Obama administration’s fracking rules struck down by federal judge

[IsailedawayfromFR]

In the latest rebuke of the Obama administration’s expansive view of executive power, a federal judge has struck down the Interior Department’s effort to regulate fracking for oil and natural gas.

Judge Scott Skavdahl of the District Court of Wyoming already had put a hold on the regulations last year, and in a decision released late Tuesday, he ruled that Congress did not give Interior the power to regulate hydraulic fracturing, indeed it had expressly withheld that power with some narrow exceptions.

“Congress has not delegated to the Department of Interior the authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing,” Judge Skavdahl wrote in deciding a lawsuit brought by industry groups and a number of Western states. The “effort to do so through the Fracking Rule is in excess of its statutory authority and contrary to law.”

The judge dismissed particularly the claim by the Interior Department and its Bureau of Land Management that it had inherent broad regulatory authority to pursue the public good on federal and Indian lands, the only place the regulations would have applied.

“Congress‘ inability or unwillingness to pass a law desired by the executive branch does not default authority to the executive branch to act independently, regardless of whether hydraulic fracturing is good or bad for the environment or the citizens of the United States,” wrote Judge Skavdahl, whom Mr. Obama appointed to the bench in 2011.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jun/21/obama-administrations-fracking-rules-struck-down-f/

[sinkspur]

Well, now.  This is very good. Very good.

[RetBobbyMI]

A big political POW between the eyes of this administration.  Maybe, just maybe, some of these federal judges are getting some cajones.  Need more that value the constitution, not just swear to it.

[WAC]

Wa-hoo!!!!!.....Federal judge has STRUCK DOWN the Interior Department’s effort to regulate fracking for oil and natural gas!!!!!!

My state will be very happy for this.......my home town community has been completely restored as a result of fracking in our area....Everybody made money and the surrounding area, where they had been, was left with a very small footprint........Beautiful community  that is growing now! ..... Best thing that ever happened there!

Here's one of the pads once they've sealed and left the initial site......I have family members who have these on their farm land.

[WAC]

This is how it looks while they are fracking....

[WAC]

Here's a night photo....

At first there's a lot of trucks and sounds of them going thru communities.......people were concerned about the roads getting so much heavy traffic...but they repave any roads before they leave......In the day time you could wake up and look out and see the flame from another well they drilled....it was wonderful watching it all come to live....

People had crew trailors set up in their yards they rented out because there was not enough lodging for them....woman made great money fixing the crew home made meals. It was a dynamic time! Our town came to life!

They put lightposts throughout the town...Sidewalks were restored and beautiful benches placed throughout.....stores refurbished and new ones arrived too..... .....many of the crew moved there for good! It is a beautiful area.

This is in the are of Marcellous Shale.....very rich throughout my state of Pa.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Everybody made money and the surrounding area, where they had been, was left with a very small footprint........
[/quote]

There are two important points there

1. it is a win/win/win for companies, consumers, government, mineral interest owners.  and local communities get jobs and thrive.

2. the small footprint compared to many other forms of energy extraction.  One well can drain up to a mile, maybe two away and requires a surface footprint of only a few hundred feet squared.  Think of the monstrosities of solar grids or windmill farms or worst of all, the thousands of acres requiring farming to raise crops for ethanol to produce a comparable amount of energy.  This is mostly overlooked as to the value of the extraction of oil and gas compared to alternative methods.

[Elderberry]

2. the small footprint compared to many other forms of energy extraction.  One well can drain up to a mile, maybe two away and requires a surface footprint of only a few hundred feet squared.  Think of the monstrosities of solar grids or windmill farms or worst of all, the thousands of acres requiring farming to raise crops for ethanol to produce a comparable amount of energy.  This is mostly overlooked as to the value of the extraction of oil and gas compared to alternative methods.

I found this interesting about multiple wells on one pad:http://www.csur.com/sites/default/files/Understanding_Well_Construction_final.pdf
 
---Companies can  drill multiple wells from a single-pad location and extract the hydrocarbons from as much as 10 sq km.

[WAC]

Yes indeed....my family gave way also to the water pipes going thru their property.....

I wish people could see the difference in my hometown all because of fracking.........the crews were fabulous...the leaders informative.

What we found is that the problems always came from marginal people wanting to make a fuss about everything and anything...power people who wanted to control something the community wanted. They purposely held things up or derailed things just to throw their weight around. But in the end it was between the property owners and the companies.

Until you've had them come into your community and what they do to be as careful and considerate as they are. You can't imagine what this does for a community.  This lifted the hearts and minds of so many.......

The footprints appear large at first as they have to develop the actual work site are....but once there's gone it's actually very small. y brother took us up to one of the sites on his land.....I was stunned as i expected this huge walled off area.......

We have wind farms as well, hillside and they're TERRIBLE BEASTS!..............First of all they're gigantic and look awful towering above all tree lines.....they break down often and they sound horrible.....and they constantly "Eat birds"........everybody hates them!

[truth_seeker]

So called "fracking" has been utilized for decades and decades. The only difference is that it is much more technically advanced, and efficient.

I started in the oil fields of coastal Southern California in the late 60s, and we did "hydraulic washing," with chemicals.

The reservoir was under secondary water injection recovery. Washed both production and injection wells.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

What we found is that the problems always came from marginal people wanting to make a fuss about everything and anything...power people who wanted to control something the community wanted. They purposely held things up or derailed things just to throw their weight around. But in the end it was between the property owners and the companies.

Frequently the difficulty is caused by the severence of the mineral ownership from the surface ownership.

A mineral owner has a right to have his property developed but this means at times the person who owns the surface may have to suffer the inconvenience of some of his land being taken away for development, the oilfield traffic, etc. and, although compensated for his loss, not get the benefit of royalties that the mineral owner receives.

tough, but I have been on both sides of this.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

A lot of people claim that earthquakes are tied to fracking, this is actually not accurate. It's the wastewater disposal that is tied to earthquakes with varying degrees of scientific soundness.

[MajorClay]

Amen

[Wingnut]

Obama has had a bad day in the courts.

[Smokin Joe]

A lot of people claim that earthquakes are tied to fracking, this is actually not accurate. It's the wastewater disposal that is tied to earthquakes with varying degrees of scientific soundness.

There have been earthquakes associated with disposal wells in parts of Oklahoma and Kansas, but it depends on the geology in the area. By contrast, there has been no associated noticeable seismic activity (with disposal wells) in North Dakota, despite over 60 years of saltwater disposal using disposal wells.

[Smokin Joe]

Frequently the difficulty is caused by the severence of the mineral ownership from the surface ownership.

A mineral owner has a right to have his property developed but this means at times the person who owns the surface may have to suffer the inconvenience of some of his land being taken away for development, the oilfield traffic, etc. and, although compensated for his loss, not get the benefit of royalties that the mineral owner receives.

tough, but I have been on both sides of this.

Depending on the area and the spacing of the lease, often the oil and or gas can be produced from under the surface owner's feet without disturbing their surface holdings, so that part is far from mandatory. For those whose mineral rights were separated by a previous land owner and either retained by that previous owner or sold, it can be a bitter pill that someone else is getting the royalties from the minerals beneath their land. It is a matter to check into when doing due diligence on any property, whether the mineral rights have been severed, or they are included with the property.

Surface (land) owners can and have made deals with oil and gas companies to locate facilities (when that 'fits') for pipelines, pipeline maintenance or operation, either through a lease deal or outright sale of the property, and by leasing right of way easements for pipelines or access roads, and thus have been able to 'cash in' on the development, even if they do not have mineral rights, but that is more hit and miss. 

Unfortunately, envy can and does creep into the process; some folks will never be satisfied.

[Chieftain]

There have been earthquakes associated with disposal wells in parts of Oklahoma and Kansas, but it depends on the geology in the area. By contrast, there has been no associated noticeable seismic activity (with disposal wells) in North Dakota, despite over 60 years of saltwater disposal using disposal wells.

Oklahoma and Kansas are geologically quite active being in the areas associated with continental mantle upwelling which leads to continental spread.  The ocean bottoms have similar upwelling areas, but nobody notices them (location, location, location....).

The larger point I think is that I cannot think of a single court ruling since Chief Justice Roberts re-wrote Obamacare, that has gone the Administration's way.  Especially when it comes to the Clinton E-mail multiple FOIA lawsuits.  This President has been the most un-constitutional monarch wanna-be this country has ever seen.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I found this interesting about multiple wells on one pad:http://www.csur.com/sites/default/files/Understanding_Well_Construction_final.pdf
 
---Companies can  drill multiple wells from a single-pad location and extract the hydrocarbons from as much as 10 sq km.

Nice summary there, and people should check it out. There is a lot of information in that. I have worked as a wellsite geologist since 1979, and through most of the Bakken boom in ND. The most I have worked was four wells on a pad, but I have seen other companies put eight or more on one. One of the other benefits, is that by drilling parallel wellbores in opposite directions, the well pads line up and the access roads, pipeline easements, and traffic all tend to trend along lines, 2-4 miles apart, when topography and other considerations permit. This leaves large swaths of land in between the production 'strips' which are pretty much undisturbed, be that pasture, farmland, or undeveloped 'wild' land.

Another feature of the multiwell pad is that for the last few years, drilling rigs have been designed to 'walk' from wellbore to wellbore, removing the necessity to completely tear down and reassemble the rig for a move to the nest wellbore. The advantage is that (literally) weeks are saved (along with half a million to a million dollars) on rig moves, and more wells can be drilled by the same rig in less time.

Compared to individual drill sites for each well, a lot of money is saved between earthwork and drilling expenses, and the 'footprint' for the whole operation is far far smaller than it would have been for drillsites and the follow-on production sites for separated wells.

[Smokin Joe]

Oklahoma and Kansas are geologically quite active being in the areas associated with continental mantle upwelling which leads to continental spread.  The ocean bottoms have similar upwelling areas, but nobody notices them (location, location, location....).

The larger point I think is that I cannot think of a single court ruling since Chief Justice Roberts re-wrote Obamacare, that has gone the Administration's way.  Especially when it comes to the Clinton E-mail multiple FOIA lawsuits.  This President has been the most un-constitutional monarch wanna-be this country has ever seen.

 

Too bad Roberts caved on the one he did. My insurance provider stopped offering health insurance this year and closed out a 20+ year old policy I had with them. I can only wish the man IBSD and terminal hemorrhoids.

[Chieftain]

Nice summary there, and people should check it out. There is a lot of information in that. I have worked as a wellsite geologist since 1979, and through most of the Bakken boom in ND. The most I have worked was four wells on a pad, but I have seen other companies put eight or more on one. One of the other benefits, is that by drilling parallel wellbores in opposite directions, the well pads line up and the access roads, pipeline easements, and traffic all tend to trend along lines, 2-4 miles apart, when topography and other considerations permit. This leaves large swaths of land in between the production 'strips' which are pretty much undisturbed, be that pasture, farmland, or undeveloped 'wild' land.

Another feature of the multiwell pad is that for the last few years, drilling rigs have been designed to 'walk' from wellbore to wellbore, removing the necessity to completely tear down and reassemble the rig for a move to the nest wellbore. The advantage is that (literally) weeks are saved (along with half a million to a million dollars) on rig moves, and more wells can be drilled by the same rig in less time.

Compared to individual drill sites for each well, a lot of money is saved between earthwork and drilling expenses, and the 'footprint' for the whole operation is far far smaller than it would have been for drillsites and the follow-on production sites for separated wells.

Very interesting reading Joe.  These modern drill rigs are not all that much bigger than a destroyer, and there are ways now to move just about anything, so it makes sense to build a more portable rig to use like you describe.  Smart engineering that has directly driven the oil boom and lower prices.  Those lower prices do have consequences but also benefits.  The Russians have been forced to back way off on Syria; Venezuela is nearly a failed state and even the Saudis are attempting to get out of the 8th Century; all because of the collapse of $100+/bbl oil, and that was driven by the American shale fracking boom.

And now all the oil wells that did get permitted in the Gulf 10 years ago are coming on line now with enough production to make up for most of the sag as the shale production sags.

 

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Smart engineering that has directly driven the oil boom and lower prices. 

This has happened for a number of cycles in this industry since early last century.  It will continue with innovations we do not even fathom as yet.

And now all the oil wells that did get permitted in the Gulf 10 years ago are coming on line now with enough production to make up for most of the sag as the shale production sags.

@thackney - do you agree with prognostications you have seen?  Seems a tad optimistic.

[Smokin Joe]

This has happened for a number of cycles in this industry since early last century.  It will continue with innovations we do not even fathom as yet.

@thackney - do you agree with prognostications you have seen?  Seems a tad optimistic.

Keep in mind the sag is the initial depletion (takes about 2 years) in a lot of horizontal wells that are aging that first two years. As the boom was going on, that initial production decline per well was masked by new wells coming on line. Now, with fewer wells coming on line, the 70-80% decline from IP will show up for those wells under two years old as a sag in production. As those wells age, though, the decline curves flatten, and the production will plateau instead of continue to decline at present rates.

[Victoria33]

Here's a night photo....

At first there's a lot of trucks and sounds of them going thru communities.......people were concerned about the roads getting so much heavy traffic...but they repave any roads before they leave......In the day time you could wake up and look out and see the flame from another well they drilled....it was wonderful watching it all come to live....
They put lightposts throughout the town...Sidewalks were restored and beautiful benches placed throughout.....stores refurbished and new ones arrived too..... .....many of the crew moved there for good! It is a beautiful area.  This is in the are of Marcellous Shale.....very rich throughout my state of Pa.

I know an engineer at Baker Hughes who sat on fracking wells.  That string of big trucks put pressure down the well to frack the rock.  Most all the equipment there is now run by computers.  It was his job to fix any computer glitch that came up on any equipment.  As long as everything was working, he was in his truck doing whatever he wanted.

This was in Texas and when the well was within an hour of so of where I lived, he would come to my house to stay instead of having to share a room in a motel with other men.  He had his own bedroom/bathroom at my place.  He was living with my sister-in-law and being an engineer,  thought he had to fix anything at my house what was out of whack.  He was afraid I would fall down the stairs so he installed handholds on the wall going up my stairs.  He threw away all the smoke detectors saying they were too old and installed new ones.  He took apart the clothes dryer to clean everything inside.  He is a nonstop fixer.

[thackney]

This has happened for a number of cycles in this industry since early last century.  It will continue with innovations we do not even fathom as yet.

@thackney - do you agree with prognostications you have seen?  Seems a tad optimistic.

I know an engineer at Baker Hughes who sat on fracking wells.  That string of big trucks put pressure down the well to frack the rock.  Most all the equipment there is now run by computers.  It was his job to fix any computer glitch that came up on any equipment.  As long as everything was working, he was in his truck doing whatever he wanted.

This was in Texas and when the well was within an hour of so of where I lived, he would come to my house to stay instead of having to share a room in a motel with other men.  He had his own bedroom/bathroom at my place.  He was living with my sister-in-law and being an engineer,  thought he had to fix anything at my house what was out of whack.  He was afraid I would fall down the stairs so he installed handholds on the wall going up my stairs.  He threw away all the smoke detectors saying they were too old and installed new ones.  He took apart the clothes dryer to clean everything inside.  He is a nonstop fixer.

I also think that is over optimistic.