The oilfield water newscycle over the past seven days has been extremely active.
In fact, there are 20+ headlines in this newsletter today that could have easily cracked the Top 5 during a normal week.
Before we get to the oilfield water news digest, two quick things are worth a mention:
- TX Flaring Report Update. Natural gas flaring is a hot topic that is directly linked to Permian oilfield water management – if regulators crack down on it, source water and produced water barrels will decline. Last week, our newsletter warned about a new Permian flaring report coming soon. The report was released yesterday afternoon.We listened to TX RRC’s Ryan Sitton present the findings on an hour-long webinar yesterday (there was an active Q&A session). Three key things we took away from this presentation were:a) no regulatory or legislative solutions to the flaring problem were endorsed yesterday, although several options were mentioned including flaring permit restrictions, incentives, and field rule changes,
b) the flaring report, which will be updated quarterly going forward, provides a framework for benchmarking E&P operators if regulators or legislators want to implement restrictions or incentives to reduce flaring in the future, and it names and calls out specific operators in tabular rankings for “over flaring” (Ryan mentioned during his talk that investors might start to use these rankings to determine which companies to invest in, because of ESG fund flows),
c) the report emphasizes flaring intensity (gas flared / oil produced) as the right metric for evaluating the size of the problem rather than sheer volume flared – in that context, Texas is presented as more efficient than other oil producing regions, both in the US and around the globe.
You can read Infill Thinking’s analysis here or the full report here. - May 2020 Event Update. Signups and inquiries have surged since we shared the topic outline and agenda news with readers in our last newsletter and with the broader public yesterday in this press release. We look forward to seeing most of you there. Stay tuned for speaker announcements soon – we have over 40 confirmed or invited speakers already! We also welcome a new Silver Sponsor to the event today: E3 Solutions is a wastewater disposal company that manufactures cost-effective and eco-conscious solutions to complex wastewater challenges mainly for the oil & gas industry, mining and landfill-leachate. We thank E3 for supporting this event and invite you to join them, other industry leaders, and us this May 26-28 for a conference unlike anything else on the calendar this year.
Have a great Wednesday and a productive finish to your work week…
News Digest
Two Earthquakes In West Texas Yesterday Morning
Just after 7am Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said that two earthquakes were recorded west of Mentone (a 3.2 and a 3.9)...
14 Big Picture Themes That Matter 2020 US Oilfield Water Management [Free Trial Unlocks]
Yesterday, the Infill Thinking team flagged 14 key themes they are researching in the oilfield water management space this year, as well as key themes they are watching in E&P and OFS / frac sand. These are worth a look as they will be front and center during many key industry discussions throughout the year 2020...
A List Of The Biggest Potential Disruptive Forces In Permian Oilfield Water Management Is Proposed
(1) New water recycling legislation requiring the use of recycled water
(2) Market movement toward water recycling as costs decrease (will destroy freshwater sales)
(3)...
NGL Energy Partners LP Announces New Acreage Dedications for Produced Water Transportation and Disposal in the Northern Delaware Basin
NGL Energy Partners LP said yesterday that they've signed separate, long-term produced water transportation and disposal agreements with two large, investment grade producer customers in the Delaware Basin. These agreements include acreage dedications totaling approximately 20,000 acres, from which initial produced water volumes are expected to be received beginning July 2020. The Partnership plans to use its existing infrastructure and significant disposal capacity to service these contracts, but the customers' names weren't disclosed...
Key Takeaways In Real-Time From Texas RRC Ryan Sitton’s First Natural Gas Flaring Report Release… [Paywall Unlocks]
Last week, this newsletter warned about an upcoming TX RRC flaring report. We didn't know what day it was coming at the time, but that day was yesterday. And yesterday, the Infill Thinking team live-blogged Ryan Sitton's webinar unveiling the report, giving readers real-time reporting on the key issues raised. In their coverage, you'll find links to all the relevant source documents and a summary of real-time webinar notes...
Rattler Midstream Water Volume Trends For 4Q19
During 4Q19, Rattler's average produced water gathering and disposal volumes were 895 MBbl/d, up 6% over 3Q19 and 164% over 4Q18...
Crestwood Gives Update On New Delaware Basin Produced Water System
Crestwood Permian Joint Venture signed long-term water gathering and disposal agreement in the Delaware Basin with a large integrated producer, and the JV has begun construction on related infrastructure with first volumes expected in 2Q20...
Topics And Agenda Revealed For The May 2020 Oilfield Water Markets Conference
This May, a thoughtful agenda will bring together industry business people to discuss trends redefining oilfield water management...
Will Laredo Sell Their Oilfield Water Management System? [Free Trial Unlocks]
Laredo said last week that they’ve built out 54,000 barrels per day of water recycled capacity. The company is currently using 40% recycled water in their completion operations. Laredo CEO Jason Pigott also said that they are “looking at water infrastructure all the time” as a monetization lever to pull to reduce debt...
WATER TALENT POOL: We Lost A Legend....
"Claytie" is a West Texas legend and a global O&G legend. His legacy will live on forever in the history books. He passed away at the age of 88 during the past week. RIP Clayton Williams - here's to a life well lived...
WATER TALENT POOL: New Opening For A Senior Permian Water Midstream Engineer
A leading recruiter in the oilfield water sector has posted a new open position for a Facilities Engineering & Construction Manager for a Water Midstream Operator in Midland, TX. Reporting into VP...
WATER TALENT POOL: BP Opens Position For Produced Water Handling Tech In Louisiana
Requirements: "Operate, monitor and adjust production and injection well fluid flow and pressures, fluid separation vessels, produced water handling facilities, crude oil to export and gas compression and the treatment and distribution equipment and process (inclusive of process support systems such as instrument air, chemicals, heating and seawater)..."
WATER TALENT POOL: Flowback Skills In Demand
Golden Ranch Energy in the Permian is looking to hire a shop hand to help with turning and prepping Flowback equipment...
Flowback Skills Matter! Extraction Oil & Gas Sues Flowback Contractor Over Explosion
Extraction Oil & Gas Inc. is suing one of its contractors, alleging that Colter Energy Services USA Inc. failed to provide proper safeguards in advance of a 2017 explosion at a Windsor well site. Colter denies the allegations and is countersuing. The fire, which occurred Dec. 22, 2017, sent a Colter employee to the hospital, where he was treated for his injuries and released. That employee, court records claim, was performing flowback activities at Extraction’s Stromberger drilling facility in Weld County when an improperly placed generator “ignited natural gas vapor in the area near the flowback tanks.”...
Moving Towards Alignment In Midstream Contracts (Part One)
The concept of additional upside awards began with and was developed under traditional gathering and processing agreements (“GPAs”), but it has since been applied to a range of Midstream Contract types, including NGL takeaway arrangements and produced-water disposal arrangements...
Oregon DOE Issues A Violation Notice That Reportedly Involves Goodnight Midstream
As reported below: "The Oregon Department of Energy has issued a notice of violation to a hazardous waste facility for accepting more than 2 million pounds of radioactive materials east of the Columbia River Gorge. Chemical Waste Management, a subsidiary of Waste Management Inc., was illegally dumping radioactive materials it received from a North Dakota company, Goodnight Midstream, at its waste landfill near Arlington, Oregon...." This headline is a reminder of the risks involved in wastewater management and the public focus on NORM in oilfield water streams...
High Roller Proposes Commercial O&G Waste Disposal Site In East Texas
Safefill Waste, one of a number of businesses listed with the umbrella of the High Roller Group of Center, filed an application for a Panola County waste disposal pit permit with the Texas Railroad Commission on Feb. 5....
Panola County Residents Organize Opposition To Proposed High Roller Landfill
The landowners surrounding the site of a potential commercial oil and gas waste disposal landfill in Galloway are organizing opposition to the project and say they have a number of concerns....
Update on Carlsbad Brine Well Remediation Project for the Week of February 10th
Twelve of the sixteen anticipated grouting and sand injection wells have been completed and work continues to near Carlsbad, NM to remediate a brine well that was used from 1978 to 2008 as a source of brine water for O&G activity...
Oilfield Produced Water Could Be An Alternative Source for Crop Irrigation
Experts and stakeholders join forces to find solutions to frequent water shortages in California's Central Valley agricultural region..
Ecological Watchdog Group Launches Petition To Ban Produced Water In Crop Irrigation
Cornucopia strongly opposes using gas and oil industry wastewater for irrigation or drinking, and they have launched a petition to ban the use of frac and sewage wastewater for growing organic food...
Horizontal Drilling Drought Returns To Barnett Shale
More than five weeks have passed since any oil company has filed for a drilling permit with the Railroad Commission of Texas for a new horizontal well in the Barnett Shale, a natural gas-rich geological formation that surrounds the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex...
WY DEQ Says Aethon Violated Pollution Limits At Moneta Divide
Aethon Energy violated environmental regulations as it dumped Moneta Divide oilfield wastewater into Fremont County creeks above Boysen Reservoir, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality asserts in a letter...
Senator Contests New WY DEQ Restrictions On Oilfield Pollution
A powerful state senator chided environmental regulators Thursday after they proposed tightening the amount of pollutants a company can release from the Moneta Divide gas- and oilfield...
Texas Congressional Candidates Discuss Their Oil And Gas Qualifications In Midland TX
Candidates for the 11th Congressional District discussed at a forum last week why they believe they are the most qualified to represent the Permian Basin’s oil-driven economy and educate members of the House on oil and gas issues...
EDF Op-Ed: Changes To The Clean Water Act Spell Trouble For New Mexico
New Mexico has very few surface water protections of its own, which means without federal standards, the state is facing an uphill battle to develop the tools it needs in order to step in and prevent polluters from contaminating water...
Judge's Order Allows Pipeline Construction In Texas Hill Country To 'Begin Immediately'
A February 14, 2020 order issued by a federal judge will allow Kinder Morgan to proceed with its construction plans of the Hill Country portion of its Permian Highway Pipeline...
Source Water Spill In The Bakken
Denbury Onshore reports that 250 barrels or 10,500 gallons of the fluid spilled from the pipeline 9 miles southeast of Marmarth, ND...
In The Middle East... A Notable Produced Water Reuse Brainstorming Session
Total Qatar's workshop promoted exchanges on existing methods and processes for water treatment and water reuse in Qatar, tackled challenges relating to it, and summarized proposed solutions and future outlook for water management...
Podcast: Engineering Industrial Pumping Systems in the Oil & Gas Industry
Power Zone Equipment President and Founder Don Toews joins The Crownsmen Show to explain how he built up a company that provides industrial pump engineering for fluid handling solutions for oil and gas, mining, and even agriculture...
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