6.9.14
Oil Spill
New Study Looks At BP Spill's Impacts On Birds
MPB
A new study estimates as many as 800-thousand Gulf birds were killed by the
BP oil spill. As MPB's Evelina Burnett reports, the estimate shows both the
uncertainty that's part of the process of figuring out the spill's damage –
and how high the stakes are.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/new_study_looks_at_bp_spills_impacts_on_birds
State
Mississippi Power Plants Could Be Forced To Make Big Cuts In Their Carbon
Pollution
MPB
Power plants in Mississippi could be forced to dramatically cut their
carbon emissions under a new rule being proposed by the U-S Environmental
Protection Agency. M-P-B's Jeffrey Hess reports the rule calls for a nearly
40-percent reduction by the year 20-30.....
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/mississippi_power_plants_could_be_forced_to_make_big_cuts_in_their_carbon_p
Oil's thirst for water
Posted: Sunday, June 8, 2014 8:00 am
Ernest Herndon | Enterprise-Journal
It takes between 6 million and 11 million gallons of water to frack an oil
well in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale formation of southwest Mississippi.
Some two dozen wells have been fracked in Amite and Wilkinson counties
since 2007, when TMS drilling got under way.
Oilfield watchers say those numbers could swell into the hundreds over the
next few years and into the thousands beyond that.
Where will all the water come from?
And where will the contaminated wastewater go?
So far, oil companies have been using surface water such as ponds and
streams.
Streams are state waters, and withdrawal requires permits from the
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, said Richard Harrell,
director of the MDEQ's Office of Pollution Control.
Taking water from a pond that is fed by "state waters," including a stream
or a well, requires a permit as well.
"As the play gets closer and closer to a commercial status, we've told them
(oil companies) we expect a longterm water plan: Where do you plan to get
this water from, knowing the nature of the streams in that area?" Harrell
said, citing the small size of southwest Mississippi rivers like the Amite,
Tangipahoa and Tickfaw.
If surface water proves to be insufficient, another alternative could
include groundwater from non-drinking aquifers.
Drinking water aquifers range from 100 to 1,400 feet. "Our intention is to
not use that water for fracking," Harrell said.
"At 2,000 feet are fairly sufficient quantities of groundwater that are
suitable for fracking but are probably not suitable for drinking water," he
said, citing sulfides, chlorides, salts and coloration.
"We're expecting them (oil companies) to come in with some plans for
groundwater withdrawals," Harrell said. "We feel that's a fairly copious
amount of water that would have very little effect on people down there."
A third alternative involves impounding water when it's plentiful and
finding alternative sources during dry times, such as piping it in from
larger bodies of water.
"There's been discussions of taking the city of McComb's (wastewater)
effluent or going over to the Mississippi River and taking water from that
area," Harrell said.
A fourth option is recycling contaminated frackwater. To frack a well,
water is mixed with sand and chemicals to hold open fractured layers of
rock that contain oil and gas. Recycling the contaminated water is
expensive, and returns from the TMS have yet to justify it.
• • •
Doug Hock, director of community and public relations for Encana oil
company, said surface water is all that's on the horizon for the
foreseeable future.
"Our intent would be to continue to use private ponds, and we've been using
water from the Amite (River) east and west forks," Hock said.
"Our preference would be to use pond water. We would not want to tap into
the aquifer. We would avoid that at all costs."
Hock suggested landowners might want to consider building ponds to sell the
water.
"It's an economic opportunity for them," he said. "Unlike some of the areas
where we operate, like Colorado, it's not arid."
But just any old pond won't do. "A pond that's 20 or 30 acres has a lot of
water, while a small pond for watering cattle isn't going to have the
volume required for a frack," he said.
Gary Steen, U.S. Natural Resource Conservation Service soil conservationist
for Amite and Wilkinson counties, said he doesn't know of anyone yet who
has built a pond just as a source of fracking water. The NRCS advises
landowners on topography, soil type and other issues.
"I won't say they're being built for that purpose," Steen said. "A lot of
the ponds we have built have been used for that. We have had one or two
landowners call in asking about pond sites in anticipation of them needing
water (for fracking)."
He said pond construction costs roughly $5,000 to $7,000 per surface acre,
depending on depth and site issues.
Earlier, oil companies were paying 35 cents per 42-gallon barrel of water,
which translated into tens of thousands of dollars per frack. Now they
reportedly pay an upfront fee plus a smaller amount per barrel.
Hock said oil companies will likely turn to recycling fracking wastewater
once the play becomes commercial.
"It requires a certain volume where it makes sense economically and
environmentally to recycle," he said. "If we reach a point where it's
feasible to recycle, that is our preferred option."
Goodrich Petroleum spokesman Daniel Jenkins provided fewer details about
his company's water plans.
"We are in the early stages of developing the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale oil
play," Jenkins said in an email. "Since 2012, there have been approximately
30 wells drilled and completed within the core TMS development area.
Goodrich Petroleum has worked with, and will continue to work with, state
regulators to ensure that all water sourcing and water disposal operations
will be in compliance with applicable rules and regulations."
Jenkins said it's hard to be more specific. "We are drilling wells over a
6,000-square mile area from depths between 11,000 to 14,500 vertical feet
deep. Lots of variability."
• • •
So where does the contaminated water go when fracking is finished?
That's the domain of the Mississippi Oil and Gas Board. David Snodgrass,
geologist and environmental administrator, said wastewater is injected back
underground into the oil formation, far below drinking water levels.
Amite County has 10 active injection wells, he said. A typical injection
zone is 8,500 to 8,900 feet deep.
Saltwater, as oil well wastewater is often called, is also heavier than
freshwater and not likely to migrate upward.
"We're very blessed in Mississippi to have the oil and the injection zones
separated from drinking water by great depths," Snodgrass said. "That makes
fracking a lot safer."
• • •
For more information, visit the Oil and Gas Board website,
www.ogb.state.ms.us. Scroll down and click on "Tuscaloosa Marine Shale."
Liberty couple skeptical about fracking operations
Posted: Sunday, June 8, 2014 8:00 am
Ernest Herndon | Enterprise-Journal
LIBERTY — When Lee Yancey read that an oilfield company was looking to
drill wastewater disposal wells in southwest Mississippi, alarms went off.
Yancey, 86, is retired from the U.S. Coast Guard, where as Officer in
Charge of Marine Inspection his duties included inspecting offshore oil
rigs.
"Most of it was improper," Yancey said. "They don't care what the
regulations say, they just want to keep the drills turning."
He said workers dumped debris off the rigs, including bags of drilling mud,
cardboard boxes, garbage and sewage. He also said they often violated
safety regulations.
Now major oil and gas drilling has come to Amite County with the Tuscaloosa
Marine Shale formation.
"I'm concerned with where they get rid of their waste, pumping it into the
ground," Yancey said. "I think we need a better explanation: who regulates
it, who's watching them when they do all this."
Yancey's wife Vera has her own reasons for concern. On Jan. 13 she was the
first person to arrive at a wreck between a flatbed 18-wheeler and a Nissan
Altima driven by Sandra Martin, 67, of Amite County, on Highway 584 near
the Yanceys' home. Martin died in the wreck and the truck driver was
charged with DUI-homicide. According to unconfirmed reports, the truck had
been hauling materials for an oilfield company.
"That day I had a massive heart attack," Mrs. Yancey said. "It was right
after they picked the car up. I went down to get the glass out of our
driveway."
The attack left her with 45 percent heart function.
"There's going to be another wreck out there, or two," she predicted. "The
oil well traffic is here constantly."
Traffic is just one of her concerns. The possibility of a chemical truck
spill is another.
"Suppose that truck is going down here and it turns over on my property and
all that chemical waste spills on my property?" she said. "My health is bad
enough now."
Mrs. Yancey also is worried about contamination of groundwater, streams and
land. And though government regulations and industry standards are designed
to prevent such problems, she cited failures such as a Smithdale oil well
blowout in December 2007.
"I just feel concerned about the environmental aspects," she said.
The Yanceys moved to Liberty from Lacombe, Louisiana, in St. Tammany
Parish, seven years ago. They say they saw oilfield abuses in Louisiana and
fear that happening here.
"My experience has to do more with them violating the rules that apply to
them, not adhering to the rules at all if they can get away with it," Mr.
Yancey said.
Nor is he completely reassured to learn that government agencies such as
the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the Mississippi Oil
and Gas Board monitor oilfield activities.
"You can see where our federal government system that we have today that
nothing is 100 percent believable," Yancey said. "They're appointed by
politicians, aren't they? That's the first missing link."
So far the Yanceys have refused to lease the oil rights on their 12-acre
property.
"This is our home and I don't want any oil wells here," Mrs. Yancey said.
"I don't want a well and I don't want fracking."
Mississippi Phosphates reports second sulfuric acid release in 8 days
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens
June 06, 2014 at 3:57 PM
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Mississippi Phosphates Corp. reported a second
minor sulfuric acid release on Thursday amid residents' intensifying
worries about the health and environmental impacts of the diammonium
phosphate fertilizer manufacturer.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2014/06/mississippi_phosphates_reports_1.html#incart_river
Beach goers say they want advisories posted closer to the water
WLOX
At several spots along the beach, you may notice signs and flags warning
you to stay out of the water. That's because the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality of MDEQ says there is higher bacteria levels in the
water, which could cause illness. But some of the beachgoers we talked to
said they either didn't notice the signs or don't care.
http://www.wlox.com/story/25720959/beach-goers-say-they-want-advisories-posted-closer-to-the-water
DMR getting close to setting shrimp season opening
WLOX
BILOXI, MS (WLOX) -A cold winter, followed by abundant Spring rains, are
having an impact on this year's shrimp season in Mississippi. Those
conditions slowed the growth of shrimp, which means a later start to the
season.
http://www.wlox.com/story/25713186/dmr-getting-close-to-setting-shrimp-season-opening
Chevron's Pascagoula base oil plant complete
Sun Herald
By KAREN NELSON
PASCAGOULA -- The $1.4 billion base oil plant is built. And the Chevron
Pascagoula Refinery expects to have it at full production capability by
midsummer.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/06/06/5632553/chevrons-pascagoula-base-oil-plant.html?sp=/99/184/201/
Jackson Academy to offer pre-engineering class
The Associated PressJune 9, 2014
JACKSON, MISS. — Mississippi State University and Jackson State University
are teaming up to teach a pre-engineering course at a Jackson high school.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/06/09/5635733/jackson-academy-to-offer-pre-engineering.html?sp=/99/184/218/
National
Utility companies chide new EPA rules at Gulf Coast energy forum
Al.com
Michael Finch II
June 06, 2014 at 4:41 PM
MOBILE, Alabama -- In the face of more regulation by the Environmental
Protection Agency, Gulf Coast utility executives condemned the rules as
anything but helpful for consumers at conference held Thursday at the
Mobile Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel.
http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2014/06/utility_companies_chide_new_ep.html
In Some States, Emissions Cuts Defy Skeptics
By JUSTIN GILLIS and MICHAEL WINES
JUNE 6, 2014
NY Times
The cries of protest have been fierce, warning that
President Obama's plan to cut greenhouse gases from power
plants will bring soaring electricity bills and even
plunge the nation into blackouts. By the time the
administration is finished, one prominent critic said,
"millions of Americans will be freezing in the dark."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/07/science/in-some-states-emissions-cuts-defy-skeptics.html?ref=earth&_r=0
Planned coal-power closings won't cut CO2 much
USA Today
The electric power industry's plan to retire more than 10% of its
coal-fired generators within a decade will do almost nothing to
reduce the nation's emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide, a USA
TODAY analysis finds.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/06/08/coal-plant-retirements-barely-cut-carbon-emissions/10008553/
Weakest link in EPA's climate rule?
The Hill
A key concession touted by vulnerable Democrats in the administration's new
carbon pollution standards may provide the greatest legal threat to the
controversial new rules, the cornerstone of President Obama's climate
change agenda.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/208563-key-concession-in-climate-rule-could-be-its-curse
Climate change could put more in hospitals, says White House
The Hill
Climate change is driving up the number of children who are living with
asthma, according to a new White House report out Friday.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/208536-wh-climate-change-leading-to-greater-hospitalizations
Bill would ban EPA's preemptive water permit vetoes
The Hill
Reps. Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio) and Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) said they'll introduce
legislation next week to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from
preemptively vetoing applications to dump dredge or fill in waterways.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/208551-bill-would-ban-epas-preemptive-water-permit-vetos
Press Releases
EPA Announces Funding for Tribes to Clean Up Diesel Engines
WASHINGTON – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that
grant funding is available for tribal applicants to establish clean diesel
projects aimed at reducing emissions from older diesel engines. Diesel
engines are extremely efficient, but emit air pollutants such as nitrogen
oxides (NOX) and particulate matter (PM). These pollutants are linked to
serious health problems including asthma, lung and heart disease, other
respiratory ailments, and premature death. This is the first time EPA is
offering a separate tribal request for proposals for diesel emission
reduction program (DERA) funds, and is in response to feedback from tribal
communities.
EPA is making $1 million available and anticipates awarding three to five
tribal assistance agreements. Projects may include school buses, transit
buses, heavy-duty diesel trucks, marine engines, locomotives, energy
production generators, and other diesel engines. Proposals from tribal
applicants must be received by August 12, 2014.
This competition is part of the DERA program which funds projects to clean
up the legacy fleet of diesel engines. The DERA program aims to achieve
significant reductions in diesel emissions in terms of tons of pollution
reduced and to reduce diesel emissions exposure, particularly for those
living and working in areas disproportionately affected by poor air
quality.
Since the beginning of the DERA program in 2008, EPA has awarded over 600
grants across the US and reduced more than 250,000 tons of NOx and more
than 14,000 tons of PM. EPA has awarded 11 Tribal grants for approximately
$3 million. DERA grants have significantly improved air quality and
provided critical health benefits by reducing hundreds of thousands of tons
of air pollution and saving millions of gallons of fuel. Many of these
grants fund clean diesel projects that operate in economically
disadvantaged communities where residents suffer from higher-than-average
instances of asthma, heart, and lung disease.
More information on the Tribal Request for Proposals and related documents:
www.epa.gov/cleandiesel/prgtribal.htm
More information on the National Clean Diesel campaign:
www.epa.gov/cleandiesel
