Frac Focus Seminar Draws Big Crowd
By: Mycah Glover
Updated: February 15, 2012
MIDLAND -- The oil and gas industry has been under a lot of scrutiny this year. From endangered species to water usage, the industry has been working hard to clear up any misconceptions. Today, hydraulic fracturing took center stage.
Texas House Bill 3328 was adopted last year, requiring operators to publicly disclose the chemicals they use for hydraulic fracturing on fracfocus.org. The Permian Basin Petroleum Association brought in the Texas Railroad Commission and the Groundwater Protection Council to help the local oil and gas community understand how it all works.
It was a packed house as local oil and gas companies learned about a new item on their to-do list. "We had about 150 people here today. It was well attended. Lots of good questions. Lots of good answers as to how to comply with these new regulations," says Ben Sheppard, PBPA president.
"House Bill 3328 was enacted by the Texas legislature and signed by the governor last year, and it required the Railroad Commission to adopt rules regarding chemical disclosure of hydraulic fracturing treatment," says Leslie Savage, chief geologist of the Texas Railroad Commission.
Now, that's exactly what oil and gas operators have to do. "If you get a drilling permit from the Railroad Commission for a well on or after February 1 of this year, then any hydraulic fracturing treatment that is performed on that well in the future is subject to this rule," says Savage.
Operators must register and list all the information now required by law on fracfocus.org, a website anyone can access.
"If I have a well that's being drilled in my back yard, I may want to know what chemicals are being used. This is a way for me to know that information," says Savage.
The website also features the history of hydraulic fracturing, how it all works and more, helping to educate people on a process those in the industry say is critical to oil and gas production.
If you're in the oil and gas business and need to register or if you simply want to learn more about the hydraulic fracturing process, check out http://fracfocus.org. You can also find more information on the Permian Basin Petroleum Association's website, http://pbpa.info/ .
Texas House Bill 3328 was adopted last year, requiring operators to publicly disclose the chemicals they use for hydraulic fracturing on fracfocus.org. The Permian Basin Petroleum Association brought in the Texas Railroad Commission and the Groundwater Protection Council to help the local oil and gas community understand how it all works.
It was a packed house as local oil and gas companies learned about a new item on their to-do list. "We had about 150 people here today. It was well attended. Lots of good questions. Lots of good answers as to how to comply with these new regulations," says Ben Sheppard, PBPA president.
"House Bill 3328 was enacted by the Texas legislature and signed by the governor last year, and it required the Railroad Commission to adopt rules regarding chemical disclosure of hydraulic fracturing treatment," says Leslie Savage, chief geologist of the Texas Railroad Commission.
Now, that's exactly what oil and gas operators have to do. "If you get a drilling permit from the Railroad Commission for a well on or after February 1 of this year, then any hydraulic fracturing treatment that is performed on that well in the future is subject to this rule," says Savage.
Operators must register and list all the information now required by law on fracfocus.org, a website anyone can access.
"If I have a well that's being drilled in my back yard, I may want to know what chemicals are being used. This is a way for me to know that information," says Savage.
The website also features the history of hydraulic fracturing, how it all works and more, helping to educate people on a process those in the industry say is critical to oil and gas production.
If you're in the oil and gas business and need to register or if you simply want to learn more about the hydraulic fracturing process, check out http://fracfocus.org. You can also find more information on the Permian Basin Petroleum Association's website, http://pbpa.info/ .
