A new regulation will require drillers in Texas to report the chemicals in their hydraulic fracturing fluid and the amount of water used to frack each well.
More at The Texas Tribune.Barnett Shale
Declining Royalty Payments from Natural Gas Wells
Many property owners are very surprised when the royalties that they receive from a natural gas well on their property decline sharply. They are learning about production decline curves.
More at Geology.com.
Learning about Oil and Gas Leases
An article in the New York Times reviews some potential rewards and problems that occur when a landowner decides to lease his property for oil and and gas development.
Related: Mineral Rights [1]
[1] http://geology.com/articles/mineral-rights.shtml
More at New York Times.
Declining Production from the Barnett Shale
An article on the Star-Telegram.com website explores declining production from the Barnett Shale of Texas – the rock unit that supported the first important use of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing.
More at Star-Telegram.
Barnett Shale: 100,000 Jobs and $65 Billion
An article on the BizJournals.com website summarizes the economic impact of natural gas development in the Barnett Shale of Texas.
More at BizJournals.com.
Oh No! Who Really Owns the Natural Gas in Shale?
Is natural gas part of the shale or is it a fugitive commodity that is not an integral part of any specific rock unit? Will a refined legal definition of natural gas in Pennsylvania overturn thousands of historic leases?
More at Business Week.
35 Wells on One Barnett Shale Drilling Pad
Devon Energy has drilled over 4,700 wells in the Barnett Shale field since 2001. Today they are in the process of drilling 35 horizontal wells, all at different compass directions, from a single 12-acre pad. This is believed to be the largest number …
More at Star-Telegram.com.
Geographic History of Barnett Shale Drilling Activity
The Energy Information Administration has an interesting animated map on their website that shows the geographic spread of drilling activity in the Barnett Shale around Fort Worth, Texas. It also shows the introduction and spread of horizontal drillin…
More at Energy Information Administration.
Shale Gas and U.S. National Security
The Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University has published a report titled: “Shale Gas and U.S. National Security”. “This study assesses the impact of U.S. domestic shale gas development on energy security and U.S. national security, with emphasis on the geopolitical consequences of rising supplies of U.S. natural gas from shale and the implications for U.S. foreign policy.” Quoted from the report summary.
Brine Contamination Associated with Oil and Gas Production in the Williston Basin
“U.S. Geological Survey scientists and cooperating partners are examining the potential risk to aquatic resources by contamination from saline waters produced by petroleum development in the Williston Basin of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.” Quoted from the USGS publication release.
Chesapeake Energy: Land Acquisition Machine
A post on the Seeking Alpha blog details how successful Chesapeake Energy has been at rapidly leasing enormous acreages in all of the major natural gas shale plays in the United States. They author calls them a “land acquisition machine”.
Impact of Barnett Shale Development on Groundwater Resources
The impact of hydraulic fracturing on ground water supplies is a concern in almost every area where the well stimulation method is employed. The Texas Water Development Board has published an informative study: Northern Trinity/Woodbine GAM Assessment of Groundwater Use in the Northern Trinity Aquifer Due To Urban Growth and Barnett Shale Development. Get the report here.
Which is the Leader? Barnett or Haynesville Shale?
The Energy Information Administration recently reported that production from the Haynesville Shale had surpassed Barnett Shale production. Now, energy statisticians are arguing over the numbers. More at Platts.com.
EPA vs Texas Railroad Commission
The Railroad Commission has jurisdiction of natural gas drilling in Texas and the commission disagrees with the United States Environmental Protection Agency on the cause of domestic water well contamination in North Texas. EPA claims that Barnett Shale drilling has caused the problem. More in the Washington Post.
Haynesville Shale is the Top Shale Gas Producer
According to an article in the Houston Chronicle, the Haynesville Shale of Louisiana is now producing more natural gas than the Barnett Shale of Texas, running at a rate of about 5.5 billion cubic feet per day.
How Much Gas in the Utica Shale?
The Utica Shale has a larger geographic extent than both the Marcellus Shale of the Appalachian Basin and the Barnett Shale of Texas. It is also has a much larger total volume. Will its gas producing potential exceed that of the Marcellus and Barnett. An article on the Seeking Alpha blog explores this question.
Side-effects of Shale Drilling
An article in the Houston Chronicle titled: “We Can Minimize Negative Side-Effects of Shale Drilling” explores some ways to mitigate some of the problems encountered in developing the Barnett Shale, Eagle Ford Shale and Haynesville Shale in Texas.
Landowners Sue Chesapeake Energy for Backing Out on a Deal
Several landowners in Texas are going after Chesapeake Energy for promising to lease their Barnett Shale properties and then backing out of the deal. More on a Christopher Helman blog post at Forbes.com.
Can the Nitrogen Content of Natural Gas Determine Its Source?
Natural gas has been found in two private water wells in Parker County, Texas. The nitrogen content of the gas may determine if Barnett Shale drilling activity by Range Resources is the source or if the source is shallower rock units. More in the Washington Examiner.
Where Did That Gas Come From?
Two household water supplies in Parker County, Texas are contaminated with methane. EPA says that the gas came from Range Resources wells drilled into the Barnett Shale. Range Resources says that the gas came from the Strawn Formation which is much shallower. More in a Star-Telegram.com article.
Master Plan for Barnett Shale Pipelines
In a competitive rush to lease natural gas properties a pattern of drilling is established. Then pipelines to transport the gas to market must be built to service that pattern with companies still competing instead of cooperating. An editorial in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram calls for a pipeline master plan.
Texas Rule 37 and Holdout Landowners
The Texas Railroad Commission’s Rule 37 is the subject of an editorial in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The author explains how this rule that regulates the spacing of oil and gas wells seems to be used to as a way to avoid dealing with Barnett Shale holdout landowners.
Chesapeake Will Drill Over 300 Barnett Wells in 2011
Last year Chesapeake Energy paid out nearly $300 million in Barnett Shale royalties and this year plans to drill over 300 new wells.
The General Public is Drilling Google for Natural Gas Information
The public has been drilling Google for information on the natural gas shales that have been making news across the country. Geology.com has a short blog post that teaches you how to drill Google to learn how much interest the public has in natural gas – or any other topic.
Natural Gas Reserves Shoot Up for Shale States
The Energy Information Administration has published a map that shows the increase in wet natural gas proved reserves by state for 2008-2009. There were huge increases for the states with large shale gas plays such as Marcellus Shale, Haynesville Shale, Fayetteville Shale, Eagle Ford Shale and the Barnett Shale.
Macquarie and Freeport Propose a Texas LNG Export Terminal
Macquarie Group Ltd. and Freeport LNG propose a $2 billion LNG export terminal on the Gulf coast, near Galveston, Texas to ship Barnett Shale gas to overseas markets. More in the Star-Telegram.
Record Well in the Barnett Shale – 17.8 MMcf/day
Chesapeake Energy had a Barnett Shale well in north Texas produce an average of 17.8 million cubic feet per day for the month of September. The well now holds the Barnett Shale record for monthly natural gas production from a single well. More at iStockAnalyst.com.
Range Resources Selling Barnett to Bet on Natural Gas Liquids
Range Resources plans to sell off their Barnett Shale properties and use the money to buy into areas where natural gas liquids can be produced. More at the Star-Telegram.com website.
Louisiana LNG Export Terminal
Chesapeake Energy is working to get an LNG export terminal at their Sabine Pass, Louisiana facility. There they can receive gas from their Haynesville, Barnette and Eagle Ford fields and prepare it for shipment to other countries where the price of gas is much higher. More at PennEnergy.com.
Recycling Hydraulic Fracturing Water
A company working in the Barnett Shale play has a portable unit that recycles hydraulic fracturing fluid. The unit distills the fracturing fluid – which recovers clean water for reuse and concentrates dissolved materials for disposal. More on the Star-Telegram.com website.
