produced water
Newsletter
Credit: Jonathan Cutrer/Flickr
Water gushes from abandoned oil wells in Texas
A troubling trend of water erupting from abandoned oil wells in West Texas raises unanswered questions about the cause and impact on the environment.
In short:
- Water has been gushing from abandoned oil wells on Schuyler Wight's West Texas ranch, with no clear explanation from regulators.
- The Texas Railroad Commission has been unable to determine the cause, despite numerous incidents and cleanup efforts.
- Experts suggest that the injection of fracking wastewater might be increasing underground pressure, leading to these blowouts.
Key quote:
“There’s been such an increase in disposal of produced water over the past decade, there’s an overwhelming amount of water being disposed. That pressure has to go somewhere.”
— Dominic DiGiulio, an environmental consultant and geoscientist
Why this matters:
These unexplained water eruptions, occurring in an area with weak regulatory oversight, could have severe long-term effects on local ecosystems and agriculture.
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Newsletter
Credit: Governor Jay Inslee/Flickr
New Mexico says it's moving ahead with governor's brackish water plan amid protests outside Capitol
Environmental and Indigenous groups say Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's proposal to purchase treated water for industrial use amounts to a handout to the oil and gas industry.
Newsletter
EPA approves permit for controversial fracking disposal well in Pennsylvania
The well, in Plum Borough near Pittsburgh, is a repurposed conventional well, which locals fear is at higher risk for leaks and material failures that could contaminate local drinking water.
New Pennsylvania legislation aims to classify ‘produced water’ from fracking as hazardous waste
The bills would also require gas drillers to test the toxicity of the wastewater, mine tailings and runoff from landfills. Waste from fracking in the state contains radioactive radium isotopes.
Water companies want NM to reuse oil and gas byproduct, despite safety and environmental concerns
A warming globe and depleting water supply are forcing conversations on alternative water sources, so some water engineers and scientists are encouraging New Mexico to start treating and using the toxic water that comes from oil and gas extraction. But environmental advocates say the chemically infused water is unsafe and untreatable.
Groups: DEQ not doing enough on ‘unlawful’ gas-field discharges
Conservation consortium asks regulators to review a permit that allows pollution flows from Moneta Divide Field.
www.wyofile.com
State hears request to pump Moneta pollutants into aquifer
Today’s Wyo. Oil and Gas Conservation Commission hearing will consider 110 letters objecting to the plan by Aethon Energy, plus Aethon’s own justifications for the request.
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