Wastewater

As a compromise bill to impose an impact fee on unconventional natural gas plodded through the Pennsylvania legislature Tuesday, Gov. Tom Corbett assumed a favorable outcome, commending lawmakers for their cooperation, saying he was “looking forward to signing the legislation into law.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is challenging a Pennsylvania policy for measuring air emissions, including those from Marcellus Shale development.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved the proposal of Norway’s Statoil ASA, which already has significant holdings in the Marcellus and Eagle Ford shales, to acquire Austin, TX-based independent Brigham Exploration Co., which would give it access to the Williston Basin’s Bakken and Three Forks oily formations.

El Paso Corp. and Spectra Energy Corp. said their Marcellus Ethane Pipeline System (MEPS) (see Shale Daily, Oct. 26, 2010) is holding a 30-day binding open season for shippers that desire ethane transportation service from West Virginia and Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale supply areas to destination interconnect points with third-party ethane pipelines or storage facilities in the Gulf Coast area. The MEPS project is being designed to transport up to 90,000 b/d and has an anticipated in-service date of 4Q 2014. The open season will close at 5 p.m. EDT on July 27. For more information visit www.elpaso.com/midstream.

The Colorado Petroleum Association (CPA) is changing its strategy to seek permission for operators to bury plastic liners used in wastewater pits at drilling sites.

Truck traffic on Pennsylvania roads that is generated by Marcellus Shale drilling operations has cost the state $30-35 million more than the industry is providing for road repairs, according to a report by the state’s Department of Transportation (DOT).

A subsidiary of Newfield Exploration Co. has contracted with Ecosphere Technologies Inc. to recycle wastewater created from drilling wells using hydraulic fracturing at the producer’s Woodford Shale operations near Coalgate, OK. Financial details between Ecosphere and Newfield Exploration Mid-Continent were not disclosed.

A recently released study, funded by the Montana Oil and Gas Conservation Board, says the discharge of a limited amount of untreated coalbed methane (CBM) wastewater into the Tongue River in Montana is not substantially affecting water quality or damaging crops downstream of Wyoming and Montana CBM operations.

A recently released study, funded by the Montana Oil and Gas Conservation Board, says the discharge of a limited amount of untreated coalbed methane (CBM) wastewater into the Tongue River in Montana is not substantially affecting water quality or damaging crops downstream of Wyoming and Montana CBM operations.