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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

New air quality standards from TCEQ. Thanks Sarah for all your help!

NOTICE OF ISSUANCE OF A NEW AIR QUALITY STANDARD PERMIT FOR OIL AND GAS HANDLING AND PRODUCTION FACILITIES



The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ or commission) is issuing a new standard permit for oil and gas handling and production facilities under Texas Health and Safety Code (THSC), Texas Clean Air Act, §382.05195, Standard Permit, and Title 30 Texas Administrative Code (30 TAC) Chapter 116, Subchapter F, Standard Permits. The standard permit for oil and gas handling and production facilities will be effective April 1, 2011. Copies of the standard permit for oil and gas handling and production facilities may be obtained from the TCEQ Web site at

www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/legal/rules/rule_lib/adoptions/OGS%20Standard%20Permit_ado.pdf

or by contacting the TCEQ, Office of Permitting and Registration, Air Permits Division, at (512) 239-1250 or Beecher Cameron at (512) 239-1495.



OVERVIEW OF AIR QUALITY STANDARD PERMIT

The commission is issuing a new non-rule standard permit that is applicable to the construction and modification of oil and gas facilities in Archer, Bosque, Clay, Comanche, Cooke, Coryell, Dallas, Denton, Eastland, Ellis, Erath, Hill, Hood, Jack, Johnson, Montague, Palo Pinto, Parker, Shackelford, Stephens, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise counties beginning April 1, 2011. The standard permit in 30 TAC, §116.620, Installation and/or Modification of Oil and Gas Facilities will apply to new projects and dependent facilities in the other counties of the state until January 5, 2012. On January 5, 2012, the new non-rule standard permit will apply to all new construction and modifications of oil and gas facilities throughout the state. The new standard permit is issued to provide an updated, comprehensive, and protective authorization for many common OGS in the affected counties. The new standard permit includes operating specifications and emissions limitations for typical equipment (facilities) during normal operation, which includes production and planned MSS. The standard permit will specifically address the appropriateness of multiple authorizations at one contiguous property and would reference the many new federal standards which have been promulgated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as include revised criteria for registration and changes at existing, authorized sites.



PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENT PERIOD

As required by 30 TAC §116.603, Public Participation in Issuance of Standard Permits, the TCEQ published notice of the proposed standard permit in the Texas Register and newspapers of the largest general circulation in the following metropolitan areas: Austin, Fort Worth, Houston, Midland, Amarillo, Brownsville, and Tyler. The notice was published in the August 13, 2010 edition of the Texas Register (35 TexReg 7109), and the public comment period ended on October 1, 2010.



PUBLIC MEETING

The TCEQ held a public meeting on the proposed standard permit on September 14, 2010, in Austin, Texas. Two-hundred twenty-two commenters submitted comments during the public comment period which closed on October 1, 2010.



ANALYSIS OF COMMENTS

The commenters included the following: Representative Lon Burnam, Representative James Keffer, Senator Wendy Davis, Senator Robert Nichols, Senator Kel Seliger, Representative Warren Chism, Representative Wayne Christian, Representative Tom Craddick, Representative Kelly Hancock, Representative Rick Hardcastle, Representative Ken Legler, Representative Randy Weber, City of Fort Worth, Akzo Noble, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (Anadarko), Argyle-Bartonville Communities Alliance (ABCA), Bart May Trucking, British Petroleum America Production Company (BP), Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce, Christian & White Properties, Cirrus Environmental Corporation (Cirrus), ConocoPhillips, Devon Energy Corporation (Devon), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), El Paso Corporation (El Paso), EnCana Oil & Gas USA Inc. (Encana), United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6 (EPA), Energy Transfer Company (ETC), ERM, ExTerran, ExxonMobil Production (ExxonMobil), Fasken Oil and Ranch, Ltd. (Fasken), Fort Worth Crushed Stone, LLC, Fountain Quail Water Management (Ft Quail), Gas Processors Association (GPA), Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services (HCPHES), Hy-Bon, Jerry Lang Combustion Consulting (JLCC), Jones-Blair Paint Co. (JBP), Kinder Morgan, Inc. (Kinder Morgan), Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club (Sierra Club), M.E. Operating and Services, Inc., Markwest Energy Partners, Noble Energy Inc. (Noble), Nord On Corporation, NorTex, Old Town Neighborhood Association, Parrish Field Services, Permian Basin Petroleum Association (PBPA), Pioneer Natural Resources USA, Inc. (Pioneer), PSTORD OPST Corporation, Shell Global Solutions (Shell), Shell Exploration & Production Company (SWEPI), Texas Alliance of Energy Producers (TAEP), Targa Resources Partners LP (Targa), Texas Pipeline Association (TPA), Texans for Responsible and Accountable Energy Development (TRAED), Texas Oil and Gas Association (TXOGA), Earthworks Texas Oil and Gas Accountability Project, Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO), Texas Pipeline Association (TPA), Mayor Calvin Tillman of DISH, Weisman Engineering and 124 various individuals.



Summaries of the comments and the commission’s response may be found at:



www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/legal/rules/rule_lib/adoptions/OGS%20Standard%20Permit_ado.pdf

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Who wants to shut up Texas Sharon?

txsharon.blogspot.com
It appears someone has hacked into Texas Sharon's information and shut-down her YOUTUBE site.
Your probably thinking "who would want to do such a thing". The Easter Bunny or Elvis are probably the first two who comes to mind, right!
I doubt very seriously it would be the work of big OIL AND GAS. Why would they possibly want to shut up someone whose videos consistently show the dirty and destructive side of natural gas production and development?
Go to Sharon's blog site, as listed above, and you can see for yourself who wants to shut her up and why.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

What would happen if the Texas Railroad Commission could tell your local municipalities how to regulate gas well site?

Have we ever seen the TRRC refuse a gas well drilling permit?

Below recommendations to Energy Resource Committee meeting. Courtesy Kim Feil! Thanks!


1) For the 70% needed on the hi-impact waiver, limit "one vote per owner", "not per parcel owed"

2) Mandate drillers to report aggregate emissions from all their sites; mandate they apply for "New Source Review Permit", "not a Permit By Rule".

3) Baseline air test before the SUP is approved at the P&Z level to protect areas already high in emissions and to avoid toxic combinations of other sources

4) Clear language of green completions/closed loop systems that specify emission protections at each phase for drilling, compressor stations and pipelines.

5) Mandate fresh/clean (not reclaimed water) when initially drilling through the aquifer.


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING


COMMITTEE:
Energy Resources

TIME & DATE:
9:00 AM, Thursday, November 18, 2010

PLACE:
Fort Worth, TX City Hall - 1000 Throckmorton St.


CHAIR:
Rep. Jim Keffer

The Energy Resources Committee will meet to discuss interim charge #1:

Survey current local ordinances governing surface use of property in oil

and gas development. Recommend changes, if any, to the authority of the

Railroad Commission to regulate the operation of oil and gas industries in

urban areas of the state, particularly the Barnett Shale.

The Committee will hear both invited and public testimony.

For questions regarding the hearing, please contact Bernice

Espinosa-Torres or Ky Ash at (512)463-0656.