Natural gas drilling in the Barnett Shale is fueling a bright economic future for North Texas. Producing wells are yielding valuable benefits in royalties, tax dollars and local revenue streams that will help keep our economy strong. Yet before all the economic benefits of the Barnett Shale can be realized, pipelines must be in place to move the gas to compressor stations and to the market — and eventually to the kitchen stove.
With several decades of technology standing behind its construction and installation methods, pipelines are the safest and most cost-effective means to transport natural gas.* More than 2 million miles of natural gas pipelines currently crisscross our country.** Just as you encounter electrical power lines in your daily travels, you pass by pipelines every day. They are present, but for the most part, unseen.
Planning and constructing pipelines is significantly more involved than connecting point A to point B, particularly in urban environments.
From route development to site restoration, many factors are taken into account when laying pipeline including constructability, effect on the environment and impact on daily community life and existing infrastructure — both above and below ground. As a result, communication and understanding between all parties is a necessary ingredient in the successful construction of pipelines and compressor stations that will transport natural gas from wellhead to market.
* U.S. Department of Transportation
** U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Pipelines transport the valuable natural gas people need to heat their homes, power their appliances and cook their food.
Pipelines and compressor stations are an integral part of producing natural gas. Without pipelines, natural gas cannot be transported and sold at market to provide royalty payments, clean energy and economic benefits to our community. And without compressor stations, natural gas cannot be moved through a pipeline network. Each element works safely in tandem with others to complete the natural gas production process.
Due to the recent surge in natural gas drilling, a sufficient system for gathering and transporting the increased supply of natural gas extracted from the Barnett Shale does not currently exist. Much like a highway in an area of town experiencing unprecedented growth, the current “roads” — or pipelines — available cannot accommodate the large volume of gas that needs to flow through them — so additional pipelines are needed.
Distribution lines, which carry natural gas to homes and businesses, are different from gathering lines, which are necessary to move the gas from a wellsite to a compressor station or a main transmission line. Gathering lines do not always exist in areas where drilling operations are taking place. If they do exist, natural gas companies make every effort to utilize them.
Texas Midstream Gas Services (TMGS) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chesapeake Energy Marketing, Inc. (CEMI) and is considered a gas utility company, as defined by the State of Texas.
