Chesapeake Energy works to be a good environmental steward and to employ best practices in order to protect our community. As you may have heard, recent privately-funded studies suggest there are unregulated air emissions occurring in the Barnett Shale area which are allegedly leading to diminished air quality. The following information has been compiled to help place perspective on this important issue.
Current Air Quality
In 1991, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared the greater Dallas/Fort Worth region to be an “ozone nonattainment area.” This designation means that the air quality in the North Texas area is poor and that it has not met the standards to reduce emissions set by the EPA and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The area received the status long before natural gas drilling became active in the Barnett Shale.
According to the TCEQ and the EPA, car and truck emissions are by far the largest sources and contributors to ozone formation in the nine-county DFW nonattainment area at 43%.
Recent Emissions Studies
Texas Commission on Evirionmental Quality Studies
On January 12, 2010, the TCEQ released its results of air samples
taken in Fort Worth during December. The study evaluated more than 100
natural gas production facilities within the city limits of Fort Worth
and utilized Forward Looking Infrared Cameras and toxic vapor analyzers
to provide real time detection and estimation of total volatile organic
compound (VOC) concentrations.
No detectable amounts of VOCs were found during testing, and according to the TCEQ results indicated no cause for concern.
Within two weeks after releasing the Fort Worth results, the TCEQ
shared the same positive results with the City of Flower Mound where
similar tests were performed. Testing there also found little or no
benzene.
On January 27, 2010, the TCEQ issued its much anticipated survey
results from data collected last fall. The results reinforced initial
findings in the region and the natural gas industry’s assertion that
production of natural gas in Tarrant County does not negatively impact
ambient air quality. “There’s no need for widespread alarm,” said
Toxicology Division Director Dr. Michael Honeycutt during a press
conference at the TCEQ’s regional office in Fort Worth.
- TCEQ's most recent study monitored 94 sites across five
counties and found only two locations in Wise County (non-Chesapeake)
that would trigger immediate actions to reduce emissions. Both sites
have since been corrected.
- TCEQ’s Fort Worth study reviewed 126 locations and found no sites with high levels of benzene.
- Existing monitoring stations near oil and gas production have shown a decrease in benzene levels for the past decade.
- TCEQ will install two more long-term monitoring locations at Eagle Mountain Lake and the community of DISH.
- TCEQ expects to resume similar air quality testing in the spring of 2010.
The TCEQ is the environmental agency for Texas. The TCEQ strives to
protect our state's human and natural resources consistent with
sustainable economic development. Our goal is clean air, clean water,
and the safe management of waste. For more information about the TCEQ,
visit
www.tceq.state.tx.us/.
Click here to read the TCEQ press release entitled, Oil and Gas Air Test in Ft. Worth Find "No Cause for Concern."
Click here to read Railroad Commission Chairman Victor Carrillo's statement on Barnett Shale Air emissions issues.
Prviately Funded Studies
The TCEQ’s Fort Worth results contradict a privately-funded air
emission study conducted at a Westworth Village farm. The study
represented data incorrectly and exaggerated the potential hazards
based on laboratory results from samples collected over a 24-hour
period. Industrial Hygiene and Safety Technology, Inc. (IHST), an
outside consultant retained by Fort Worth to review the study
indicated the results from the Westworth Village study were
“rudimentary and inaccurate” in nature. After technical review it is
apparent that the same approach was used in the Town of DISH.
Click on the icon to download or read the IHST study review.
The Barnett Shale Energy Education Council (BSEEC) recently released
the results of its air quality testing project which showed there are no
harmful levels of benzene and other compounds being emitted from
natural gas sites tested in Fort Worth and Arlington City Council
District 2. The study was conducted by TITAN Engineering, Inc. (TITAN)
to assess ambient air quality surrounding natural gas operations. In
total, there were 10 natural gas sites tested, including two compressor
stations recommended by the city of Fort Worth and eight producing well
sites, including both condensate producing and dry natural gas wells.
For more information or to see the study, click here.
Benzene
The TCEQ has found the production of natural gas in Tarrant, western
Dallas and eastern Johnson counties generates little to no benzene air
emissions. Most of the natural gas produced by Chesapeake in the
Barnett Shale has 0.001% or 1/1,000th of 1% benzene in the gas stream,
as compared to approximately 0.5 – 1% in vehicle gasoline.
Benzene is:
- Colorless chemical produced from a variety of natural and industrial sources.
- Not unique to the natural gas industry.
- Ranked in the top 20 chemicals used for the production of industrial products measured by volume.
- Found in tobacco smoke, gas stations emissions, motor vehicle exhaust, building materials, fireplaces and industrial emissions
For more information on benzene, click here.
Dry Gas vs. Wet Gas
The typical “dry” gas that Chesapeake is producing in Tarrant, eastern Johnson and western Dallas counties is virtually all methane and contains little to no liquid hydrocarbons, such as those commonly found in “wet” gas. These liquid hydrocarbons may include benzene or other chemical compounds.
To continue reading about air quality in the Barnett Shale, click here.
For More Information
Visit the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council at www.bseec.org.