November 5, 2009
posted on: Nov 05, 2009
IPAMS Meetings and Announcements
$50 Million Wyoming Lease Backlog
BLM is currently holding $50 million worth of unissued leases in Wyoming. IPAMS has been trying to work through the hold up. In a meeting in early August, then Acting BLM Director, now Deputy Director of Operations Mike Pool, said he had just signed off on leases from the June 2008 sale, and the leases were ready for issue. In a follow up call later that month, Deputy Wyoming State Director Larry Claypool said they were just putting the finishing touches on the documentation to clear up the protests, and they should issue the leases by the end of August. Now it’s the beginning of November, and not a single lease has been issued.
In talking to the state office again today, it turns out they’re waiting on a sage grouse policy to be issued by Washington, and will not issue leases until the protests can be cleared in light of the new policy. This is another example of the Dept. of the Interior slowing the onshore oil and gas program. We are taking a two-pronged approach to this. IPAMS is trying to set up a meeting with BLM Director Bob Abbey to talk about this and other pending issues such as an imminent announcement from DOI on major reforms to the oil and gas program, including severely limiting use of statutory categorical exclusions. At the state office level, we are suggesting that they at least start issuing leases without sage grouse habitat. Wyoming BLM would like to write one response to the protests for each sale, and then process the sales in order, but IPAMS believes they should write a response to non-sage grouse related protests, and use that to issue leases from all sales. We are seeking a meting with the State Director.
In a Wyoming leasing related story, fifteen parcels were deferred from the December sale because of proximity to the Adobe Town Wilderness Study Area. This is again a similar pattern of arbitrarily withdrawing parcels in areas that are eligible for leasing per detailed resource management planning documents. As in Utah and New Mexico, where leases have been deferred due to proximity to National Parks, DOI is extending the boundaries of WSAs and National Parks as an excuse to slow oil and gas activity in contradiction of BLM’s multiple use mandate.
Click here to see IPAMS’ reaction in an Associated Press article on the Wyoming lease deferral
IPAMS Service and Supply Sector Outlook: What We Have Overcome and What Lies Ahead?
November 17, 2009
IPAMS will host a featured discussion on the Service and Supply Sector Outlook on November 17, 2009 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Westin Tabor Center. A networking cocktail reception will follow.
Industry experts Will Matthews with Ensign United States Drilling, Kevin Bailey with Cameron International and Randy Yeager with Halliburton Energy Services will be leading a discussion on important and timely topics such as:
-Hydraulic fracturing fluid disclosure
-Wellhead vendor consolidation
-Consequences of decreased activity in the Rockies in 2009
-How to lower long term costs for while providing work commitments and ROI for service providers
-Impact of legislative proposals
Please click here to register for this event.
Contact Becca Ness with any question regarding this event.
Reel Slanted: Split Estate Movie Long on Anecdote, Hyperbole; Short on Facts, Evidence
Energy In Depth has put together a break down of the anti-energy documentary, which separates fact from fiction on history, performance of hydraulic fracturing. IPAMS is a partner of Energy In Depth and continues to coordinate industry response to the misinformation about this safe and critical industry practice.
Click here to read the film’s analysis.
IPAMS Board of Directors Member Peter Dea Presents at the ASPO International Peak Oil Conference
This presentation contains a wealth of relevant information and IPAMS hopes you will find it useful.
Click here to view “Abundant Natural Gas Supply: An American Treasure”
IPAMS is Hiring
IPAMS is seeking to fill two staff positions:
Qualified applicants should send a cover letter and resume to EnergyWest2010@gmail.com.
Other Upcoming Meetings
* Utah Basin Advisors Network – November 10th at 10:00 a.m.
* WRAP Phase III Wind River Projections – November 10th at 1:30 p.m.
* Air Quality Committee – November 17th at 3:00 p.m.
Agendas are available for upcoming meetings at http://www.westernenergyalliance.org/advocacy/. All meetings unless otherwise indicated are Mountain time, and at IPAMS and via teleconference.
Visit westernenergyalliance.org for the latest news affecting the Intermountain West’s oil and natural gas industry. Headlines are updated daily from local, national and international news sources. You may also sign up for daily newsbrief emails under the Manage Account section of the “Members Only” page.
The West
BLM to collect higher drilling permit application fee
published in: Oil & Gas Journal on: 11/5/2009 by: Nick Snow
The US Bureau of Land Management has begun collecting a $6,500 processing fee for each new oil and gas drilling permit application. The new fee, which became effective on Nov. 2, is $2,500 more than previously, the agency said. BLM noted that the fiscal 2010 US Department of the Interior appropriation, which became law on Oct. 30, directs the agency to collect the higher amount to reimburse the US Treasury for the estimated cost of processing each new drilling permit application. BLM said it developed guidance for its field offices to carry out the congressional directive. Previous collection and handling policies remain in effect except for the amount, it said. [end of article]
State lowballed cost of green tax breaks
published in: Oregonian on: 11/03/2009 by: Harry Esteve
State officials deliberately underestimated the cost of Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s plan to lure green energy companies to Oregon with big taxpayer subsidies, resulting in a program that cost 40 times more than unsuspecting lawmakers were told, an investigation by The Oregonian shows. Records also show that the program, a favorite of Kulongoski’s known as the Business Energy Tax Credit, has given millions of dollars to failed companies while voters are being asked to raise income taxes because the state budget doesn’t have enough to pay for schools and other programs.
Lawmakers see strength uniting on energy
published in: Billings Gazette/Casper Star-Tribune on: 11/01/2009 by: Dustin Bleizeffer
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is the most famous cartel in history. Now a handful of lawmakers in Western states are wondering aloud if the same sort of collaboration might work for them. “What’s going to come next from me and my leadership group? We are going to seek out producer states, and seek out leadership in other states like North Dakota and get them together and bring our message back to D.C.,” said Alaska Rep. Kyle Johansen, R-Ketchikan. Johansen was among some 75 lawmakers to attend the Western States Energy & Environment Symposium last week in Jackson Hole. He appeared to have support from fellow lawmakers in Utah, Idaho, Montana and North Dakota.
Colorado
BLM pulls parcels from Colo. lease sale
published in: E&E Landletter (Subscription Required) on: 11/5/2009 by: Eryn Gable
The Bureau of Land Management has pulled thousands of acres of Colorado public lands from its planned oil and gas lease sale next week, including acreage near the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, habitat for Colorado River cutthroat trout and what would have been the first geothermal parcel offered by the agency in Colorado. BLM spokeswoman Erin Curtis said the agency decided to defer leasing on 7,750 acres near McInnis Canyons until the agency completes its resource management plan for the area, which is expected in 2011. The parcels include lands near a scenic byway and in wintering habitat for pronghorns.
Colorado Gov Pushing Natural Gas
published in: KUNC Radio on: 11/04/2009 by: Bente Birkeland and Kirk Siegler
Governor Bill Ritter has long championed wind and solar power. But lately he’s also been touting natural gas as a clean burning fuel, as he did recently at the University of Colorado’s Center for Energy and Environmental Security. The democrat called the energy source “mission critical” fuel for the new energy economy. “If our energy portfolio utilizes renewable to their maximize usage point and has as a base load fuel natural gas. I see it as a big part of our going forward and addressing the reduction in green house gas emissions,” Ritter said.
County urges cleanup of gas field contamination
published in: Associated Press on: 11/04/2009 by: Staff
Two Garfield County commissioners are urging state regulators to quickly clean up contamination from natural gas operations that has fouled a western Colorado landowner’s spring. County Commissioners Mike Samson and John Martin voiced frustration Monday with the investigation into the contamination that landowner Ned Prather discovered last May. Prather became sick after drinking water containing volatile organic compounds, including benzene, known to cause cancer. Samson and Martin agreed to send a resolution calling on the state to clean up Prather’s spring. The spring provides water for Prather’s cabin, which he uses for his outfitting and hunting guide business.
Colorado seeks to head off problems with runoff on inactive drilling pads
published in: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel on: 11/02/2009 by: Dennis Webb
The state is working with area energy companies to try to make sure they’re implementing measures such as runoff control and wildlife protection on inactive well pads amid the drilling slowdown. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is asking companies in western Colorado’s Piceance Basin to identify the locations of pads that have been built but not yet drilled on. The state also is seeking information such as schedules for stormwater-management inspections and maintenance on the pads, and the number of associated pits and whether they have fencing to keep out wildlife.
Colorado oil and gas communities could lose $37.4M
published in: Associated Press on: 10/29/2009 by: Staff
Colorado communities impacted by oil and gas production say they’re worried they will never see $37.4 million in severance tax grant funds being withheld by Gov. Bill Ritter. Ritter said Wednesday he planned to hold onto to money in case it’s needed to balance the state budget.
Montana
State tax revenue far lower than projected, report says
published in: Missoulian on: 11/05/2009 by: Charles S. Johnson
State tax collections for the first four months of this budget year not only lagged those from the same period last year, but also trail what the 2009 Legislature forecast for this year, a legislative report issued Wednesday said. Terry Johnson of the Legislative Fiscal Division said his previous reports found that revenue collections were tailing expectations for the fiscal year that began July 1 and would have to be “made up” in future months to meet the legislative estimate for the fiscal year that began July 1.
North Dakota
Searching for Oil
published in: KXMBTV Bismarck on: 11/03/2009 by: Jim Olson
The amount of crude oil produced in the US is at its lowest level ever. But the downward trend is NOT reflected in North Dakota… The state is the fourth largest oil producer in the nation.
North Dakota just keeps on pumping
published in: Bismarck Tribune on: 11/01/2009 by: Editorial Staff
The news from North Dakota’s oil patch has been super. The state recently surpassed Louisiana in oil production, making North Dakota No. 4 among crude oil producing states. At the same time, the benchmark price for crude has risen to nearly $80 per barrel. It means high volume production at a better price, which translates to jobs, business and strong state tax revenues, and unfortunately, but necessarily, higher prices at the pump. The oil industry in North Dakota has been a steady provider of late, with a growing role in crafting the state’s economic future. There seems to be less boom and bust and more continuous performance.
North Dakota Petroleum Council “Tidbits”
November Issue
NDPC has issued a helpful sheet about production in North Dakota
“Remember Charlie” Safety Presentations
November 11-19, 2009
The “Remember Charlie” presentation details Charlie Morecraft’s personal near-death experience at a refinery. This powerful message for improving safety in the workplace and has been extremely popular across the country. There will be safety presentations at six locations November in western North Dakota.
The 90-minute session is free to all attendees, but registration is required (click here to register.)
Click here for more information.
Utah
Wilson named environmental adviser to governor
published in: Deseret News on: 11/04/2009 by: Lisa Riley Roche and Amy Joi O’Donoghue
Former Salt Lake Mayor Ted Wilson didn’t even recognize right away that it was Gov. Gary Herbert on the phone when first approached about joining the GOP administration. But the real surprise for Wilson, a Democrat, came when Herbert started talking about bringing together people with diverse viewpoints to help the state’s environmental issues, including how public lands should be used. Not only is Wilson Herbert’s newest staff member, a senior adviser on environmental issues, he’s also heading up the newly created Governor’s Balanced Resources Council.
Drilling waste disposal impacts oil and gas market
published in: Vernal Express on: 11/04/2009 by: Mary Bernard
Utah’s Division of Oil, Gas and Mining (DOGM) estimates that 90 percent of drilling waste is water with the remainder comprised of drilling mud and sludge. How much water? Roughly, “150 million barrels of water was produced through drilling activities last year in Utah,” says Gil Hunt, DOGM associate director. Of that, 80 percent of the waste water is pumped underground, 14 percent is treated and discharged over the surface and six percent is transported to evaporation pits in the Basin’s disposal facilities. It’s six times the volume of drilling waste water disposed in 1999. And, not all of it comes from the Uintah Basin’s drilling activities.
Wyoming
BLM Wyoming Posts List of Proposed Parcels for Upcoming Oil and Gas Lease Sale
October 16, 2009
The Bureau of Land Management’s Wyoming State Office today posted its proposed list of parcels for the bimonthly competitive oil and gas lease sale scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009, at the Holiday Inn in Cheyenne, Wyo. Doors open at 7 a.m. with the auction beginning at 8 a.m. The posted list, which identifies 73 proposed parcels totaling 60,818.91 acres, initiates a 30-day public review/protest period. The 73 parcels are located in areas under the management of eight BLM Wyoming Field Offices – Buffalo, Casper, Cody, Kemmerer, Newcastle, Rawlins, Rock Springs and Worland.
Click here for the competitive oil and gas lease sale notice or click here for the interactive map.
Washington Watch
House Natural Gas Caucus
Congressmen Tim Murphy (R-PA) and Dan Boren (D-OK) have started the Congressional Natural Gas Caucus, a bipartisan effort to educate, promote awareness of, and develop policy in Congress on the importance of natural gas in our nation’s energy portfolio. The caucus held its first meeting on October 21st. Click here for the list of current members. Rockies producers are well represented by caucus members in the West, but IPAMS will be asking members of the Western Delegation who aren’t already signed up to consider doing so. We have a meeting with Representative Heinrich (D-NM) on November 9th at 2:00 pm MST in Albuquerque to do just that. Please contact Spencer Kimball if you can attend.
Climate Bill Out of Committee, But at What Cost?
published in: CQ Politics on: 11/5/2009 by: Staff
Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer , D-Calif., resorted to a strong-arm procedural maneuver Thursday to push global warming legislation through her committee, alienating Republicans and frustrating some moderate Democrats. The panel’s ranking Republican, James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma, branded Boxer’s decision to approve the bill without Republican participation a “nuclear option.” Republicans have been boycotting the markup, calling for further EPA analysis of the bill’s cost.
Senate trio to pursue separate climate talks
published in: Washington Post on: 11/05/2009 by: David A. Fahrenthold
Even before a Senate committee could begin marking up the “Kerry-Boxer” climate bill, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) announced Wednesday a separate track of negotiations over climate policy that makes his original bill look somewhat irrelevant. Kerry said he, Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) would work with business groups and the White House and seek a compromise that could get 60 votes in the Senate. The three said these negotiations would be separate from the work that Senate committees are doing on climate legislation — including the markup that the Environment and Public Works Committee was supposed to begin Tuesday.
More oversight sought for hydraulic fracturing
published in: E&E News/New York Times on: 11/04/2009 by: Katie Howell
Environmentalists are beefing up efforts to increase regulation of a controversial oil and gas drilling technique as interest grows in tapping vast natural gas fields across the country. Environment America today released a report calling for increased protection of drinking water as natural gas production grows. And earlier this week, environmental groups appealed a Pennsylvania decision that would allow a new wastewater treatment plant to dump hundreds of thousands of gallons of treated gas drilling wastewater into the Monongahela River each day.
Utilities Launch Lobbying Group Backing US Climate Legislation
published in: Dow Jones Newswires (Subscription Required) on: 11/04/2009 by: Cassandra Sweet
Several big utilities and other companies that back pending U.S. climate-change legislation have formed a lobbying group to rival the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has opposed some Congressional efforts to curb greenhouse-gas emissions. The new group, American Businesses for Clean Energy, includes utilities from across the U.S., such as New Jersey’s Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PEG), Florida’s FPL Group Inc. (FPL) and New Mexico’s PNM Resources (PNM), as well as companies from other industries including retailer Gap Inc. (GPS).
GOP wants more climate bill analysis
published in: Politico on: 11/04/2009 by: Lisa Lerer
Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer moved ahead with her climate bill on Tuesday, even as Republicans on the committee refused to participate in hearings on the legislation, which is a key priority for the Obama administration and many Democratic lawmakers. Eleven of the committee’s 12 Democrats attended a hearing about the bill. But only one Republican, Ohio Sen. George Voinovich, stopped by — to give a brief statement laying out the Republican objections to the pace of the legislation.
US Senate climate bill boosts natural gas outlook
published in: Reuters on: 11/03/2009 by: Tom Doggett
The natural gas industry looks to be a big winner in U.S. Senate legislation to tackle climate change on expectations it would lead to more gas demand and a new wave of gas-fired power plants. After getting few breaks in the House of Representatives climate bill earlier this year, the industry stepped up lobbying as the Senate wrote its version. The industry won the support of lawmakers as it trumpeted gas as abundant, cleaner than coal and more reliable than wind and solar as a constant energy source to cut greenhouse gases.
Gore’s Dual Role: Advocate and Investor
published in: New York Times on: 11/03/2009 by: John M. Broder
Former Vice President Al Gore thought he had spotted a winner last year when a small California firm sought financing for an energy-saving technology from the venture capital firm where Mr. Gore is a partner. The company, Silver Spring Networks, produces hardware and software to make the electricity grid more efficient. It came to Mr. Gore’s firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, one of Silicon Valley’s top venture capital providers, looking for $75 million to expand its partnerships with utilities seeking to install millions of so-called smart meters in homes and businesses. Mr. Gore and his partners decided to back the company, and in gratitude Silver Spring retained him and John Doerr, another Kleiner Perkins partner, as unpaid corporate advisers. The deal appeared to pay off in a big way last week, when the Energy Department announced $3.4 billion in smart grid grants. Of the total, more than $560 million went to utilities with which Silver Spring has contracts. Kleiner Perkins and its partners, including Mr. Gore, could recoup their investment many times over in coming years.
Interior weighs GHG requirements for oil and gas leases
published in: E&E News (Subscription Required) on: 11/02/2009 by: Noelle Straub
The Interior Department is considering including emissions requirements in leases for companies that drill for oil and gas on federal property, Interior Deputy Secretary David Hayes said today. “Typically the leases between the Interior Department and oil and gas developers have not focused on emissions, and there’s some real opportunities there,” Hayes said. “We’re going to be reaching out to industry and looking at our leasing structure and seeing what opportunities we can provide.
Winners and Losers of Cap and Trade
published in: New York Times Green Inc. on: 11/02/2009 by: John Lorinc
A new study from PointCarbon, a carbon market research firm, indicates that ExxonMobil would face an annual outlay of $5.9 billion to purchase carbon allowances under the terms of the Kerry-Boxer cap-and-trade bill, while electricity giants like Exelon and Pacific Gas and Electric would emerge as financial winners, because they rely heavily on diversified, low-emission fleets that include nuclear reactors and hydro dams.
Enviro group spending soars in Senate climate push
published in: E&E News/New York Times on: 10/30/2009 by: Anne C. Mulkern
Environmental organizations poured money into lobbying this summer, increasing their efforts to push transformational climate legislation through the Senate and into law. Green-group lobbying expenditures for July through September ballooned 33 percent to $6.1 million, compared with $4.6 million in the same period a year earlier.
Media Watch
Editorial: Interior science
published in: Salt Lake Tribune on: 11/03/2009 by: Editorial Staff
Climate change science. Some people see that phrase as a contradiction in terms. Even some members of Congress illogically refuse to believe that science supports the predictions of thousands of knowledgeable scientists that human-caused temperature increases threaten the lifestyles and even lives of millions. Former President George W. Bush seldom utilized science when dealing with what he considered the nuisance of climate change warnings. But, fortunately for Utah and the West, the science of climate change has become de rigueur for the Interior Department under Secretary Ken Salazar.
Editorial: The Halliburton Loophole
published in: New York Times on: 11/03/2009 by: Editorial Staff
Among the many dubious provisions in the 2005 energy bill was one dubbed the Halliburton loophole, which was inserted at the behest of — you guessed it — then-Vice President Dick Cheney, a former chief executive of Halliburton. It stripped the Environmental Protection Agency of its authority to regulate a drilling process called hydraulic fracturing. Invented by Halliburton in the 1940s, it involves injecting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals, some of them toxic, into underground rock formations to blast them open and release natural gas.
Click here to read Energy in Depth’s Reaction
Op-ed: America’s Natural Gas Revolution
published in: Wall Street Journal (Subscription Required) on: 11/02/2009 by: Daniel Yergin and Robert Ineson
The biggest energy innovation of the decade is natural gas—more specifically what is called “unconventional” natural gas. Some call it a revolution. Yet the natural gas revolution has unfolded with no great fanfare, no grand opening ceremony, no ribbon cutting. It just crept up. In 1990, unconventional gas—from shales, coal-bed methane and so-called “tight” formations—was about 10% of total U.S. production. Today it is around 40%, and growing fast, with shale gas by far the biggest part.
Op-ed: Wrong solution for energy puzzle, Proposed tax hikes would hurt industry
published in: Houston Chronicle on: 11/01/2009 by: Bernard L. Weinstein
The renowned pundit H.L. Mencken once opined that for every complex problem there’s a solution that is simple, neat and wrong. President Barack Obama has proposed a “solution” for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that aptly illustrates Mencken’s dictum. By removing so-called subsidies for fossil fuels, claims the administration, CO2 and other emissions can be reduced by 12 percent. More specifically, the White House wants to remove all tax breaks for oil and gas exploration companies, arguing that their elimination will stimulate greater energy efficiency while providing funding for “green” energy alternatives.
Environment and Wildlife
Energy companies, DOW offer $11K reward in DeBeque bighorn ram poaching case
published in: Glenwood Springs Post Independent on: 11/04/2009 by: Staff
Three energy companies are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of whoever poached a bighorn sheep ram north of DeBeque. The ram’s carcass was found on Oct. 30, on land owned by the Chevron Oil Co., where a poacher had left it lying intact. Chevron has joined with the Williams and EnCana companies to put up the reward money, and the Colorado Division of Wildlife has added $1,000 through its Operation Game Thief.
Tribe’s Environmental Fight
published in: Arizona Republic on: 11/02/2009 by: Dennis Wagner
A green controversy fueled by coal-fired power plants is raging on America’s largest Indian reservation. On one side is Joe Shirley Jr., president of the Navajo Nation, who rejects the notion of climate change even though he recently won an international award for environmentalism. On the other are environmentalists opposed to power plants in Indian Country and to the coal mines that provide their fuel. Caught in the middle are tribal members concerned with economic survival and the protection of sacred lands. The dispute centers on fundamental questions of religion and heritage, as well as tribal finances.
Technology, Alternatives & Renewables
New energy = new transmission lines
published in: Summit Daily News on: 10/30/2009 by: Allen Best
Giant wind turbines and solar collectors have become the icons for our great energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources. But will giant electrical transmission lines ever become half as sexy? They’ll have to, said speakers at the recent Colorado New Energy Economy Conference, a forum sponsored by the state government. “If you’re going to be for renewable energy generation, you have to be for transmission,” said Marc Spitzer, a former legislator from Arizona who now sits on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The commission regulates interstate transmission of electricity and natural gas.
Markets
Tudor Pickering Holt forecasts dramatic rise in gas prices
published in: Oil & Gas Journal on: 11/5/2009 by: Paula Dittrick
Tudor Pickering Holt & Co. (TPH) foresees a fairly dramatic recovery in natural gas prices next year, a spokesman told an Oct. 29 energy finance summit at Rice University’s Jess H. Jones Graduate School of Business. Bobby Tudor, chief executive officer of the investment bank, said TPH early this year finished a gas supply study in which it forecast gas prices will average $7.50/Mcfe on the New York Mercantile Exchange during 2010 and $6.50/Mcfe in 2011. Over the next decade, TPH forecasts a long-term US rig count of 1,500 rigs of which 400 will be drilling for oil, 600 for shale gas, and 500 for nonshale gas.
US oil market anti-manipulation rule takes effect
published in: Reuters on: 11/03/2009 by: Tom Doggett
A U.S. Federal Trade Commission rule takes effect on Wednesday that will hit energy traders and companies with fines of up to $1 million a day if they manipulate the oil markets. The FTC unveiled the rule back in August to go after fraud in oil markets that it said could cause widespread damage to the U.S. economy. The old fine was just $11,000. “This new rule will allow us to crack down on fraud and manipulation that can drive up prices at the pump,” FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said at the time. “We will police the oil markets — and if we find companies that are manipulating the markets, we will go after them.”
CSIS: unconventional resources altering global gas outlook
published in: Oil & Gas Journal on: 10/30/2009 by: Nick Snow
Production potential from tight shales and other unconventional resources has significantly altered the world’s natural gas outlook, experts said Oct. 28 at a seminar on the evolution of global gas markets at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. “Unconventional sources are likely to play a role in other parts of the world,” observed Glen Sweetnam, director of the US Energy Information Administration’s international, economic, and greenhouse gases division.
Industry News and Events
Another natural gas discovery in north Louisiana could rival the Haynesville Shale
published in: Times-Picayune on: 11/04/2009 by: Jen DeGregorio
Another natural gas discovery in north Louisiana could rival the Haynesville Shale, which last year incited a gold-rush style drilling boom when it was revealed that the underground rock layer held one of the biggest gas reserves in the country. The presence of the mid-Bossier Shale – which is stacked on top of the Haynesville, about 500 feet closer to the earth’s surface – was no secret among energy producers. In fact, prospectors were actually looking to tap the mid-Bossier Shale when they realized the potential of the Haynesville Shale below it, said Joan Dunlap, a spokeswoman for Houston’s Petrohawk Energy Corp., one of the biggest landholders in the Haynesville area.
API issues second of four planned hydraulic fracturing guidelines
published in: Oil & Gas Journal on: 11/03/2009 by: Nick Snow
The American Petroleum Institute published a new guidance document outlining industry best-practices for properly drilling and cementing wells that are being hydraulically fractured. The well construction and integrity guideline is designed to ensure that shallow groundwater aquifers and the environment are protected through a well’s drilling, completion, and production phases, API said on Nov. 2. It was the second of four documents that API’s standards and practices department has been developing to address hydraulic fracing’s increasing role in US energy options.
Rocky Mountain EHS Peer Group Expands Membership
The Peer Group recently opened up membership to a wider audience. Now consultants, suppliers, and agencies can become members.
For more information or to register, visit: http://www.rmehspg.org/join.htm
Whiting Cookbook Coming Soon…
Whiting Petroleum Corporation employees have put together a cookbook of favorite recipes to raise funds for the Food Bank of the Rockies. The cookbook – “Food For The Hungry–Recipes Worth Whiting For” – contains lots and lots of tasty recipes; funny sayings about food, cooking and diets; interesting and beautiful photos of oil and gas operations; as well as a glossary of oil and gas terms that sound like food terms – but aren’t!
Food Bank of the Rockies provides food supplies to more than 1,000 hunger relief programs in northern Colorado and Wyoming, helping nearly 400,000 people in the region who live in poverty and struggle to meet their basic food needs; almost half of whom are children. Since 1996 Whiting has raised more than $238,300, providing more than 953,200 meals (approximately seven tons of food) for our hungry neighbors in Colorado and Wyoming. You too can help the Food Bank through your purchase of Whiting’s cookbook. The cost is only $12.00 each, and 100% of the proceeds will be donated directly to the Food Bank. The cookbooks would make terrific holiday, birthday, anniversary, or other fun gifts for just about anyone! To order or for more information, contact Carla Wilson or (303) 827-4225.
Key Enforcement and Regulatory Developments in EPA Region 8
November 5-6, 2009 in Denver, CO
The American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER) will hold a conference on environmental enforcement and regulatory developments in the U.S. EPA Region 8 states of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, and 27 Tribal Nations. This program focuses on developments of particular concern across Region 8, and includes a plenary session among senior state environmental enforcement managers and a keynote address by the Assistant Regional Administrator of U.S. EPA Region 8’s Office of Enforcement, Compliance, and Environmental Justice. The program is a collaboration of ABA SEER, the Colorado Bar Association’s Environmental Law Section, and U.S. EPA Region 8.
SPE Environmental Study Group
November 9th in Denver, CO
The SPE Environmental Study Group will hold a discussion by Daniel Pring, Buys and Associates’ Environmental Manager, on recent developments in EPA air quality regulations and how these regulatory actions may impact oil and gas operations. There is no registration fee or RSVP necessary to attend. Just bring a sack lunch and join on Monday, November 9th from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM in Halliburton’s main conference room (1125 17th St. Ste. 1900, Denver, CO 80202).
Hydraulic Fracturing Conference
November 12-13, 2009 in Denver, Colorado
Presented by the American Institute of Professional Geologists, this day and a half conference is designed to focus on technical, regulatory, legal, and political aspects of this production-enhancing technology. Presenters and attendees will represent the private sector, government, and academia. The conference is structured to allow for consideration and ample discussion of the most crucial aspects of the hydrofracing process as it pertains to oil & gas production, groundwater production, environmental, and economic impacts.
The American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) was founded in 1963 to certify the credentials of practicing geologists and to advocate on behalf of the profession. AIPG represents the professional interests of all practicing geoscientists in every discipline. Its advocacy efforts are focused on the promotion of the role of geology and geologists in society.
Click here for Call For Abstracts and Click here to register online (click on Events)
For additional details contact Cathy Duran or (303) 412-6205.
Air Quality Issues in the Rocky Mountain Region
November 17, 2009
The Rocky Mountain States Section of the Air & Waste Management Association is hosting a one-day conference at the Marriott Denver West focusing on air quality issues in the Rocky Mountain region. The conference will include presentations and discussions from state and federal government representatives, researchers, industry experts, and environmental organization professionals. Topics will focus on technical, legislative and permitting issues and updates on air quality in the region, featuring individual speakers/presentations and panel discussions. The conference program is below.
Click here to register online.
If you have any questions regarding the conference, please contact Sharon Good, or call (720) 929-6458.
