Here is the Event Page

See information about the previous quake with maps showing drilling activity and information on injection/disposal wells HERE.

See FAQ for more information about drilling induced earthquakes.

On the list is Wilma Subra, Earthworks board member.  The Fierce List 2012.
Wilma Subra.

British Petroleum, be very afraid. Wilma Subra, PhD, 68, is a chemist and technical adviser to the Louisiana Environmental Action Network team investigating lingering health and environmental problems following 2010’s cataclysmic Gulf Coast oil spill. She recently reported that blood samples from cleanup workers and residents near the spill area show alarming levels of toxic chemicals known to cause cancer, genetic mutation and reproductive problems.

What she finds unforgivable: “When people don’t do what they’ve agreed to do.”

Image courtesy of Dubinsky Photography

In Wake of Instances of Problem Drilling, Regulatory Rumblings and Shareholder Unrest, Investors Seek Greater Certainty through 12 “Best Practices” Guidelines; Growing Coalition Includes Sustainable and Religious Investors in U.S., Europe and Australia.

LINK

Steven Heim, managing director and director of ESG Research and Shareholder Engagement, Boston Common, said:  “Assuming that hydraulic fracturing is going to continue to be used in some form, investors need to have greater certainty in the marketplace as to industry practices and government regulation.  Currently there is no such certainty and that is really why investors are speaking up.  The marketplace has spoken:  The best course here for investors, the environment and human health will be if all shale gas extractors wake up, get the message, and use these tools to do it right.”

Thank you, investors!

When Titan Production planned a “mini frack” on the border of Colleyville and Southlake, Colleyville hired a consultant to monitor Titan’s activities. Residents decided to do their own testing.

It is difficult to get a firm grip on the consultant’s findings in his Report to Colleyville because it’s slippery. There are conflicts in what he says he found and in what he also says he found.

There are some things to remember about the consultant’s (Tramm) report.

Page one of his report starts with a letter to the city in which he bullets his findings and recommendations.

Bullet One:

• AVO Observations did not indicate spills, leaks or releases near wells or associated frac tanks and flowback lines.

AVO = audio, visual and olfactory.

Bullet Two (my emphasis):

• Near-Equipment Monitoring identified significant methane emissions (up to 20% by volume) from the flowback water throughout flowback event. Low levels of VOC’s (less then 8 ppmv) were noted within the flowback emissions. Strong humic odors were noted at the frac tanks with lessening odors noted in areas with methane observed above 2 ppmv. The open tank hatches were the primary point of methane emissions.

The two bullet points conflict.

The third bullet point lists the chemicals detected in his testing, many of which were detected by the residents.

The forth bullet point recommends “improved capture and removal of methane and associated VOC emissions during future events.” He goes on to recommend vapor recovery units.

Clearly there were emissions into the air during this fracking and flowback event which is a violation of the Colleyville Drilling Ordinance.

 Colleyville Town Ordinance (Prohibition of gas venting at pages 3.1-17 and 3.1-10): http://bit.ly/Colleyville-Gases-Code

Page 17, item c states: No person shall allow, cause or permit gases to be vented into the atmosphere or to be burned by open flame. No open flaring is permitted. Green completion methods as defined in this chapter are recommended during the hydraulic fracturing, flowback and well completion process. A green completion plan shall be submitted in conjunction with the required SUP application.

Page 10 #6 states:  6. Venting of gas into the open air shall be prohibited

In an email to Colleyville residents from the city prior to the “mini frack”, they indicate the operations will cease if gas is detected. Gas was detected but ignored and operations continued.

- No venting or open flaring of gas is permitted at any time. Titan will not be flaring or venting any of the wells as part of the fracturing. The company will immediately shut off the wells if any gas is detected as part of the fluid flowback process. Air quality will be continuously monitored during fracturing to ensure compliance with all city, state, and federal regulations.

If you decide to read Tramm’s report, pay close attention to the list of chemicals on the bottom of page 19 and top of page 20. Remember to convert to ppm to ppb you multiply by 1000. Again, emissions were detected at high levels and it is beyond logic to believe those emissions did not cross the fence line and travel out into the community.

Here is a picture from Tramm’s report.

Throughout Tramm’s report, he uses ppmv so it is not clear why he switched to ppbv in the photo above to note the VOCs detected. Typo is my best guess. Again, multiply by 1000 to convert to ppbv. Those readings are extremely high.

After the community testing results, Tramm issued a new report where he tries to discredit the results of the community testing. (Please note that contrary to claims made, the community testing was not conducted by Earthworks or Wilma Subra. It was a grassroots action taken in an effort to protect their community in the face of the failures of the TCEQ.) Tramm makes his living as a consultant or “environmental advisor” so it is in his financial interest to discredit any other source of testing.

Deploying a SUMMA canister is not rocket science. That is why the TCEQ often leaves them with residents who make frequent complaints. The residents deploy the canisters, which requires turning a knob to open a valve and then close that valve after the appropriate time period, sign an affidavit and call the TCEQ to pick up the canister for lab analysis.

Tramm also tries to discredit the lab that analyzed the canister results. GD Air is TCEQ and EPA certified. When Tramm claimed that the carbon disulfide results were only estimates, GE Air responded.

Sharon, this email is an attempt to clarify the discussion over carbon disulfide and the certification process.

EPA Method TO-15 is a procedure to analyze for 97 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are part of the list of compounds from the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. From the laboratory standpoint, many of these compounds are NOT commercially available for testing. The manufacturers that we buy our standards from have 65 of these VOCs. One of the VOCs that IS available is carbon disulfide (CS2).

In order to be accredited by TCEQ, a laboratory must successfully demonstrate several steps for each method, including a calibration, a first and second source for the standards, demonstrations of capability, and detection limit studies to show how low the instrument can theoretically “see” a given VOC. In this case, GD Air Testing complies with all of these requirements with respect to CS2.

The problem with accreditation from TCEQ for CS2 comes from the list of possible VOCs that TCEQ recognizes with respect to TO-15. TCEQ does not use the list of 97 VOCs mentioned in TO-15. While many of the compounds are directly from TO-15, there are quite a few that are not found in TO-15. Conversely, many of the compounds that are part of TO-15 are NOT part of the TCEQ accreditation program. One of these VOCs is CS2.

In summary, from a laboratory standpoint, TCEQ does not recognize any method for the testing of CS2, while EPA Method TO-15 does recognize CS2 as a valid VOC for testing.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to call or email.

John Aarni
GD Air Testing, Inc.
651 N. Plano Rd., Suite 429
Richardson, TX 75081
(972) 480-8908
(972) 480-8308 fax
www.gdair.com

So, what was industry’s response to all this air testing that obviously shows there are problems? They did what they always do: throw a bunch of money at it hoping to make it go away.

Chad Davis* meet Doug.

No one in Southlake can find any information on Doug. Maybe Chad* knows Doug.

*Chad Davis is featured in an industry TV commercial and claims he does fracking in Celina, Texas. There is no fracking in Celina. Here’s my blog post about that and The FW Weekly Static.

UPDATE: Doug has been found. He works for Titan Engineering, a consulting firm that, among other things, helps industry cook their numbers so they can meet the permit by rule process.

For over 10 years, TITAN has served the Oil & Gas Industry’s environmental and engineering consulting needs including air permitting, property due diligence, and complex remedial system design and implementation, among others. Our qualified staff, corporate commitment to exceptional service, and real industry experience enables TITAN to consistently deliver superior services that meet our clients’ needs. TITAN understands the environmental challenges of the Oil & Gas market extending through the entire collection and production process. Whether a project involves property transfer and liability risk evaluations, compliance or environmental management compliance program support, product release investigations, or design and implementation of remedial measures, TITAN has the resources, experience and commitment to meet our clients’ goal while protecting the environment.

Another update: Doug was on during American Idol tonight. That must have cost quite a bit.

And yet another update: I’m just going to come right out and say it: Doug is a big liar! A commenter reminded me that Titan Engineering is the company that did air testing in Forth Worth for industry. They have found plenty to be concerned about which is probably why Doug lives a mile away from the pad site now the 1/4 mile he claims. But THEY HID THE RESULTS.

For more information see:

Carbon disulfide in the Barnett Shale

Independent test results

City air sampling proves flowback is not just steam

For even more information see:

BSEEC and Titan Engineering hid formaldehyde findings in Barnett Shale air study

How the Barnett Shale is like a Brazilian Blowout

FW Weekly article on Titan’s Barnett Shale air study

Barnett Shale formaldehyde mystery solved

Barnett Shale: Formaldehyde Health Effects from Journal of Occupational Medicine

Formaldehyde in the Barnett Shale

This is a good one: Response to BSEEC’s Barnett Shale air quality study

Titan Barnett Shale air quality report misleading

Hey BSEEC, we do not accept your industry air study

Stop the Frack Attack

The bigger picture of the aggressive tactics industry is using to silence critics is finally geting more coverage.

Oil and Gas Industry Moving Aggressively to Silence Critics

For years, the oil and gas industry has adopted a war-like mentality towards its critics. When confronted with problems caused by drilling and fracking, instead of acknowledging them and working to prevent more, their approach has too often been to cover up the issues while attacking any critics who make problems known publicly.

This pattern has sharply accelerated in recent months.

Another part of this bigger picture is how the industry dog-whistled to the GOP members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and they responded by wasting taxpayer’s money in a sham hearing meant to further intimidate an already cowed EPA. In Texas we say you’ve got to Dance with the One That Brought You and that is exactly what these committee members are doing.

Two of the most vocal committee members calling for this hearing are also the recipients of the most money from the oil and gas industry.

Jim Inhofe has received $1,298,450. You can see his dance partners HERE.

Joe Barton has received $1,981,183. You can see his dance parthers HERE. For a flashback on “Smokey Joe’s” apology to BP, click HERE.

I would like to offer up this dance tune for the hearing.

Just imagine the possibilites of living in a world where people learned from the mistakes of others, heeded the warnings of those who went before them and listened to their mothers.

Shale oil & gas mining operations are moving into new areas everyday.  Right now, somewhere in America, a landman is telling someone that signing a lease for shale mining is like found money. “It’s like finding thousands of dollars lying on the ground. All you have to do is pick it up.”

Didn’t your mother ever tell you that nothing is free? Mine did and I listened to her. Happy Mothers’ Day, Mom.

You Can’t Live in a Quarry.

People know you can’t live in a quarry and they are learning that you can’t live with shale oil & gas mining. Families are moving away from zones of extraction no matter what the cost. (call for research)

The list of The Harmed, the Sickened, the Dead and the Disappeared  grows longer everyday although our government has failed to keep track.

Lease holders are learning the true cost of that “free money.” They have a new job where they never get to punch out.

The Fracking Diaspora

There is an Exodus From Shale Drilling Areas Throughout PA and the real estate agents must be in overdrive in Argyle and other heavily drilled areas of the Barnett Shale. But who will buy those homes, who will finance those home sales and who will insure homes in zones of extraction–Insurers find it tough to price fracking risk.

I just want to get out!  is the lament I hear most often after people have direct experience with shale mining operations. No matter how beloved your American Dream home or place in the country, it eventually becomes an albatross when trying to get out of the zone of extraction. Where can you find a buyer who wants to live in a quarry?

At some point, the shale mining industry may be force to level with populations:

“Attention! This area has been designated as a zone of extraction and is scheduled for depopulation. All people and animals will be relocated.”

Until then, the shale mining industry will keep using the “found money” lie and hoping to find suckers who have forgotten what their mothers told them. The Fracking Diaspora will continue.

Imagine all the endless possibilities and where we might be if people learned from others mistakes and listened to their mothers.

HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY!

Relax.

Stare deep into the image.

Clear your mind off all thoughts. You have nothing to worry about. Nothing concerns you.

Breathe and feel yourself letting go.

Allow the Big Gas Mafia to take control…

This is not news to those of us who were paying attention. For the rest of you, please try to catch up before it’s too late.

How the Oil Industry has Deceived the US with the Promise of Energy Independence
By Kurt Cobb | Thu, 10 May 2012

Oil rich countries are now dominated by state owned producers that usually have exclusive rights to exploit hydrocarbons for the good of their own countries. These countries are locking out the international and smaller independent companies.

The logic behind the deceit:

If the industry tells the public and policymakers the truth, then the industry’s attempt to vastly expand its U.S. operations will almost certainly fail. The truth is that the industry is having a difficult time finding good prospects in the limited areas overseas that it can now explore. So, it wants to return its focus to the United States and drill protected public lands and currently closed offshore areas so it can fulfil its primary mission, namely, making money for its shareholders and managers.

Of course, we will never have energy independence until we kick the hydrocarbon addiction. The only reason we aren’t in emergency lifesaving addiction treatment right now is the chokehold the Big Oil & Gas Mafia has on our government.

…the industry has found that the best way to distract the public from the industry’s unsavoury motives is to insist that its new zest for drilling America’s wilderness and offshore areas is all about helping the country achieve energy independence.

But we all know Americans are not distracted only by the energy independence deceit. Many Americans are distracted from the obvious inability of the Big Oil & Gas Mafia to operate in anything even remotely resembling an environmentally responsible manner and they look away from the suffering inflicted upon their neighbors lusting after the big deceit of great wealth from royalties.

Some Americans only care about the promise of lower fuel prices to pump into their gas guzzling hummers and SUVs. But that too is a lie.

The key fact the oil industry does NOT want the public to understand is this: No matter what happens, Americans will continue to pay the world price for oil and oil products including gasoline. Oil is a worldwide market, and oil products go to the highest bidder.

When talking about energy independence, the Mafia doesn’t want you to think about these things:

• renewable energy sources
• energy efficiency
• using less energy

They do not want to distract us from using our American ingenuity to achieve true energy independence.

Read the article and please help educate your neighbors. Currently polls show Americans are falling for the Big Oil & Gas  Mafia’s deceit.

From: Ron Bishop
Date: Friday, May 11, 2012, 3:58 PM

Response to USEPA Region 3 Press Release of May 11, 2012

Another analysis from Energy Policy Forum.

On April 18, I posited on Energy Policy Forum that the $1.1B in undisclosed loans which Reuters had exposed belonging to Chesapeake Energy (CHK) CEO Aubrey McClendon might merely be the tip of the iceberg. I was concerned about volumetric production payments (VPPs). Late this afternoon, the Wall Street Journal independently confirmed massive problems with Chesapeake VPPs.

Energy Policy Forum has been consistently right about these issues.

It’s in the same area as some of the previous quakes in Oklahoma.

Event Page