Barnett Shale

State officials tackling drilling waste in Pennsylvania

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Pennsylvania is trying to get a handle on what's in the frac water used for natural gas wells -- and what comes out of the ground once those wells are finished. It's been one of the toughest issues in the Barnett Shale. 

Read the Post-Gazette story here

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08356/936646-113.stm

-- Mike

More on recycled water

Fort Worth officials have been discussing a plan to pipe recycled wastewater to gas drilling sites along the Trinity River east of town -- maybe as far as D-FW Airport.

Now comes news that Aqua Pure, the company that has been running its own water recycling plants in the Barnett Shale, is going to start buying treated wastewater from the city of Weatherford.

-- Mike Lee

Council steps back on setback requirement

City Council members were leaning toward getting rid of an extra setback requirement for gas drilling sites with more than one well.

The proposed  ordinance would have required multiple well sites to get a special permit that required waivers from everyone affected property within 600 feet of the site boundary. Under the old ordinance, drillers measued the setback from the well bore -- which is a much smaller radius.

It was one of only two points that have not been adopted in the new gas ordinance. In a discussion Tuesday afternoon, council members seemed to favor getting rid of the new requirements, and leaving the old setback rules in place.

A new Gas Drilling Review Board would still hold hearings on well sites that create traffic or pipeline impacts on surrounding neighborhoods.

Dozens of residents were expected for a public hearing.

 -- Mike Lee 

Glade Road group, XTO at odds over returned leases

Glade Road Neighborhood Alliance, representing about 1,500 landowners in northern Hurst, reports that XTO Energy and its land agent, Holland Acquisitions, has returned hundreds of leases that its members signed at formal meetings with the only explanation that they were "not accepted" and no bonus will be paid. Organizer Jim Whelan said his group estimates that between 40 percent and 50 percent of its members signed leases before XTO rescinded its offer on Oct. 16. XTO was offering a $24,000/acre bonus and 25 percent royalty. "Our view is they invited us to a signing party and the terms were negotiated," Whelan said. Alliance leaders are examining options, he said. XTO declined to comment.

In the wake of the sudden halt in Barnett Shale leasing that hit in October amid plunging natural gas prices, producers typically stated that anyone who had returned a signed lease or had been issued a bank draft would be paid a signing bonus. Neighborhood leaders in Southwest Fort Worth, Colleyville, Bedford, Arlington and elsewhere have all reported that producers dealing with their groups have honored that commitment. And according to the Alliance, XTO sent this email to organizers on Oct. 16:

XTO Energy regretfully rescinds the offer to GRNA immediately.

Holland Acquisitions signed 80 leases last night on behalf of XTO. The signing event last night was for the Wintergreen II neighborhood, and the only folks who were turned away were those from other neighborhoods, for whom Holland did not have paperwork prepared. Again, no one from Wintergreen II was turned away, and Holland closed up shop when no one showed up for 45 minutes. Anyone who has signed a lease that Holland has in its possession as of last night will be paid.

The volatile market conditions we are all living through have caused corporations around the globe to refocus corporate strategy.

Regards,

Ryan M. Skelly
XTO ENERGY INC.
810 Houston St.
Fort Worth, Texas 76102 

Instead, "anybody who went to the signings and signed with Holland - all those leases were returned by XTO," Whelan said. "There's a lot of people who are not too happy about it."

-- Jim Fuquay

Still no agreement on drilling ordinance

Even after a year of meetings and negotiation, the City Council couldn’t agree on some of the new rules for natural gas drilling.

Council members approved most of a new ordinance on drilling, along with resolutions encouraging the state to fund an environmental impact study and spend more money on pipeline and well inspections.

But they were divided on what sort of setback to impose on sites with multiple wells, and opted to hold another workshop before voting on that section.

"I don't want to get in a hurry and shoot ourselves in the foot," Mayor Mike Moncrief said.

 

-- Mike Lee

Leasing in Lewisville

A Lewisville-based blogger reports that residents in his town are getting drilling offers from Chesapeake. The terms are described as "low," but there are no specifics.

http://www.whosplayin.com/xoops/html/modules/weblog/details.php?blog_id=914

Mike Lee

Make it a million . . .

The mayor of DISH, who's been pushing for more local control of natural gas pipelines and compressor stations,  says cities representing more than 1 million people (1.1 million with addition of Lewisville) have passed resolutions supporting the town's campaign.

Read more here:

Learning from Fort Worth

The Shreveport Times, which sits amid the Haynesville Shale, continues its series of stories about the impact of Barnett Shale gas drilling on Fort Worth.

We like these stories because they offer a fresh perspective on the Barnett Shale (and because the Shreveport reporters bought lunch for your humble bloggers when they visited town earlier this year).

Here's two stories from Sunday:

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008811300321

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008811300323

And two from Monday:

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008812010309

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008812010310