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Ed Ireland should tell TCEQ there is no sulphur in Barnett Shale

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…because the TCEQ sure thinks there is. Ireland said this in response to the Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods report that shows drilling toxins disperse for a couple of miles. The League recommended a one mile setback from schools.

Below is an email from the TCEQ in response to Argyle residents who woke up one day to find a permanent flare in their backyard. H2S = Hydrogen Sulfide.

To add insult to an already deeply injured neighborhood, Williams has installed a flare at their Argyle Gas Processing Plant. The flare is to burn off the H2S gas before it goes into the pipeline

Molly Wentworth asked me to answer your question. The 24 ppm limit of H2S you mentioned is the concentration in the gas stream heading for the flare. As long as the concentration is at or below 24 ppm H2S in this gas stream, [Could I interrupt here to ask: Who is measuring how much H2S is in the gas stream?] then the company qualifies for the permit by rule (PBR). When the stream is burned in the flare, then the H2S concentration is decreased substantially. In addition, the ground-level concentration of H2S would be even lower due to dilution in the air before it gets to ground level. The ground level concentration of H2S onsite (where workers would be exposed) and off-site (exposure to residents) would be below levels that would produce harmful health effects. The concentration of H2S onsite must meet the OSHA regulatory standards of 20 ppm (short-term 15-min time period) or 50 ppm (for 10 min once per 8-hr shift). The concentration of H2S offsite must meet the state standard of 0.08 ppm protective of residents.
Please let me know if you have additional questions. Thank you, Roberta Grant
Roberta L. Grant, Ph.D. | Manager | Toxicology Section | TCEQ

It’s ridiculous for Ed Ireland to say there is no sulphur in the Barnett Shale but he will say anything–ANYTHING–and I’m sure people are catching on to that by now.

About Sharon Wilson

Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.

Comments

  2. David says

    When burned creates another poisonus gas called Sulfur Dioxide according to a safety video.

  3. Anonymous says

    This dude Grant (PHD and all) is mistaken. TCEQ's definition of sour gas is NOT stated as 24 ppm!! Go look it up, it is expressed in weight per volume units.

  4. Anonymous says

    When the H2S is burned in the flare, SO2 (and other crap) is produced. That is just as bad for residents. The reason they flare the H2S is so it won't gather in low places, catch fire, and blow up their facilities. SO2, will also gather in low places; but, it won't burn.

  5. Zoe says

    I am a 'sulfur-inator measurer'. Thanks to Williams and an acute exposure I suffered at the Blessing Unit, I am now allergic to sulfur. When I enter into sulfur patches I become immediately sick.

    H2S is small compared to the other sulfur compounds used in drilling. Carbon Disulphide is not only used to take the H2S out of the gas, it can also be used to frac with, as a lubricant.

    http://yandong52.en.supplierlist.com/

    Dimethyl Trisulphide is also released in the dril/frac/processing part of Natural Gas Extraction.

    Ed Ireland put your crack pipe down.

    I'm tired of listening to your Industry Laden Rhetoric.

    You sound ridiculous. You sound like you have no idea what you are talking about.

    In fact, you don't.

    Try Google before you put your foot in your mouth again.

    http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ac60171a014

    http://www.madehow.com/Volume-6/Natural-Gas.html

    # "6 Some natural gas contains a high percentage of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. These chemicals can react with the remaining water vapor in the gas to form an acid, which can cause corrosion. They are removed by flowing the gas up through a tower while a spray of water mixed with a solvent, such as monoethanolamine, is injected at the top. The solvent reacts with the chemicals, and the solution is drained off the bottom of the tower for further processing.
    # 7 Some natural gas also contains a high percentage of nitrogen. Because nitrogen does not burn, it reduces the heating value of the natural gas. After the carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide have been removed, the gas goes through a low-temperature distillation process to liquefy and separate the nitrogen. Together, the processes in steps 6 and 7 are sometimes called "upgrading" the gas because the natural gas is now cleaner and will burn hotter.
    # 8 If helium gas is to be captured, it is done after the nitrogen is removed. This involves a complex distillation and purification process to isolate the helium from other gases. Natural gas is the primary source of industrial helium in the United States."

    http://www.chemicalland21.com/industrialchem/solalc/DIMETHYL%20DISULFIDE.htm

    http://www.nt.ntnu.no/users/skoge/prost/proceedings/aiche-2004/pdffiles/papers/021d.pdf

    And the single most obvious come back to your ignorance is, TCEQ says flaring is to burn off the H2S.

    And what's that smell of rotten eggs…DUH?!

  6. Anonymous says

    The TITAN study found hydrogen sulfide, carbon disulfide and carbonyl sulfide in different combinations at 8 of 10 sites they tested.
    This is Ed Ireland's own study and he seems unfamiliar with it. Are we surprised?!!!!!!

  7. Anonymous says

    ….and cue Mr. Ed to start talking about how many jobs are created in the BS.