Dispose

Seventeen environmental groups Wednesday filed a petition with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to include the oil and gas extraction industry, particularly hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations, in its Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reporting requirements.

Williams Partners LP has modified the open season for Atlantic Access, a proposed expansion of its Transco interstate pipeline, as a result of discussions with potential shippers (see Shale Daily, Feb. 7). Transco is increasing the total firm transportation capacity, offering additional firm transportation paths and revising the proposed in-service date to December 2015. The revised open season runs through July 13. Atlantic Access would connect gas supplies originating in western West Virginia and Pennsylvania to markets in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Gulf Coast regions. Transco is now proposing a total of six firm transportation paths under the project. Two of the three original paths have been fully subscribed. For customer inquiries, contact Gary Duvall at (713) 215-2589.

An estimated 56 million barrels of water are produced as a result of onshore oil and natural gas development everyday, and while the quality is poor, most of the contaminants occur naturally, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. Only some of the contaminants are added through drilling, hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and pumping oil and gas.

A well used to dispose of fracking-related fluids in the northeastern corner of Ohio is believed to have been responsible for about a dozen minor earthquakes in the town of Youngstown over the past year, with the latest one coming on New Year’s Eve, according to state regulators.

Despite recent complaints from one environmental group about methods used last year to dispose of some of its drilling wastewater, Cabot Oil & Gas Corp.’s Marcellus Shale operations in Pennsylvania have been recycling 100% of flowback water for several months, a company spokesman told NGI’s Shale Daily Wednesday.

Speculation continues unabated regarding the fate of RBS Sempra Commodities, which has been close to a deal to dispose of the 51% interest of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in its joint venture trading operation with San Diego-based Sempra Energy. Sempra appeared to be further away on Tuesday from making an announcement on the sale of the bank’s share, which Sempra has first-rights to obtain itself.

Speculation continues unabated regarding the fate of RBS Sempra Commodities, which has been close to a deal to dispose of the 51% interest of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in its joint venture trading operation with San Diego-based Sempra Energy. Sempra appeared to be further away on Tuesday from making an announcement on the sale of the bank’s share, which Sempra has first-rights to obtain itself.

The manufacture of synthetic gas is rising on the Alberta government’s priority list of industrial research projects as, not least, a productive way to dispose of an environmental byproduct of the oilsands.

The manufacture of synthetic gas is rising on the Alberta government’s priority list of industrial research projects as, not least, a productive way to dispose of an environmental byproduct of the oilsands.