Natural Gas Flaring Hits Record High
As spot prices in the region have remained near or below zero, natural gas flaring and venting in the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico reached a new all-time high in the first quarter of 2019, averaging as much as 661 million cubic feet per day (MMcfd).According to research conducted by Rystad Energy, this widespread waste of a valuable commodity is the result of persistent infrastructure challenges, a lack of sufficient takeaway capacity and an unexpected outage on a key pipeline in the area.“We anticipate that basin-wide flaring will stay above 650 MMcfd before the Gulf Coast Express pipeline comes online in the second half of 2019…
Porter Voices Concerns Over Texas Pipelines
Commissioner David Porter of the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) Tuesday visited several south Texas border oil and gas facilities and pipeline rights-of-way to meet with field staff, operators, law enforcement and security officials to examine the vulnerability of Texas’ critical industry infrastructure. "While oil and gas operators take every precaution to limit any threat to their equipment and product, the unfettered flow of illegal aliens complicates their efforts,” said Porter. Commissioner Porter recently sent a letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske, questioning the agency’s commitment to border security and the protection of vital U.S. interests and infrastructure.
Coast Guard Responds to Blowout
The Coast Guard continues to monitor this afternoons well blowout for any signs of pollution in the northeast end of Trinity Bay. All five crewmembers aboard the oil platform were rescued safely and without injuries by a passing tugboat. Earlier this evening a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Houston took a Coast Guard environmental protection officer from Coast Guard Marine Safety Office Houston to the scene to assess the situation. They discovered a sheen on the water that is approximately one mile long and 40 yards wide. The owner of the platform, Master Resource, has hired a commercial contractor to respond to the sheen. They are currently on scene with two boats and 2000 feet of containment boom.
