North Dakota’s oil production has been rising rapidly for the past few years. Last month they produced 17.8 million barrels, surpassing Alaska to become the second-leading oil-producing state.
The leading states for natural gas production during 2011 were: Texas, Louisiana, Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Colorado. Together they produced 65% of US natural gas.
“The chances of rogue fractures due to shale gas fracking operations extending beyond 0.6 kilometres from the injection source is a fraction of one percent, according to new research led by Durham University. The analysis is based on data from thousands of fracking operations in the USA and natural rock fractures in Europe and Africa.” Quoted from the Durham University press release.
A report on drilling activity in the Eagle Ford Shale on the FuelFix.com website says that the number of new wells drilled in the first quarter of 2012 is double the number drilled in 2011.
“A team of U.S. Geological Survey scientists recently completed an assessment of the potential for additions to oil reserves that could result from applying improved oil-recovery technologies in 18 large oil fields in the Permian Basin in west Texas and southeastern New Mexico.” Quoted from the USGS Fact Sheet.
An article on the MySanAntonio.com website explores the success and economic impact of the Eagle Ford Shale which produced nearly 5 million barrels in 2010 and over 20 million in 2011.
Drilling for oil in the shale formations of Texas and North Dakota often results in the flaring of natural gas – as some of these areas are not served by natural gas pipelines. Although this practice is somewhat of an industry tradition it is drawing increasing criticism because it wastes a non-renewable energy resource, is an economic loss, produces air pollution and contributes to climate change.
“A new study examining nearly 40 years of satellite imagery has revealed that the floating ice shelves of a critical portion of West Antarctica are steadily losing their grip on adjacent bay walls, potentially amplifying an already accelerating loss of ice to the sea.” Quoted from The University of Texas at Austin press release.
While the ownership of oil and natural gas beneath a property has been rather well defined there are still significant uncertainties about who owns the ground water.
Four years ago the Haynesville Shale began generating lots of jobs and income for northern Louisiana. Now many companies are redirecting their activities from dry gas to areas where natural gas liquids and oil can be produced from shale – walking away from the boom areas that previously experienced rapid growth.
An article on the FuelFix.com website looks at how growing production from shale in the Permian Basin of West Texas has surprised even the most experienced drillers.
An article in The Advocate explores who Encana Corporation and other natural gas drillers are responding to natural gas falling nearly $10 per thousand cubic feet since 2008.
“For decades, however, scientists have wondered if the less volatile subsurface in areas such as Texas could provide economically viable locations for geothermal power.” Quoted from the University of Texas at Austin press release.
USGS has recently published: “Shallow Coal Exploration Drill-Hole Data—Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas”. Data is available by state in MS Excel files.
The Eagle Ford Shale is a black shale with a high organic carbon content in central Texas. I has become one of the most important economic generators in central Texas.
A new regulation will require drillers in Texas to report the chemicals in their hydraulic fracturing fluid and the amount of water used to frack each well.
The-Vug.com has an impressive listing of mineral clubs organized by state. You might be surprised at how many clubs are listed and there is probably one that meets within a short drive of your home.
Lots of factors contribute to the natural gas prices paid by residential customers. Long term contracts and distant supply sources can hold residential prices high even though natural gas is locally in abundance. Residential customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Texas are paying above average rates for their natural gas.
Jadela Oil recently used 5000 barrels of liquid propane and butane to frack a horizontal well in Maverick County, Texas. When gas is used for fracking it can be recovered and sold or recycled instead of being a disposal problem.
“Water-level declines began in parts of the High Plains aquifer soon after the beginning of substantial irrigation with groundwater in the aquifer area. This report presents water-level changes in the High Plains aquifer from the time before substantial groundwater irrigation development had occurred (about 1950 and termed “predevelopment” in this report) to 2009, from 2007-08, and from 2008-09. The report also presents change in water in storage in the aquifer, from predevelopment to 2009.” Quoted from the USGS report release.
Since 1972 the “Roadside Geology” series has provided introductory information on the geology of states and small regions of the United States. The books provide a combination of maps, travel logs, photos and commentary for the geology that can be seen along highways or visited at parks and public viewing areas. They are popular with geologists and others who are interested in the Earth.
The folks at MyTopo.com are now printing supersized topo maps – large enough make a huge 5′ x 8′ (or 8′ x 5′) map that will look fantastic on the wall of your office, conference room, lobby, cabin or den. These maps are custom-centered on any location that you pick using their online map-making tool. Lots of smaller sizes are also available.
We are affiliates of MyTopo.com and receive a commission on sales.
New groundwater and soil moisture drought indicator maps produced using data from NASA’s Grace satellite show unusually low groundwater storage levels in Texas.
Raven Maps are beautiful examples of shaded-relief wall maps that display the elevation of a state in vibrant colors. These large maps look great in a classroom, den or office. Use one to mark the locations of your work or company.
The Energy Information Administration has an interactive map that displays energy infrastructure features in the Gulf of Mexico region. It includes power plants, transmission lines, LNG terminals, natural gas hubs, pipelines, oil ports, refineries, active platforms and more.
An article on the Star-Telegram.com website explores declining production from the Barnett Shale of Texas – the rock unit that supported the first important use of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing.
The Marshall University Center for Business and Economic Research has prepared: Taxation of Natural Gas: A Comparative Analysis. This publication reviews the many methods of taxing natural gas 19 different states. You might be surprised at how many ways natural gas is being taxed.
First noticed in 2002, crazy ants are an invasive species of ants that have been causing increasing problems in the southern United States. They are called “crazy” because they move rapidly when they swarm. They also seem to be attracted to electrical equipment over which they can swarm and shut down.
Hear a podcast from the Texas Department of Agriculture.
“The Bastrop County Complex Fire in southern Texas started on September 4, 2011. By September 13, 2011, the fire was 70 percent contained, but had scorched 34,068 acres (13,787 hectares). The Advanced Land Imager on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured this image of the affected region on September 12, 2011.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory press release.
“The 101 Ranch Fire began on August 30, 2011, south of Possum Kingdom Lake in Palo Pinto County, Texas. By September 6, the fire had scorched 6,555 acres (2,653 hectares), according to the Incident Information System.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
Devon Energy has drilled over 4,700 wells in the Barnett Shale field since 2001. Today they are in the process of drilling 35 horizontal wells, all at different compass directions, from a single 12-acre pad. This is believed to be the largest number of wells ever drilled from a single Barnett Shale pad.
“More of the United States was in exceptional drought in July 2011 than in any other month in the past 12 years, according to the National Climatic Data Center. The worst of the drought is spread across Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and parts of Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, and Louisiana. But 26 percent of the lower 48 states experienced severe to extreme drought in July. On the other hand, about 33 percent of the contiguous United States experienced exceptionally rainy weather in July. The wet weather occurred largely in the Northern Plains and Western states.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
The Energy Information Administration has an interesting animated map on their website that shows the geographic spread of drilling activity in the Barnett Shale around Fort Worth, Texas. It also shows the introduction and spread of horizontal drilling activity throughout the Barnett Shale gas play.
“Nearly 12 percent of the contiguous United States fell into the “exceptional” classification during the month, peaking at 11.96 percent on July 12. That level of exceptional drought had never before been seen in the monitor’s 12-year history, said Brian Fuchs, UNL assistant geoscientist and climatologist at the NDMC.” Quoted from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln news release.
The High Plains Aquifer underlies some of the most important agricultural land in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. The Aquifer is in trouble because overpumping has dropped water levels in many areas over 100 vertical feet. This USGS report summarizes changes in the Aquifer from predevelopment to 2009.
“Tropical Storm Don formed at 5 p.m. EDT last night, July 27, in the southern Gulf of Mexico and appears to be a small storm on GOES-13 satellite imagery. NASA compiled two days of GOES-13 imagery in a 30 second movie that shows how and where Don formed.” Quoted from the NASA news release.
“Making its first appearance in Texas, a prehistoric crocodile thought to have originated in Europe now appears to have been a native of the Lone Star State.” Quoted from the Southern Methodist University news release.
BHP Billiton, the world’s largest mining company headquartered in Australia, has agreed to purchase Petrohawk Energy for $12.1 billion. Petrohawk is an independent oil and natural gas company with a focus on exploration and production of shale plays within the United States. The company has significant activity in the Haynesville, Lower Bossier and Eagle Ford Shales of Texas and Louisiana.
Fourteen states from Florida to Arizona are experiencing a drought so severe that some people are saying it could rival the Dust Bowl days.
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