage and land application facility on approximately 130 acres located at the intersection of County Line Road and County Road 739 near the Hickory Plains community.
Continue reading "REMINDER: ADEQ Hearing Tonight in Des Arc" »
