This is happening only a few feet from people’s homes.
shouldabeensaid said…
The flares are burning off all those “toxic” fumes. Please don’t complain about them.
I just love it when industry tries to “instruct” me.
Dear Mr. BeenSaid:
Here is some information your employers have probably never given you.
“Towards Zero Flaring” a study of flaring by Schlumberger.
What GAO Found
Estimates of vented and flared natural gas for federal leases vary considerably, and GAO found that data collected by Interior to track venting and flaring on federal leases likely underestimate venting and flaring because they do not account for all sources of lost gas. For onshore federal leases, operators reported to Interior that about 0.13 percent of produced gas was vented or flared. Estimates from EPA and the Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP) showed volumes as high as 30 times higher. Similarly, for offshore federal leases, operators reported that 0.5 percent of the natural gas produced was vented and flared, while data from an Interior offshore air quality study showed that volume to be about 1.4 percent, and estimates from EPA showed it to be about 2.3 percent. GAO found that the volumes operators reported to Interior do not fully account for some ongoing losses such as the emissions from gas dehydration equipment or from thousands of valves—key sources in the EPA, WRAP, and Interior offshore air quality studies.
Shell flares gas near Warri, in the Niger delta. Shell’s gas flaring in the country is regarded as the biggest source of carbon emissions in sub-Saharan Africa. Photograph: George Osodi/AP
Tullow Oil, the London-based oil operator, has signed contracts with the Ugandan government allowing it to flare gas with the potential to release huge volumes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, according to a report by non-governmental organizations.
…The flaring of gas in Nigeria is regarded as the biggest source of CO2 emissions in sub-Saharan Africa. Shell has repeatedly failed to follow through on promises to put an end to flaring, despite court orders demanding it stop.
The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, in California has estimated that the following air pollutants may be released from natural gas flares: benzene, formaldehyde, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, including naphthalene), acetaldehyde, acrolein, propylene, toluene, xylenes, ethyl benzene and hexane. Researchers in Canada have measured more than 60 air pollutants downwind of natural gas flares.[1]
There’s more. But that should get you started.
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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The flares are burning off all those "toxic" fumes. Please don't complain about them.
That shouldabeensaid also said that we should enjoy our flare because it's only during flowback. And it's good for us. We should be grateful for our flares!