Energy In Depth: Today’s News
IPAA advocates fact-based hydraulic fracturing study. Oil & Gas Journal. “The Independent Petroleum Association of America will work to ensure that an upcoming study on hydraulic fracturing is scientific, based on facts, and includes input from the oil and gas industry as well as state regulators. Various speakers at IPAA’s annual meeting in New Orleans discussed the attention and concerns raised by some members of Congress and some environmental groups about fracing and its safety. Water management issues have come into play because of suggestions by some industry critics that fracing chemicals might get into ground water. There has been no definitive evidence of that in various studies that have been done.”
API publishes guidelines for safe fracing. Fort Worth Business Press. “Less than a month after the state of Pennsylvania fined a gas exploration and production company more than $50,000 for spilling chemicals during drilling, the American Petroleum Institute has published, for the first time, its suggested guidelines on how best to drill and hydraulically fracture wells without damaging the environment, even while the debate about who gets to regulate hydraulic fracturing – state or feds? – continues. The API published a 36-page document, titled API HF1: Hydraulic Fracturing Operations–Well Construction and Integrity Guideline, intended to offer best-industry practices for the proper drilling and cementing of wells that are being hydraulically fractured while ensuring that shallow groundwater aquifers and the environment are protected throughout the drilling processes and beyond. “These are general principles or guidelines that will result in a good well,” said Andy Radford, an API senior policy adviser.” NOTE: Click HERE to view this document on-line.
Natural gas should be the vehicle fuel of the immediate future. Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Sen. Mark Udall and T. Boone Pickens. “Too often in Congress, and in our political debate, people stake out a position and, in the course of defending that position, refuse to credit anything their opponent is saying. We’ve all seen that. When it comes to passing a clean energy plan for the United States, we need to take a broader, longer look at all of the tools we have at our disposal to accomplish two very important goals: Enhancing national security and reducing our dependency on foreign oil. … With recent improvements in the techniques and technology to recover natural gas from the enormous shale deposits under the continental United States, studies indicate we could have natural gas deposits that would last for more than 100 years. This is a sea-change from what we thought our natural gas reserves were prior to being able to utilize these so-called “shale plays.”
All change as gas reserves soar. BBC News. “Natural gas, more than any other fuel, is an option we have here and now,’ he tells the BBC in an interview. And, he adds, there is plenty of it around – unlike scarcer resources such as oil and coal. Given that Mr Bjornson heads up the gas division at the Norwegian energy giant Statoil, it comes as no surprise that he should hail the virtues of gas. … New techniques have been developed, where liquid, chemicals and sand is injected horizontally into shale rock to break open pathways for the gas to leak to the surface. The shale gas reserves are expected to boost economic growth, help reduce carbon emissions and reduce US dependence on energy imports, Mr Dea predicts. ”It is truly a win-win-win situation,” he says. … “We look at shale gas as a potential game changer.”
La. will profit from shale. The (LA) Advocate. “State officials say a north Louisiana natural gas cache is continuing to generate income for state government. State Natural Resources Secretary Scott Angelle said the Haynesville Shale field is helping flatten out the rate of decline in revenues from oil and gas production. But the state is maybe five years away from the tax income that would help prop up state revenues, Angelle said. New drilling techniques unearthed in north Louisiana possibly one of the largest natural gas fields in history.”
Interest soars across state in Marcellus Shale drilling. Centre Daily Times. “Susquehanna County is “inundated.” That was the word chosen by MaryAnn Warren, a county commissioner, to describe Marcellus Shale natural gas exploration in the county, situated in one of the busiest drilling areas in the state. “Susquehanna County is inundated with drilling, fracking, water trucks, residual waste trucks and more companies coming in,” Warren said. “People are going to get rich, but I am worried about our natural resources.” State Department of Environmental Protection figures show the number of Marcellus Shale gas drilling permits issued statewide has more than tripled this year. About one-third of the permits have been issued for sites in the Northern Tier counties of Susquehanna, Bradford and Tioga.”
Gas producers aim to hold steady. Casper Star-Tribune. “Natural gas production levels in Wyoming have mostly held steady this year in the midst of a huge drop in drilling activity. Now some of the major players are making steps toward moderately increased levels of drilling for 2010. “We’re relatively upbeat about the Rockies right now, because of the differentials and pricing we’re seeing are a lot better than they’ve been in the past. The transportation out of the Rockies is better, and that improves the economics of production in Wyoming,” said Chip Minty, spokesman for Devon Energy. Wyoming’s Consensus Revenue Estimating Group recently issued a cautiously optimistic forecast noting that this year’s natural gas production may be slightly higher than 2008. Rather than a big rebound in 2010, “the recovery is expected to be gradual,” according to CREG’s revenue forecast.”
Shale gas could be greener alternative. BBC News. “Next month, world leaders head to Copenhagen searching for solutions to climate change and ways to reduce carbon emissions. Conventional energy providers such as Statoil, Norway’s oil giant, are searching for greener alternatives. One possible solution could be unconventional gas sources such as shale gas. Large deposits of the gas are being exploited in the US, where new hydraulic fracturing technology has made it viable, and it is hoped that it could provide 50% of supply in the country in 20 years.”
Pipelines a must for Marcellus drilling to take place. Ithaca Journal. “Drilling rigs and tanker trucks won’t roll into the Southern Tier to extract wealth from the Marcellus Shale until pipelines have been laid to keep it flowing. That will be no small task. According to information from the state Department of Public Service, pipeline permitting applications could quadruple from current levels as multi-national energy companies lay the infrastructure to tap the Marcellus. State regulators anticipate a network of them crisscrossing the Southern Tier to be built before Marcellus wells are developed.”
