This is a tale of two compressor stations. As far as Rick Putchio is concerned, one of them represents the best of oilfield practices, and one represents the worst. Putchio is upset with the station that EOG Resources built within earshot of a house he owns in rural Johnson County, south of Mansfield, so much so he's created a Web site denouncing the Houston-based producer. That's one of his pictures above of EOG's Big Daddy compression station. It's out in the open with only a large noise barrier on the west side of the facility, between the five compressors and the nearest house.
Just down County Road 514 is a similar-size XTO Energy compression station. But XTO's compressors are housed inside a sound-insulated building. We drove by one breezy morning. The XTO station was barely audible above a stiff southwest wind, while EOG's mechanical whine could be heard at least a quarter-mile downwind. Putchio calls it noise pollution and says he has complained to EOG to no effect. An EOG representative said Friday that the company "addresses each operating site on a case-by-case basis to minimize the impact on our neighbors," but declined further comment.
Jim Fuquay
EOG Resources, formerly Enron Oil & Gas - yes they were Enron Corporation!!! -, is what many neigbors out here consider the neigbhor from HELL! Up until about 1.5 years ago this was a very peaceful country setting and now we have had to put up with very loud engine noise 24/7 since then. Despite many neighbor complaints about the high existing noise level, EOG Resources took it upon themselves to fire up another compressor machine yesterday (makes 6 total now) that seems louder than all the other existing five combined. Looks like the shameful behavior of Enron is living on through EOG Resources. I would like to aplaud XTO Energy for their excellent consideration of the environment and the well being of the neighbors out here!
Posted by: kare101 | May 05, 2008 at 06:35 PM
Rick's residence is about a 1/2 mile away from EOG Resource's noisy Big Daddy compressor station.
Posted by: nature63 | March 22, 2008 at 09:20 AM
How far is Rick's residence from the compressors?
Posted by: | March 20, 2008 at 08:16 PM
You can check out a great short video clip comparing the noise levels of these two compressor stations by clicking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqIIYXeHvw0
Posted by: nature63 | March 11, 2008 at 09:30 AM
cute, just like having a traveling circus
set up in your neighborhood, ya got the
noise but no flim-flam of a circus. You got the trucks, the dust, the stink, the
noise and the ugly site. How yu going to
spend your twenty bucks in trade?
Posted by: | March 01, 2008 at 10:25 AM