Utilities who deliver gas to homes and businesses, and/or generate electricity from gas, are important stakeholders along the natural gas supply chain. They are the face of natural gas to their customers; and, thus, they need to know that the gas they sell is being produced in the most responsible and transparent way possible—one in… Keep reading →
A new study led by researchers with Colorado School of Mines exposes limitations with the current methods used to detect chemicals in oilfield wastewater and offers solutions to help regulators make better decisions for managing this waste stream. Oilfield wastewater is extremely salty and can contain multiple combinations of many potentially harmful chemicals (approximately 1600 on a… Keep reading →
For all that we hear and think about oil and gas production, wastewater may not be at the top of our list of concerns. And yet, onshore oil and gas operations in the United States produce more than 800 billion gallons of toxic wastewater each year. Most oil and gas companies either dispose of this… Keep reading →
As power, oil and gas, water and wastewater utilities begin the process of exploring how to build their next large infrastructure project, the most important decision in the entire process may rest with the selection of the EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) contractor. While many EPC providers exist, they operate in varied fashions – and some… Keep reading →
The central United States has undergone a dramatic increase in seismicity over the past 6 years. From 1973-2008, there was an average of 24 earthquakes of magnitude 3 and larger per year. From 2009-2014, the rate steadily increased, averaging 193 per year and peaking in 2014 with 688 earthquakes. So far in 2015, there have… Keep reading →
Recovery from the dramatic supply-driven oil price slide of 1986 took 5 years. Will the current cycle follow the same pattern? This piece plays a bit of Monday morning quarterback and suggests that if Saudi/Opec did more to moderate prices over the past 6 years the current supply glut could have been avoided. [Bloomberg via… Keep reading →
Ed. note: This is a new weekly column by Elie Mystal, Managing Editor of Above the Law Redline. This space will focus on the laws that exist, should exist, and should be put out of their misery. OVER-REGULATED Gag Orders: Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship is under criminal indictment for his role in the death… Keep reading →
The severe drought in California, water-intensive drilling programs needed to increase oil and gas production from shale plays and focus on the energy-water nexus are motivating companies to reduce their water requirements and re-use water needed to hydraulically fracture wells. A new Rice University study conducted detailed analysis into produced water from 3 major US… Keep reading →
In a recent report titled “Produced Water: Asset or Waste?” – part of the Atlantic Council’s Energy and Water Nexus Initiative series – Blythe Lyons, Nonresident Senior Fellow (Energy and Environment Program), addresses water-related issues – in particular the treatment of ‘produced water’- in US oil and gas production as well as concomitant sustainable water… Keep reading →
Opinion: Regulations Must Keep Pace with Water-related Fracking Risks
By Roman KilisekTo mark this year’s World Water Day, UNESCO and UN Water released the 2014 World Water Development report highlighting the key role that water and energy play in economic development. According to the report, some 768 million people do not have access to an improved source of water, while 2.5 billion people do not have… Keep reading →