Enable Midstream Partners LP has completed and brought online the first phase of its Nesson Crude & Produced Water Gathering System. The pipeline serves Bakken Shale wells in Williams and Mountrail counties in North Dakota. Construction of the first segment began in July. It provides services to producer XTO Energy Inc. and has a maximum throughput of 1,800 b/d. As of May 7, crude oil has been flowing into the downstream delivery pipeline system. Phase two construction began in April and is expected to be complete in the fourth quarter. Maximum throughput for the entire system is expected to be 30,000 b/d, with more than 160 miles of pipeline and 69 origin points to gather crude oil and produced water.

Researchers from Oregon State University and the University of Cincinnati claim that people living near active natural gas wells may be exposed to pollutants at higher levels than the federal government considers safe for lifetime exposure. In a study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, the researchers said unconventional drilling methods emit pollutants known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, some of which are linked to an increased risk of cancer and respiratory ailments. The study took place in Carroll County, OH, last year, where researchers collected air samples near active Utica Shale wells. They found that the highest-risk areas were those nearest wells, while others more than a mile away posed about 30% less risk. The research was prompted by Carroll Concerned Citizens, a local group that helped coordinate research efforts with landowners (see Shale Daily, Dec. 31, 2013). The study was funded by the federal government’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.