Emissions

Dow Chemical Co. has taken the next step forward to build a planned world-class ethylene facility in Freeport, TX, and is seeking a federal air emissions permit for the proposed plant.

Dow Chemical Co. late Monday made good on some of the “opportunities” that have come its way with the U.S. natural gas revolution by applying for a federal air emissions permit to build a $1.7 billion ethylene facility in Freeport, TX, which would be the chemical manufacturer’s biggest in the world.

Beginning Monday, producers will have to notify the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) two days in advance by e-mail of their plans to hydraulically fracture (frack) natural gas wells

Efforts to replicate in Europe the United States’ shale gas success took another blow Friday when French President Francois Hollande said that a ban on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) would remain in place during his five-year term. Hollande, the candidate of the Socialist party, became president following a two-round election earlier this year.

The nation’s natural gas resources, which have grown with the expanded potential of shale plays — including as much as 20 years supply from the Marcellus Shale — can be used to cost-effectively generate electricity, and any environmental burdens will come primarily from combustion when the fuel is used, not when it is extracted, according to a report from the Department of Energy (DOE).

Ground has been broken for the Frontier Oasis, a 112-bed workforce housing camp in Karnes County, TX. It is to open in September four miles West of Kenedy, TX, along Farm Route 2102. The flat rate all-inclusive camp will offer Eagle Ford Shale workers three all-you-can-eat meals per day; to-go sack lunches; housekeeping and laundry services, indoor and outdoor recreational facilities; high-definition television and wireless internet; and an on-site general store. Karnes County currently leads the booming Eagle Ford in drilling rigs, and the camp is expected to play a major role in providing much-needed housing, food and laundry services for the operators and service companies in the area. The commercial buildings for the project will be provided by Houston-based Teton Buildings LLC. Bryan, TX-headquartered Frontier Oilfield Solutions will be constructing and operating the camp. A recent study identified housing as a critical need for Eagle Ford workers and area residents (see Shale Daily, July 11).

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration is reportedly working on a plan to allow hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in five counties along the Pennsylvania border in the Marcellus Shale, but only in localities that support the practice.

Dallas-based natural gas vehicle (NGV) conversion company BAF Technologies has acquired Michigan-based automotive emissions control company ServoTech Engineering Inc., which will continue to operate under its current president as a BAF subsidiary. Terms of the acquisition were not released. Headed by Hamid Servati, ServoTech is a Ford Motor Co.-qualified calibration modifier. BAF was the first compressed natural gas converter recognized as Ford-qualified. ServoTech’s relationship with Ford should support BAF in developing engine calibrations more efficiently, enabling it ultimately to receive California and federal air quality approvals faster than in the past, according to BAF President John Bacon. BAF is a wholly owned subsidiary of Clean Energy Fuels Corp., a provider of fueling infrastructure and natural gas for NGVs.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has levied a $40,000 fine on an Ultra Petroleum Corp. subsidiary for several violations from 2011, including operating an illegal transfer station from a Marcellus Shale well pad in Potter County.