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fracking and Colorado flooding
Colorado's richest oil field — the Denver-Julesburg Basin — is buried in floodwaters, raising operational and environmental concerns, as state and industry officials work to get a handle on the problem.
Thousands of wells and operating sites have been affected — some remain in rushing waters, officials said.
"The scale is unprecedented," said Mike King, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. "We will have to deal with environmental contamination from whatever source."
Any pollution from oil fields likely will be mixed with a stew of agricultural pesticides, sewage, gasoline from service stations and other contaminants, King said.
"As far as we know, all wells affected by flooding have been shut," said Tisha Schuller, president of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, a trade group.
The basin, one of the most promising onshore oil plays, has been the target of an estimated $4 billion of oil industry investment, with about 48 rigs operating when the flood hit.
Companies are using boats and helicopters to check sites not accessible by road, Schuller said.
"As water levels recede, operators are assessing any damage and addressing it," she said.
The major public health risks will come from contaminated water and sediments, said Miriam Rotkin-Ellman, a Natural Resources Defense Council staff scientist.
"The aim is to find where there may be significant pollutants and where they are heading," said Rotkin-Ellman, who studied industrial contamination in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
The
Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is setting up a clearinghouse to log the status of every well and operation, said Matt Lepore, the commission's executive director.
The commission also is using its mapping technology to identify well sites along the South Platte River for inspection.
"Mapping is a really good first step — it locates where the problem could be," said NRDC's Rotkin-Ellman.
The commission is forming teams — including inspectors, engineers and environmental specialists — to focus on locations north and south of the South Platte.
Still, the specter of pollution has raised concerns among environmentalist and community groups.
"With the Texas Gulf Coast, they know in advance a hurricane is coming," said Irene Fortune, a retired chemist who worked for British Petroleum and is now running for the Loveland City Council.
"To have something this inland, this level of flooding in an area with high oil and gas development, it's new territory," Fortune said.
Gary Wockner, Colorado Program Director for Clean Water Action, said, "Every flooded well needs to get inspected.
"The COGCC needs to pass new regulations for drilling in floodplains to better protect people and the environment."
There are more than 20,000 wells in th e DJ-Basin and surrounding areas and 3,200 permits for open pits in Weld County, according to state data.
A review of the pit permits, however, found a significant number are old permits that may not be operating — most were to hold produced water that contains salts and metals from wells.
Major operators in the basin said they were able to shut all the wells hit by the flood.
Encana Oil & Gas (USA) has shut about one-third of its 1,241 wells, the company said.
"We have plans in place to inspect all of our facilities," Doug Hock, an Encana spokesman, said in an e-mail. "We're using (geographic information systems) to help prioritize lower-lying facilities that may likely have greater impacts."
Anadarko Petroleum Corp., the second-largest operator in the basin, shut wells and stopped drilling activity.
"The majority of our drilling, completions and workover activities in the affected areas of the field have been shut down," the company said on its website.
"Restarting the activities is expected to be significantly delayed due to road and location conditions," the company said.
The well sites are designed to withstand harsh weather, said William Fleckenstein, a professor of petroleum engineering at the Colorado School of Mines.
"The actual wells are meant to hold pressure on the inside. They're designed to be fluid-tight," Fleckenstein said.
Concern arises when tanks are knocked over or damaged, Fleckenstein said.
The "worst-case scenario," however, would be damage to a high-pressure gas line, which would leak hydrocarbons in the air and be "very explosive," Fleckenstein said.
The impact of the flood waters has been uneven in the basin, said the oil and gas association's Schuller. Some areas are untouched, and some facilities are still surrounded by flowing water, Schuller said.
"It may take some operations a week to get back up," Schuller said. "It may take a year for others."
Pictures of flooded well and drilling sites and damaged or floating tanks have been appearing on several social-media sites.
"We've seen the pictures but don't know the locations," Schuller said. "If people provide the locations, we will check them."
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_24107038/state-and-industry-struggle-assess-damage-flooded-oil
Thousands of wells and operating sites have been affected — some remain in rushing waters, officials said.
"The scale is unprecedented," said Mike King, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. "We will have to deal with environmental contamination from whatever source."
Any pollution from oil fields likely will be mixed with a stew of agricultural pesticides, sewage, gasoline from service stations and other contaminants, King said.
"As far as we know, all wells affected by flooding have been shut," said Tisha Schuller, president of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, a trade group.
The basin, one of the most promising onshore oil plays, has been the target of an estimated $4 billion of oil industry investment, with about 48 rigs operating when the flood hit.
Companies are using boats and helicopters to check sites not accessible by road, Schuller said.
"As water levels recede, operators are assessing any damage and addressing it," she said.
The major public health risks will come from contaminated water and sediments, said Miriam Rotkin-Ellman, a Natural Resources Defense Council staff scientist.
"The aim is to find where there may be significant pollutants and where they are heading," said Rotkin-Ellman, who studied industrial contamination in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
The
Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is setting up a clearinghouse to log the status of every well and operation, said Matt Lepore, the commission's executive director.
The commission also is using its mapping technology to identify well sites along the South Platte River for inspection.
"Mapping is a really good first step — it locates where the problem could be," said NRDC's Rotkin-Ellman.
The commission is forming teams — including inspectors, engineers and environmental specialists — to focus on locations north and south of the South Platte.
Still, the specter of pollution has raised concerns among environmentalist and community groups.
"With the Texas Gulf Coast, they know in advance a hurricane is coming," said Irene Fortune, a retired chemist who worked for British Petroleum and is now running for the Loveland City Council.
"To have something this inland, this level of flooding in an area with high oil and gas development, it's new territory," Fortune said.
Gary Wockner, Colorado Program Director for Clean Water Action, said, "Every flooded well needs to get inspected.
"The COGCC needs to pass new regulations for drilling in floodplains to better protect people and the environment."
There are more than 20,000 wells in th e DJ-Basin and surrounding areas and 3,200 permits for open pits in Weld County, according to state data.
A review of the pit permits, however, found a significant number are old permits that may not be operating — most were to hold produced water that contains salts and metals from wells.
Major operators in the basin said they were able to shut all the wells hit by the flood.
Encana Oil & Gas (USA) has shut about one-third of its 1,241 wells, the company said.
"We have plans in place to inspect all of our facilities," Doug Hock, an Encana spokesman, said in an e-mail. "We're using (geographic information systems) to help prioritize lower-lying facilities that may likely have greater impacts."
Anadarko Petroleum Corp., the second-largest operator in the basin, shut wells and stopped drilling activity.
"The majority of our drilling, completions and workover activities in the affected areas of the field have been shut down," the company said on its website.
"Restarting the activities is expected to be significantly delayed due to road and location conditions," the company said.
The well sites are designed to withstand harsh weather, said William Fleckenstein, a professor of petroleum engineering at the Colorado School of Mines.
"The actual wells are meant to hold pressure on the inside. They're designed to be fluid-tight," Fleckenstein said.
Concern arises when tanks are knocked over or damaged, Fleckenstein said.
The "worst-case scenario," however, would be damage to a high-pressure gas line, which would leak hydrocarbons in the air and be "very explosive," Fleckenstein said.
The impact of the flood waters has been uneven in the basin, said the oil and gas association's Schuller. Some areas are untouched, and some facilities are still surrounded by flowing water, Schuller said.
"It may take some operations a week to get back up," Schuller said. "It may take a year for others."
Pictures of flooded well and drilling sites and damaged or floating tanks have been appearing on several social-media sites.
"We've seen the pictures but don't know the locations," Schuller said. "If people provide the locations, we will check them."
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_24107038/state-and-industry-struggle-assess-damage-flooded-oil
We agree on this one, fracking is bad news.
I dislike fracking. Truth be told, there is going to be a good deal of contamination when you have floods of this size regardless of fracking, oil fields, etc.
http://www.edcnet.org/learn/current_cases/fracking/federal_law_loopholes.html
Fracking
Federal law: loopholes & exemptions
Oil and gas drilling generally, and fracking in particular, are provided with numerous loopholes and exemptions from federal law, including:
Safe Drinking Water Act
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) mandates regulation of underground injection activities in order to protect groundwater resources. SDWA Sec. 1421, 42 U.S.C. § 300h. However, in the 2005 Energy Policy Act, which arose out of Vice President Cheney’s Energy Task Force, Congress amended the definition of “underground injection” under the SDWA to specifically exclude “the underground injection of fluids or propping agents (other than diesel fuels) pursuant to hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities.” § 300h(d)(1)(B)(ii).
Under this exemption, oil and gas companies can now inject anything other than diesel in association with fracking operations without having to comply with SDWA provisions intended to protect our nation’s water supplies.
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act was enacted to protect and improve water quality in the nation’s rivers, streams, creeks, and wetlands. One of the major mechanisms it uses to achieve this goal is by requiring permits for all discharges of pollutants to those waters. The law, however, exempts stormwater discharges (surface water runoff resulting from rain or snow) from oil and gas drilling and production activities from this permitting requirement. In addition, the 2005 Energy Policy Act, in addition to the SDWA exemption, broadened this exemption to include stormwater discharge from oil and gas construction activities. Although EPA’s rule to implement this provision was declared unlawful and vacated in NRDC v. EPA, 526 F.3d 591 (9th Cir. 2008), and the agency has not yet promulgated a replacement rule, the underlying statutory exemption remains in effect.”
Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act
The Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act was enacted in 1984 in the wake of the Bhopal chemical explosion and disaster in Bhopal, India, and generally requires companies to disclose information related to locations and quantities of chemicals stored, released, or transferred. Oil and gas exploration and production wastes are exempted from this requirement.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) was enacted by Congress as a “cradle to grave” regulatory framework for managing solid waste, including hazardous waste. Under the 1980 amendments to RCRA known as the Solid Waste Disposal Act Amendments of 1980, Congress temporarily exempted oil and gas exploration and production wastes from regulation under RCRA. 42 U.S.C. § 6921(b)(2)(A). This exemption was to last for at least two years, until after the completion of an EPA study to determine whether such wastes should in fact be regulated as hazardous waste under RCRA. § 6921(b)(2)(B).
EPA finalized this study in 1988, during the final year of the Reagan Administration’s second term, and concluded that regulation of hazardous oil and gas waste under RCRA was unnecessary. EPA made its decision despite acknowledging that exempted wastes (including oily sludges, workover wastes, and well completion and abandonment wastes), are known to contain toxic substances including benzene, lead, arsenic, phenatnthrene, barium, and uranium at levels that exceed 100 times EPA’s health-based standards.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund Program)
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) was enacted by Congress in 1980, creating a framework for cleanup of toxic materials through creation of the Superfund Program. In a political compromise, the oil and gas industry was taxed in order to pay into the Superfund and in exchange was exempted from CERCLA’s requirements. The tax expired in 1985, but the industry continues to enjoy the exemption.
Clean Air Act
The 1970 Clean Air Act was passed in an effort to “protect and enhance the quality of the Nation’s air resources so as to promote the public health and welfare.” Section 101(b)(1). Oil and gas production produces toxic air pollution, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (which react with sunlight to from ground level ozone, or smog), hydrochloric acid, and hydrogen sulfide. Normally when numerous small sources of air pollution, such as individual oil and gas wells and associated facilities, are under common control and in close proximity they are treated as a “major source” subject to stringent Clean Air Act technology requirements. Oil and gas production, however, is exempted from this “aggregation” requirement.
Fracking
Federal law: loopholes & exemptions
Oil and gas drilling generally, and fracking in particular, are provided with numerous loopholes and exemptions from federal law, including:
Safe Drinking Water Act
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) mandates regulation of underground injection activities in order to protect groundwater resources. SDWA Sec. 1421, 42 U.S.C. § 300h. However, in the 2005 Energy Policy Act, which arose out of Vice President Cheney’s Energy Task Force, Congress amended the definition of “underground injection” under the SDWA to specifically exclude “the underground injection of fluids or propping agents (other than diesel fuels) pursuant to hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities.” § 300h(d)(1)(B)(ii).
Under this exemption, oil and gas companies can now inject anything other than diesel in association with fracking operations without having to comply with SDWA provisions intended to protect our nation’s water supplies.
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act was enacted to protect and improve water quality in the nation’s rivers, streams, creeks, and wetlands. One of the major mechanisms it uses to achieve this goal is by requiring permits for all discharges of pollutants to those waters. The law, however, exempts stormwater discharges (surface water runoff resulting from rain or snow) from oil and gas drilling and production activities from this permitting requirement. In addition, the 2005 Energy Policy Act, in addition to the SDWA exemption, broadened this exemption to include stormwater discharge from oil and gas construction activities. Although EPA’s rule to implement this provision was declared unlawful and vacated in NRDC v. EPA, 526 F.3d 591 (9th Cir. 2008), and the agency has not yet promulgated a replacement rule, the underlying statutory exemption remains in effect.”
Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act
The Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act was enacted in 1984 in the wake of the Bhopal chemical explosion and disaster in Bhopal, India, and generally requires companies to disclose information related to locations and quantities of chemicals stored, released, or transferred. Oil and gas exploration and production wastes are exempted from this requirement.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) was enacted by Congress as a “cradle to grave” regulatory framework for managing solid waste, including hazardous waste. Under the 1980 amendments to RCRA known as the Solid Waste Disposal Act Amendments of 1980, Congress temporarily exempted oil and gas exploration and production wastes from regulation under RCRA. 42 U.S.C. § 6921(b)(2)(A). This exemption was to last for at least two years, until after the completion of an EPA study to determine whether such wastes should in fact be regulated as hazardous waste under RCRA. § 6921(b)(2)(B).
EPA finalized this study in 1988, during the final year of the Reagan Administration’s second term, and concluded that regulation of hazardous oil and gas waste under RCRA was unnecessary. EPA made its decision despite acknowledging that exempted wastes (including oily sludges, workover wastes, and well completion and abandonment wastes), are known to contain toxic substances including benzene, lead, arsenic, phenatnthrene, barium, and uranium at levels that exceed 100 times EPA’s health-based standards.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund Program)
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) was enacted by Congress in 1980, creating a framework for cleanup of toxic materials through creation of the Superfund Program. In a political compromise, the oil and gas industry was taxed in order to pay into the Superfund and in exchange was exempted from CERCLA’s requirements. The tax expired in 1985, but the industry continues to enjoy the exemption.
Clean Air Act
The 1970 Clean Air Act was passed in an effort to “protect and enhance the quality of the Nation’s air resources so as to promote the public health and welfare.” Section 101(b)(1). Oil and gas production produces toxic air pollution, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (which react with sunlight to from ground level ozone, or smog), hydrochloric acid, and hydrogen sulfide. Normally when numerous small sources of air pollution, such as individual oil and gas wells and associated facilities, are under common control and in close proximity they are treated as a “major source” subject to stringent Clean Air Act technology requirements. Oil and gas production, however, is exempted from this “aggregation” requirement.
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/colorado-floods-triggered-convergence-geography-climate-experts-say-4B11180290
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