Natural gas drilling in the Haynesville Shale can fuel a bright economic future for Northwest Louisiana. Producing wells can yield valuable benefits in royalties, tax dollars and local revenue streams that will help keep our economy strong. Yet before all of the potential economic benefits of the Haynesville Shale can be realized, pipelines and compressors must be constructed and operational to move the gas to market — and eventually to power America’s energy needs.
With several decades of technology standing behind the construction and installation methods used, pipelines are the safest and most cost-effective means to transport natural gas.* More than two 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. However, unlike power lines, pipelines are underground and remain, for the most part, unseen.
The process of planning and constructing pipelines is significantly more involved than simply connecting point A to point B, particularly in urban environments.
From route development to site restoration, many factors must be taken into account when laying pipelines. These abovegound and belowground factors include pipeline constructability, effects on the environment, impacts on community life and existing infrastructure. As a result, communication and understanding between all parties are necessary for the successful construction of pipelines and compressor stations that will transport natural gas from the wellhead to market.
* U.S. Department of Transportation
** U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Pipelines and compressor stations are an integral part of producing and transporting natural gas. Without pipelines, natural gas cannot be economically marketed to provide clean energy, royalty payments and other economic benefits to our community. Compressor stations provide the “push” to keep natural gas flowing efficiently through a pipeline network. Each of these elements works safely in tandem with the others to complete the natural gas delivery process.
Distribution lines carry natural gas to homes and businesses, while gathering lines move the gas from a production wellsite to a compressor station or a main transmission line, the “interstate highway” system for natural gas. Existing gathering lines may not always be available in areas where drilling operations are taking place. If they are, natural gas gathering companies will generally make every effort to utilize them.
Louisiana Midstream Gas Services (LMGS) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chesapeake Midstream Operating, L.L.C.