Houston Chronicle By Jay Wall May 8, 2019
There’s a big environmental problem in west Texas: the flaring of natural gas from the new oil in the Permian basin. The good news is that the best solution for the environment and the economy is already underway, and the only thing required from regulators and activists is to stay out of the way.
Increased oil production in the Permian basin has been a huge boon to Texas and to the U.S. According to federal government figures, production in the Permian has risen by over a million barrels per day in the last year. That’s made the U.S. the largest producer of oil in the world.
Of course, huge advances often come with disruption and problems. The problem in the Permian is what to do with the natural gas that is a byproduct of oil production. Unfortunately, the only financially feasible solution for many producers has been to burn up to 400 billion cubic feet of natural gas per quarter, releasing almost 3.5 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. That number is projected to rise to 600 billion cubic feet per quarter in 2019.
Since natural gas is an asset, it’s reasonable to ask why the producers are burning it. Doesn’t it make more sense to sell it?
It absolutely does. If only there were pipelines to deliver the gas to market!
More:
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/To-fight-climate-change-build-pipelines-Opinion-13833447.php
