The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) has released the latest revised draft amendments of rules relating to the well integrity issues of well casing, cementing, drilling and completions, cathodic protection wells, and seismic holes and core holes. The draft revisions are being circulated for an informal comment period, which is to end Dec. 31. The revisions are in response to comments RRC staff has received so far. The proposals are working drafts that have not been finalized and have not been submitted to the Texas Register for publication for public comment. Revisions are proposed to rules relating to cement sheath thickness; drilling fluid programs; isolation of productive zones; surface casing testing; cement specifications, quality and requirements; new requirements for wells that are to be hydraulically fractured (fracked); minimum separation of wells to be fracked; and well control/blowout preventer and pipeline shut-off valve requirements. One of the proposed revisions would ban fracking at noncemented wells when the zone being fracked ends within 1,000 vertical feet of a usable aquifer.
Railroad
Articles from Railroad
No Surprises in Texas RRC Election Results
In Tuesday’s election, Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) Chairman Barry Smitherman, a Republican, retained his seat, and Republican Christi Craddick was picked by voters over Democratic challenger Dale Henry.
Rail Transport of Bakken Oil Skyrockets
The railroad transportation of Bakken oil supplies continues to grow, and transporters are investing in new facilities on a pace with pipeline takeaway growth, according to the latest statistics from the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) and the state pipeline authority.
People
The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) named Gil Bujano as director of the commission’s oil and gas division. Bujano has been serving as the acting director since March and is a 28-year veteran of the commission. He began his employment at the commission in 1984 at the San Antonio RRC district office and also has worked in the Abilene, Pampa and Houston district offices. After serving as assistant director in the Houston district office, Bujano transferred to Austin in June 2009 to supervise the commission’s technical permitting unit. In August 2010, Bujano was promoted to deputy director of the oil and gas division.
People
David Porter, commissioner on the Railroad Commission of Texas, has been appointed by the state’s governor to serve as the official representative of Texas to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC), a multi-state agency that works to ensure that the nation’s oil and natural gas resources are conserved and maximized while protecting health, safety and the environment. Porter will serve as host for IOGCC’s 2012 Annual Meeting Oct. 29 through 31 in San Antonio. His ongoing responsibilities at IOGCC include serving as spokesman for the group in Texas, meeting with the governor to discuss current issues, authoring/sponsoring IOGCC resolutions, voting during business session, participating in committees and regularly attending meetings.
Industry Brief
The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) is proposing to amend its rules relating to water protection to allow for a wider variety of recycling activities. The existing rules contemplate two categories of commercial recycling facilities: mobile and stationary. Since adoption of the rules in 2006, RRC has received an increasing number of applications for permits for facilities that fit neither category. Therefore, RRC proposed to create a third category: a semi-mobile commercial recycling facility. It proposes to authorize on-lease, non-commercial recycling of produced water and/or hydraulic fracturing (fracking) flowback fluid, and to clarify requirements for off-lease or centralized noncommercial recycling of produced water and/or fracking flowback fluid. It also proposes to amend the definition of “fresh makeup water pit” to allow use of such a pit in conjunction with fracking of an oil or gas well for the storage of fresh water or treated fracking flowback fluid used to make up fracking fluid for use in a new well. The changes are intended to reduce the demand for fresh water for fracking. The proposal was recently published in the Texas Register.
Escondido Resources: Eagle Ford Well Highest Gas Producer to Date
Midland, TX-based Escondido Resources II LLC touted Wednesday what it said is the highest-producing natural gas well to date in the Eagle Ford Shale of South Texas: its Spohn Ranch 1H well in the Hawkville Field in Webb County.
Texas Coffers Lifted by Oil and Gas
Texas tax revenues during fiscal year 2012, which ended Aug. 31, were considerably higher than the prior year, according to the state comptroller’s office, thanks in part to oil and gas activities in the state.
People
The Railroad Commission of Texas appointed Milton Rister executive director of the agency effective Oct. 1. Rister comes from Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s office, where he has served as director for administration since 2010. Before that, Rister was executive director of the Texas Legislative Council from 2006 to 2009. He also served as a senior advisor for Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in 2005. Former Executive Director John Tintera announced his retirement effective April 1 after 22 years of service to the commission (see Daily GPI, March 9).
Texas Regulators Clarify Roles
The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) have issued an outline that attempts to clarify the responsibilities of each agency with respect to oil and gas regulation.
