The Texas Transportation Commission has approved $225 million for work to repair roads damaged as a consequence of the state’s oil and gas boom. The funding, provided by the Texas Legislature (see Shale Daily, May 30), will allow the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)to begin repairing and rehabilitating roadways damaged by heavy trucks and increased traffic. It is estimated that energy sector traffic across the state has caused $400 million in immediate roadway safety concerns, such as severe edge damage on narrow roadways, deep rutting and pavement damage. Estimates show an additional $1 billion per year is needed to restore roadways heavily impacted by energy development to “good” or “better” conditions, the commission said. “Fatalities resulting from motor vehicle crashes in Texas rose by 11% in 2012 compared to the previous year,” said TxDOT Executive Director Phil Wilson. “We are pleased that our lawmakers saw fit to fund some of these safety-focused rehabilitation and repair projects, and we hope resources that enhance safety will continue to be a priority as our energy industry thrives.” With more than 80,000 miles of highway, Texas, home of the Eagle Ford and Barnett shales as well as the Permian Basin, has the largest highway system in the nation.
Shales
Articles from Shales
House Bill Bars Interior from Enforcing Federal Frack Rules
The House Natural Resources Committee Wednesday voted out a bipartisan bill that would prohibit the Department of Interior from enforcing federal hydraulic fracturing (fracking) regulations.
OPEC Feeling the Weight of U.S. Shales
Prolific oil production from U.S. shales is weighing on the need for imports, OPEC acknowledged in its latest Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR), and analysts at Barclays predicted that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries will see its influence over market balances decline over the next few years.
OPEC Feeling the Weight of U.S. Shales
Prolific oil production from U.S. shales is weighing on the need for imports, OPEC acknowledged in its latest Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR), and analysts at Barclays predicted that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries will see its influence over market balances decline over the next few years.
Ohio Accepted More Wastewater in 2012, But Now On Decline
Injection wells in Ohio handled more wastewater from oil and gas drilling in 2012, especially from out-of-state sources in the Marcellus and Utica shales, but they are on pace to handle less of the material in 2013.
Rex Secures Water Supply to Drill in Ohio’s Utica
The Buckeye Water District (BWD), a utility based in Columbiana County, OH, agreed to supply water for at least three years to a subsidiary of Rex Energy Corp. for oil and natural gas drilling in neighboring Carroll County, OH, the most prolific in the Utica Shale.
Summit Midstream Spends $460M on Bakken, Marcellus Gathering
Dallas-based Summit Midstream Partners LP (SMLP) is buying two shale gas gathering systems — one in the Bakken and the other in the Marcellus — in two deals worth a combined $460 million. The Marcellus transaction marks the company’s entry into the play.
West Virginia Needs ‘Significant’ Investment in NatGas Infrastructure
If West Virginia and the broader region encompassing the Marcellus and Utica shales take advantage of value-added opportunities associated with natural gas — in the manufacturing, transportation and electricity generation sectors — a greater share of the economic benefits of the shale boom will be retained by the region, according to a report issued by Vision Shared, a the Huntington, WV-based nonprofit organization. But significant investment is needed upfront to make that happen.
Bluegrass NGL Pipeline Proposal Inches Forward
Bluegrass Pipeline, which if sanctioned would carry surging mixed natural gas liquids (NGL) from the Marcellus and Utica shales to Northeast markets and Gulf Coast petrochemical complexes, faces some hurdles before it would be sanctioned, the project partners said Tuesday.
Northeast NatGas Generators Banking on ‘Price Appreciation’
Utility developers working on combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) projects in the Marcellus and Utica shales are looking for a “power price appreciation” that will come from the excess natural gas, according analysts with Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. Inc. (TPH).
