15 replies to this topic

[ghughes]

The production of Natural Gas in Fort Worth encompasses many inter-dependent components and activities. Interestingly, state law appears to give Fort Worth some significant power to shape how it all happens. There are limits, of course, but since this is all so new we don't really know what they are.

Some of the activities and issues include exploration, drilling, fracing, water use, transportation, pipelines, safety, disaster planning, abandonment, compressors, noise, emissions, etc.

Given the huge impact gas production can have here, there have been calls for a "Master Plan" for gas production in Fort Worth.

How should that plan be developed? What should it include? After a plan, then what?

And should we stop the activity (a moratorium) until the plan is implemented?

Please discuss!

[360texas]

Who in Fort Worth city hall/ county, have the authority to issue drilling permits with in the city//county limits? We might ask they if they already have a written master plan. If so, is it already on the FW Gov web site for public viewing. Might be interesting to look at on the internet.

IF NOT, then we might ask ourselves, if they have the approval authority, do they have any prior planning experience? If not, maybe we should ask why not !! or better yet replace that person with an individual more qualified.

[Keller Pirate]

And should we stop the activity (a moratorium) until the plan is implemented?

Please discuss!

I personally think a moratorium would be a good thing, but the gas companies will cry foul. Most leases (I think) average 3 years, if a moratorium went into effect some leases might expire if a period of no drilling was allowed. You would have rigs they are paying for idle. Then there probably wouldn't be enough rigs after a restart to get all the leases drilled in the allotted time.

I'm just thinking back to the win-win solutions folks used to advocate in business, even if it is rarely practiced.

[ghughes]

Fort Worth does not have a master plan. But there are some calling for it.

I'm no expert on leases, but the one I have read has a clause extending the lease should drilling not be able to start due to government action or other reasons out of the control of the gas company.

I would think any wells already permitted would be allowed to continue... but my moratorium question was not put properly: a moratorium would be on granting new permits.

[Buck]

I am not clear why we would separate this from the regular land use comprehensive plan.

If we need to revise the land use, then let's revise the plan we have.

[360texas]

Land Use plan.. I would think is a master plan. If not already implemented they should add the existing gas collection system locations and routing... as well as future planned rig and collection line locations.

[360texas]

I posted this in another thread July 2 2008. The Railroad Commission apparantly does keep track of existing wells in the Fort Worth Area. It might just be tracking exisiting wells and might not be a Master Plan for planning purposes not planned future ones.

I guess everyone has this URL bookmarked favorites.

http://gis2.rrc.state.tx.us/public/ click [accept] then zoom in to street level on Fort Worth

Its the Railroad Commission of Texas Public GIS Map Viewer. While a bit awkward to navigate .. the map does seem to indicate collection well along Altamesa going over to I 35 so its rather current. Wells of some type are marked with numbered horizontal drilling reaches like shown in this map viewer.

Notice the GREEN lines 'Gas Gathering' along Granbury Road. Seems to pass closely by shopping center . Maybe thats why center was bought for a gas drill site.

[ghughes]

Buck and 360, I think we're on the same page. No actual need for a whole new plan, the gas infrastructure can be added to what we already have and that's probably the best course of action. Why create something new?

And yet, we are currently creating NO plan while the city permits the activity. Am I missing something here about why this is a good idea?

[rsowell73]

Are they serious?!!!!!!! They are actually going to put up a drilling site right downtown? I saw it coming home today. This is getting out of hand. Of course the drilling companies don't care what the city looks like as long as they are making money. What can we do or can we do anything?

[safly]

ELECTIONS PEOPLE!

That's the solution.

[ghughes]

TOURS ARE AVAILABLE!
I got this second hand:

Good morning!

We thought you’d like to have a heads-up on an exciting event: Chesapeake will be spudding Fort Worth’s first downtown well this Friday, August 15.

Trinidad Rig #111 – the same turquoise rig that drilled the Pearson site (aka the “Trinity Trails” site near Colonial) will be drilling the Westgate 1-H on the south edge of downtown behind the old red brick Star-Telegram warehouse off Lancaster. We’ll be doing preliminary work and rigging up from Tuesday to Thursday and turning the drillbit on Friday morning.

The initial well will be drilled westerly, not actually under downtown. Key mineral owners for the first well include UPRR, J. Don Williamson, World Life Insurance, Richard May, Robert Ritter, Champion Parts, Ron Investments, and Harmony Realty Corp. Future wells from this site could develop the minerals underneath City Hall, the Convention Center, the Fort Worth Club, portions of Sundance Square, and other parts of downtown. Chesapeake plans to develop the balance of Downtown from our four other sites in the area, including our “Ron” site - located behind the Ashton Depot, the "Dakota" site - located northwest of Downtown near the railroad tracts and Dakota St., the "Henderson Bazaar" site - located at the intersection of Jacksboro Highway and Henderson St., and the "Fourth Street" site - located just east of I-35W and south of 4th St.

This Trinidad is one of the newer, quieter, and more attractive rigs in our fleet. Because this location will have such high visibility from the highway as well as downtown, we want you to know that we’re paying special attention to the noise and aesthetics. Frankly, the noise shouldn’t be an issue as this is close to the active train tracks as well as the highway, but we will nonetheless be very mindful of neighbors and install sound blankets. We will be restricting our construction traffic to avoid business commuter times (curtailing from 7 – 9 am and 4 - 7 pm). The city-approved traffic route is from I-30 to Lancaster to Lamar. As with other wells, the drilling here should take about 18-24 days. We are only drilling one well here at this time, so the rig will move off in early September.

Because we anticipate interest in this location will be high – and the location convenient - we’ll offer a series of “rig tour” times for civic leaders, city staff, and council members. Although we don’t know yet exactly what time the drilling will commence on Friday, we will hold a small inaugural tour at 2 pm for those who’d like to be present on the exciting first day. If you would like to participate, please let us know, as space will be limited. Otherwise, we will send you a schedule of other tours so you can select a convenient date and time.

Hope to see you soon!

Julie H. Wilson
Vice President - Corporate Development
Chesapeake Energy Corporation
301 Commerce St. #600
Fort Worth, TX 76102
Main: 817-870-1250
Direct: 817-870-5656
Cell: 817-929-6270
julie.wilson@chk.com

[Brian Luenser]

I know I am not alone with my great concern for the combination of the Economic crisis and plummeting natural gas prices. (And yes, I realize there is a correlation.)

Gas is around $6.50 today. Was around $14. very recently.

Whereas low natural gas prices may sound like good news, and surely there are great aspects to it, for Fort Worth, it is completely devastating. As the mortgage crisis and high energy prices were throwing a monkey wrench into the Nation's Economy, we, here in Fort Worth, were shielded by much of the economic distress as we enjoyed the boom created by Barnett Shale. Those will be remembered as the good old days I am afraid. The jobs, the money, the tax revenues, the gas companies setting up bases in our towns. It may have just come to and end.

XTO has done more for Downtown than anyone. (And yes, I have heard of the Basses) XTO was not throwing money at new shiny buildings. They were treating our town like it was a marvelous museum. Taking our most treasured buildings and skyscrapers and restoring them like they have never been restored. Not throwing new faces on the street level and calling them restored, but completely gutting and refurbishing. Making them useful for the coming decades or centuries. I would like to give them a big "Thank You."

Mean time, as half our citizens were enjoying the economic gains in tough times, the other half were putting up all the resistance they could to this gift of gold. ("They want to put gas lines through my yard!" And "We can't let them drill near our school"! and "Why should I have to look at your stupid rigs for 5 weeks?" All the while our homes were mostly maintaining their values (like no other area) and big bucks were coming to our Cities, Schools and residents. For the bad times at DR Horton, Pier One, Radio Shack and others, natural gas was picking up the slack. If gas prices were where they are today, there would have been no good times here in the last two years. The gas companies bought the Pier One building, filled our downtown offices that were vacant, purchased homes and condos throughout and just generally pumped their wealth into our City.

Yes, this could be temporary as energy prices fluctuate. I wish. Don't think that is the case here. I think we are heading for big trouble.
I am standing by for higher local taxes, less services, fewer jobs, plumetting home prices and economic distress as seen in most other areas of the Country.

Oh ya. Lets not forget the people that bought houses they couldn't afford that caused this mess! Shame, shame. Yes there is plenty of blame for the banks, Congress, Fannie Mae etc... but the problem is people buying houses they can't afford or even buying houses at all when they should be renting.

For who to blame, here is an article for you! (check out the date it was printed)
http://query.nytimes...agewanted=print

The whole world is looking at America like they are pretty stupid. I can't really disagree.

I do hope this Country takes advantage of the plentiful natural gas. T Boone pickens is right on. Natural gas should be powering our cars. Our electric plants. Our factories, etc...

If I had to put any positive spin on our disaster, it would have to be that the ecology will benefit in several ways. (Slow downs, more natural gas with less imported oil.) On a personal note, The Tower spends well over a million dollars a year for electricity, just for the common areas. Our contract is based on the price of natural gas. (That is like "the glass is 1% full", talk)

[Dr Quest]

Monee, thank you, thank you , thank you, finally a voice of reason. No one denies we need to reduce our dependence of foreign oil and when we have a legitimate alternative right under our feet (yes, it is a gift) all I hear about is how the gas companies are sticking it to us. WE ARE FROM TEXAS, THIS IS WHAT TEXAS DOES. Fort Worth wouldn't be Fort Worth without oil. Nothing that we love to discuss on this forum would be here if it wasn't for this industry. There's a reason we don't have a state income tax. I'm no cheerleader for the gas companies but they follow the rules laid out by the railroad commission. Do they do things we don't like sometimes? Sure. Could they do things better? Of course but name one company on Earth that you can't say that about. I wouldn't mind all the bitching and moaning about the gas companies if there was just a little biased used. I love a good argument or discussion with a point/counter-point but when things get so one sided I ignore the argument altogether. Maybe if we bitch enough we can run off one of the last productive things we have going on around here....oh thats right, we're doing it for the kids.

[ghughes]

From Wednesday's Str-Telegram:
http://www.star-tele...ry/1168890.html

"Recent studies indicate that gas wells in the Barnett Shale account for a significant amount of the region’s air pollution. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality found that fumes released by the tank batteries at well sites account for 7 to 8 percent of the volatile organic compounds in the region’s air.

Southern Methodist University researcher Al Armendariz has estimated that releases from gas drilling in the Barnett Shale could equal the pollution released by all the cars and trucks in the Metroplex."

Consider that the 7 to 8 percent of VOCs is historic data with Fort Worth barely into production.

And, Dr. Quest, the Tx RR Commission does not exist or function to protect citizens. That is the role of cities and why the state establishes them. Our city is abdicating that role by failing to adequately police the activity of a heavy industrial operation.

[RD Milhollin]

A new study says that most of the methane pollution released from gas production sites comes from a small number of wells:

 

http://www.star-tele...cle4382169.html

[RD Milhollin]

New study correlating the presence of fracking activities with asthma symptoms:

 

http://www.star-tele...le90319532.html

 

The areas around the drilling sites seem very large, I wonder if a more localized study would reveal more discreet patterns that could be tied to causation... Fort Worth, with the great density of drilling sites in an urban area, would probably be a great place for such a study. Southwestern? TCU/UNT?