Calvin and I suspected that the operators in the Eagle Ford Shale were flaring off the gas just to get rid of it. When we were there, we saw flares everywhere .
Reuters: Shale oil boom sends waste gas burn-off soaring
By Anna Driver and Bruce Nichols
HOUSTON | Mon Jul 25, 2011 2:18pm EDT
Right now, gas is cheap but the price of oil is up. To get the oil out fast, they just flare off the gas which causes air pollution, acid rain and acceleratesclimate change. Even industry studies agree that flaring causes air pollution so don’t let them tell you otherwise! The operators claim that infrastructure needed to capture instead of flare the gas takes too long to build.
The article specifically mentions known flare lovers: Chesapeake and Enron Oil and Gas (EOG).
Question: Since the claim is we have to drill to be energy independent, how can we afford to waste any energy? Why not slow down a little until the infrastructure catches up?
Answer: It’s not about energy independence and never was. It’s about profit. PERIOD.
Texas groups need to work together on a statewide campaign to legislate green completions.
Range Resources flares next to McKenna Park in Denton, TX
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.
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Let’s at least have the chance to export that gas to China, like is being done elsewhere, instead of flaring it. No one seems interested in lowing gas prices further, so I guess supply & demand economics is good only if you make record profits.
I work on a rig, and I am from south Texas. I have always been told they flare to get the oil out fast but i never knew (guess I never really thought about it) that it causes acid rain and accelerates climate change.
And another thing the flare is used when pockets of gas are hit while drilling, so we dont blow out the rig and kill 20 people. But thats only when a rig is present on site