Tool

FracFocus has several design flaws that make it inadequate as a regulatory compliance tool, according to a study conducted by the Environmental Law Program at Harvard Law School.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has added a high-tech laser scanning device to its safety tool box for its pipeline systems. EXAscan, which is produced by Creaform in Quebec, may be placed a few inches above a section of pipe to produce 3-D views. It is said to be accurate within 40 microns (0.0016 of an inch) to detect potential corrosion, dents or warping. PG&E is able to capture information electronically for an entire pipeline section within minutes, a spokesperson said.

The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) has developed a Internet-based mapping tool to help community officials plan for road maintenance, dust control and other traffic-related problems that accompany expanded oil and natural gas development in the Bakken Shale and adjacent formations. The enhanced mapping includes information and locations for “permit status before spud” to provide the pre-drilling status for newly permitted well sites. It provides a new layer to the DMR oil/gas division’s GIS mapping system, enabling planners to identify where truck traffic could be most concentrated for a given period. “Users will be able to identify the operator of the rig and or well, as well as possible time frames when permits could be drilled,” said Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem. The GIS map server is available at the DMR website as part of the North Dakota Industrial Commission (www.dmr.nd.gov/oilgas).

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) has launched a color-coded interactive map tool that allows the public to view water quality data from more than 450 oil and natural gas drilling sites in the state.

Shale gas is reviving the domestic chemical industry, has already sparked growth in exports, and going forward it will boost the U.S. economy through new jobs in supplier industries and other manufacturers benefiting from cheap, plentiful energy, according to the National Petroleum Council (NPC).

General Electric on Tuesday introduced a new tool to grow the biogas-fueled on-site generation market that takes advantage of fuels from landfills, wastewater treatment plants and agricultural waste.

A comprehensive research plan that would provide guidelines and an assessment tool for regulators should be conducted in order to minimize the environmental impact of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, according to researchers at the Academy of Natural Sciences (ANS).

Due to “an issue” upstream of Little Red River Compressor Station with the in-line inspection tool it was running on the Fayetteville Lateral between the Grandview and Bald Knob stations, TGT will take volumes at 14 receipt points upstream of Little Red River to zero at the start of Thursday’s gas day. It declared a force majeure for those points. However, TGT said it expected the required maintenance to be completed by the start of Friday’s gas day.

The checkbook will always be a quick and handy tool for growing reserves, and big M&A deals will always garner headlines. But it’s organic growth through the drillbit that keeps the whole thing going. An example would be what Southwestern Energy has cooking in the Fayetteville Shale, an up and coming unconventional gas play the company pioneered.