Questerre

Questerre Energy Corporation is focused on high impact high reward projects. Its President Michael Binnion blogs on issues related to its Utica Natural Gas discovery in Quebec. Website: www.questerre.com

[questerre-blog]

shock waves

Shock waves

Michael Binnion

by Michael

Ecocrats are sending out shock waves from Ohio.  Some water injection wells in Ohio are believed to have induced seismic activity.  Induced seismic is a term for seismic activity caused by humans.  Earthquake is a common name for seismic activity.

The headlines are that fracing caused earthquakes in Ohio.    Let’s forget for a moment that the news was water disposal wells may have caused earthquakes but the headlines said fracing did.   We aren’t shocked at all by things like that anymore.   I have news that is really shocking:  hydraulic fractures are earthquakes!  The whole idea of hydraulic fracturing is to induce seismic activity.   It wouldn’t be much of a fracturing operation that didn’t induce seismic activity by fracturing some rock.

Just Google ‘induced seismic’.  It turns out induced seismic activity is pretty common stuff.  A farmer’s tractor working in a field, trucks going down the road, hydraulic fracturing – well, you get the idea.   Almost all induced seismic is too small for people to feel including the hydraulic fracturing variety.  So the issue is not whether something causes an earthquake.  The issue is whether it causes a noticeable earthquake.

In Ohio the biggest earthquake was reported to be 4.0 on the Richter scale.  That’s big enough for people to feel which is noticeable.  If it had been ten times stronger or a Richter 5.0 then it could have caused damage which is significant.  As a comparison, a major earthquake like Fukushima was almost 100,000 times stronger than the biggest earthquake in Ohio.

Human activities in the past that have caused noticeable earthquakes are:  hydroelectric dams (including the Manic-3 reservoir close to Baie-Comeau), mining operations, oil and gas production, geothermal, water disposal wells, and hazardous liquid waste disposal wells.   Other activities that people are concerned might cause noticeable earthquakes include hydraulic fracturing and CO2 sequestration.   Of interest, there have been major earthquakes of over 7.0 on the Richter scale caused by geo-thermal and hydro-electric dams.

It isn’t a bad idea to understand the geology before carrying out activities that have the potential to cause noticeable earthquakes.   Areas of fault instability can have this risk.

Wait a minute:  there is a recent study of fault stability in the St. Lawrence Lowlands [link to study].  It discusses the issues of induced seismic and also puts in to context the issue for the St. Lawrence Lowlands.  It is a collaboration of Quebec based experts and experts from industry who provided much of the geological data.  I blogged my surprise about how there was no mention of this important issue in the media when the study was press released and presented at the oil and gas conference in Quebec.

There was no mention of it either when there were headlines about fracing causing earthquakes in Ohio.   IF I was more surprised about that I would be shocked.

[questerre-blog]

fracing video

this is how it is done

http://www.questerre.com/en/shale-gas/english-video-gallery/

[questerre-blog]

gasland believers watch this

Josh Fox fracking knew all along it is natural (and not harmful) to have methane in aquifers

http://blog.questerre.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/gasland-hides-facts.mp4

[greenagenda]

[questerre-blog]

nice to see an environmentalist who sticks to facts even though I disagree with some of his opinions greenagenda:

For some it is a godsend, others a curse. The story of natural gas is quite a strange one, and even more so is it’s covert coupe of other fossil fuels. To many environmentalists like myself, natural gas is just another fossil fuel only prolonging the inevitable need to change over to renewable...

[itckhckhlgi8578-deactivated2014]

As the popularity of shale gas has soared in the past sixty years, so have the concerns of many environmental activists. Many people see it as the beginning of a new energy-era, while others as a major threat to the society. At a recent conference in London of the shale-gas industry, energy...

[tomorrowis2late-blog-blog]

Threat of Water Pollution Vaults Oil & Gas ‘Fracking’ into Public Consciousness

This was the year that “fracking” became a household word. Additionally, for the first time, independent scientific investigations linked the drilling technique with water pollution, and a variety of federal and state agencies responded to the growing apprehension about water contamination with more studies and more regulation.

The most important development — and perhaps a crucial turning point — came in December with a landmark finding, where the Environmental Protection Agency concluded that hydraulic fracturing was the likely culprit in a spate of groundwater contamination that had forced residents to stop using their water in dozens of homes in central Wyoming. Earlier in the year, a study published through the National Academy of Sciences determined that in Pennsylvania, private water wells in close proximity to fracked gas wells were 17 times more likely to be contaminated with methane gas.

Those studies are separate from a national research project the EPA has undertaken to assess the risks hydraulic fracturing poses to water resources. The study is meant to help Congress and regulators determine whether fracking should be regulated like other similar processes under the Safe Drinking Water Act and whether companies that frack should be forced to disclose the details about the chemicals they use. The agency is examining five case studies across the country and is now estimating that some of its report will be complete by the original 2012 deadline and the rest will continue into 2014.

Last winter, the Obama administration urged the Department of Energy to conduct its own assessment of fracking’s safety on a quicker timeline than the EPA. In a matter of months, a DOE panel determined that the environmental risks were substantial and needed to be addressed in order to safely develop more natural gas resources. The panel raised concerns that pollution could have serious health consequences for those who live close to drilling operations.

[ggtravel-blog]

Tap Water on Fire

GasLand Movie Director Josh Fox Interview on FRACKING  & The Dangers of Natural Gas Drilling In America

[hapiplanet-blog-blog]

This infographic website is a great visual display about how the fracking process works. Among countless other terrible consequences associated, 

There have been over 1,000 documented cases of water contamination next to areas of gas drilling as well as cases of sensory, respiratory, and neurological damage due to ingested contaminated water.

If you don’t want fracking near you, you can search by zip code and sign a petition to tell your representative how you feel.

[maisontrouvee-blog]

[questerre-blog]

more schiste on nat gas.  they could light taps on fire in 1936 just ask Josh Fox

Early in our house hunt, my husband and I were looking at several properties in Sullivan County New York, which is right across the border from Pennsylvania. We gave up on those after seeing a documentary called Gasland. Let me tell you why.

Gasland was created by a documentary filmmaker...

[fritfilter]

no.

[phroyd]

[questerre-blog]

http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2011/12/encana_blasts_epa_report_linki.php

two sides to this story

E.P.A. Links Tainted Water in Wyoming to Hydraulic Fracturing for Natural Gas

By KIRK JOHNSON

Published: December 8, 2011

DENVER — Chemicals used to hydraulically fracture rocks in drilling for natural gas in a remote valley in central Wyoming are the likely cause of contaminated local water supplies, federal regulators said Thursday.

The draft report, after a three-year study by the Environmental Protection Agency, represents a new scientific and political skirmish line over whether fracking, as it is more commonly known, poses a threat in the dozens of places around the nation where it is now being used to extract previously unreachable energy resources locked within rock.

The study, which was prompted by complaints from local residents about the smell and taste of their water, stressed that local conditions were unusual at the site, called the Pavillion field, in that the gas wells were far shallower than in many other drilling areas around the country. The shallow depth means that natural gas itself can seep upward naturally through the rock, and perhaps into aquifers.

But the suite of chemicals found in two test wells drilled at the site, the report said, could not be explained entirely by natural processes. The agency’s analysis of samples taken from deep monitoring wells in the aquifer indicated the presence of synthetic chemicals, like glycols and alcohols consistent with gas production and hydraulic fracturing fluids, benzene concentrations well above standards in the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act standards, and high methane levels.

[questerre-blog]

Déjà vu all over again

The most damaging story to the natural gas industry last year was issued at New Year’s and caught industry off guard and without an effective response.

One year later we have a follow up right before Christmas where our industry association did not have a comment.  Though when I checked they said no one asked them for one.

The story a year ago was that natural gas was detected by government inspectors at 19 of 31 natural gas wells.  The question I had is why not at all 31?  Fugitive emissions are hardly new or news.  According to a study of over 300,000 wells in Alberta just under 5% of wells have small leaks and 0.6%  have methane migration.   The pipeline systems have them too.  They are a routine part of our business and they are inspected and repaired often without coming to the attention of senior management unless there is a health or safety issue.

However, it was spun as a story of how 19 of 31 natural gas wells were leaking and industry couldn’t stop it.   Even the government suggested industry was out of control.  It’s like discovering that you have to add air to your tires from time to time and suggesting that the tire industry is out of control.

It is our opponents’ top PR coup of 2011 and one year later is still one of the top three questions I get in Quebec.    This in spite of the government confirming later that very few wells actually needed any preventative maintenance.

The story now is a professor from the University of Alberta reported in November, sometime before Christmas, that he tested natural gas samples from Quebec.    Thermogenic shale gas exists naturally in the groundwater of the St. Lawrence Valley.  The professor reported he thus could not prove the natural gas in ground water migrated naturally and so hypothetically it could have migrated due to well drilling.    The government agreed they couldn’t tell the difference between naturally occurring natural gas and production gas so hypothetically there could be migration.

As a specialist in testing natural gas it may not be too surprising that the point of the professor’s report was to recommend more detailed testing of natural gas be carried out.

We have used the University of Alberta for this type of isotope testing ourselves.  They were not able to help us either when we asked them to tell different natural gas samples from the Devonian age apart.  We think they are competent but there are limits inherent in the estimations used in the tests.

This time the spin is the first case of water contamination has been discovered with the innuendo that industry is hiding the information.   Yet it was industry who paid for the testing in an obvious effort to find an answer.   Industry doesn’t even know what wells the professor refers to and are trying to find out.

However, there is a big difference in the stories this time.  This time I agree with the Minister of Environment.   Current groundwater knowledge in the St. Lawrence Valley needs to be improved.    The professor’s suggestion of gathering more data from natural gas drilling operations could help.   Let’s take this issue and the professor’s recommendations seriously.

[fracktually-speaking-blog]

I wonder why…”The oil and gas industry had opposed the requirement in the Colorado rule calling for the disclosure of chemical concentrations.” Read more:Hickenlooper: Colorado’s frack fluid disclosure rule will be a model for the nation - The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_19537142#ixzz1gSHrX3k5 Read The Denver Post’s Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

[questerre-blog]

So much for the conspiracy theories that Government doesn't regulate and is in the industry's pocket.  Same Colorado State Government exposed the factual errors in Gasland.  I believe the Colorado State Government is right on both of these issues.

[questerre-blog]

Wyoming Petroleum Association questions EPA

More concerns about motivations of EPA.  It will be interesting how this all turns out.  What is the point of the EPA if their work isn't evidence based?  Let's hope it doesn't turn out the EPA report was biased intentionally.

http://images.skem1.com/client_id_8990/PAW_News_Release_12-08-2011_0429_PM_MST.pdf

[questerre-blog]

Wyoming Governor questions EPA

I think the recommendations from the EPA report were good ones whether their study is right or not.  The EPA has already had a very high profile loss in court in Texas.  They can't afford to start looking like activists.  More to the point industry and the public can't afford the EPA becoming politicized in their decision making.  We need evidence based approaches we have more than enough activists and ecocrats.

http://governor.wy.gov/media/pressReleases/Pages/GovernorMeadImplicationsofEPA.aspx

[questerre-blog]

This is the issue we need to be talking about instead of arguing whether modern technology for resource extraction should be stopped or not.

[questerre-blog]

le Feu aux cheveux

Michael Binnion

par Michael

Aujourd’hui, l’EPA a publié un rapport sur Pavillion, un champ de gaz naturel conventionnel des années 90, qui, bien que n’ayant pas encore été révisé par un organisme indépendant, indique que la fracturation hydraulique a provoqué la contamination de l’eau. Dans le passé, Questerre a publié le rapport Frac Attack qui indiquait que ce champ représentait un exemple potentiel de contamination de l’eau. Nous connaissons cet incident et l’avons rendu publique sur notre site Web, il y a de ça, déjà un certain temps.

Je ne sais pas si l’EPA est juste ou non, mais certains groupes américains crient haut et fort que le processus utilisé par l’EPA est injuste. C’est peut-être vrai, mais je crois que là n’est pas la question. Ce qui est survenu dans le cadre de la réglementation du Wyoming il y a plus de dix ans ne pourrait arriver au Canada en raison de sa réglementation plus sévère.

L’EPA a indiqué que les fracturations de Pavillion ont été faites à des profondeurs aussi minimes que 372 m et que les colonnes de surface n’étaient posées qu’à 110 m. De plus, il y a des exemples de problèmes de cimentation.

Que cela soit vrai ou non, pourquoi ne pas être en accord avec les trois recommandations du rapport :

Essai de base des puits d’eau;

Divulgation des produits chimiques utilisés pour la fracturation;

Amélioration de l’ingénierie et de la construction des puits.

Depuis un certain temps, Questerre encourage la discussion sur ces préoccupations. Peut-être que l’idée selon laquelle on peut contaminer l’eau souterraine lors des fracturations à des profondeurs de 1 ou 2 kilomètres sera finalement remplacée par de réels risques.

Les foules de Gasland extrapoleront peut-être aussi, en partant d’un incident éventuel dans un puits classique, jusqu’à dire qu’il s’agit de la raison pourquoi on peut mettre feu à l’eau du robinet. L’idée seule de cela me donne envie de mettre feu à mes cheveux.