Pacific Section Convention American Association Petroleum Geologists
and
Western Regional Meeting of the Society of Petroleum Engineers
Westin Hotel, Long Beach
8 am Tuesday June 20.
Session: “Environmental Liabilities Associated with Oil Industry Operations”.
Methane dangers in Los Angeles linked to waste disposal in old oilfields (pdf)
The discovery in the late 1950s that the waste could be pumped back down into the ground, and that the undergound balloon of pressure would actually force more oil into oil wells was a boon to the oil industry. “But the history of past disasters backed by mathematical modelling studies now show that use of excessive pressure will cause gas and water to burp back up from thousands of feet below the ground,” according to Richard Meehan, who teaches courses on environmental hazards at
Stanford University.
It seems the pressure caused fractures and methane was released in an urban area resulting in an explosion–lots of people hurt.
According to the paper:
The important thing is to maintain injection pressures at safe levels and also understand the various pathways that gas and fluid might take to reach the ground surface, according to the experts.
This would require oversight of which we have none proven by the fact that this injection well was inspected and found “safe and clean” 8 days before I took the pictures. When I insisted that the site be reinspected, they found that the bradenhead pressure was exceeded. OBVIOUSLY THE SITE WAS NEVER INSPECTED! How often does this happen?
About Sharon Wilson
Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.
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In Texas, the TCEQ specificially omits any concern with the regulating of emissions of methane (CH4). Anyone can emit to the air any amount of methane that you wish!