• Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer
Friday, January 27, 2023
Ector County News Online
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
    • Crytpocurrency
    • Gaming
    • Gadgets
  • Sports
  • Health
  • General
    • Business Services
  • Travel
  • Press Releases
  • Popular
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
    • Crytpocurrency
    • Gaming
    • Gadgets
  • Sports
  • Health
  • General
    • Business Services
  • Travel
  • Press Releases
  • Popular
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home News Local News

Texas Natural Gas, Oil Regulator Investigating Another Permian Earthquake – Natural Gas Intelligence

by NewsReporter
December 29, 2021
in Local News
texas-natural-gas,-oil-regulator-investigating-another-permian-earthquake-–-natural-gas-intelligence
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) is suspending all disposal well permits to inject oil and gas waste into deep strata within a portion of the Permian Basin following a series of earthquakes.

Permian Counties

The action, taken earlier in December and set to take effect on Friday (Dec. 31), applies to 33 deep disposal wells within the boundaries of the Gardendale Seismic Response Area (SRA). The area includes northeastern Ector County to southwest Martin County.

Injections also were suspended as of Dec. 15 in a smaller area within the Gardendale SRA, and other limitations have been put in place in Northern Culberson and Reeves counties.

[Want to know how global LNG demand impacts North American fundamentals? To find out, subscribe to LNG Insight.]

The permit suspensions preceded an investigation by the RRC into a 4.5 magnitude earthquake that struck about 11 miles north of the sleepy town of Stanton, in West Texas, late Monday.

The quake struck at a depth of 4.8 miles in Martin County in the Midland sub-basin of the Permian, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). No injuries were reported.

The RRC has been in contact with oil and gas disposal well operators in the area, according to spokesperson Andrew Keese. “We’re sending inspectors to the facilities as well.”

The state regulator plans to continue closely monitoring seismic activity in the area and “will take any actions, as necessary,” according to Keese.

Monday’s quake follows a series of smaller tremors in recent months detected by the University of Texas at Austin’s Bureau of Economic Geology. The Bureau’s TexNet Seismic Monitoring Program was developed after the Texas Legislature tasked it with helping to locate and determine the origins of earthquakes in the state.

Regarding Monday’s quake, TexNet was investigating the data associated with the event. “Our first concern, of course, is for any people who might have been affected by this earthquake,” said Scott W. Tinker, who manages the program.

The scientists on the TexNet team, led by principal investigator Alexandros Savvaidis, “are working diligently to analyze the data that we have received from our network of monitoring stations,” according to Tinker.

On Dec. 15 and 16, TexNet reported that four earthquakes occurred in northwestern Midland County with magnitudes of 3.1, 3.6, 3.7 and 3.3, respectively. These were the most recent events in an increasing sequence of earthquakes that has occurred in this area over the last two years, according to the RRC.

“RRC staff has determined that injection into deep geologic strata — below the top of the Strawn formation and especially the Ellenburger formation — across the area is likely contributing to recent seismic activity” in the Gardendale SRA, the state regulator said.

The Permian, a sprawling basin spanning 86,000 square miles in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, had 294 active rigs as of Dec. 23, according to the latest available data from Baker Hughes Co. (BKR). This was the most of any other play in the United States. Of that total, 127 were in the Midland sub-basin and 157 were in the Delaware. For comparison, the Haynesville Shale had the second-largest number of rigs at 48, BKR data showed.

Natural Gas Pipelines At Risk

In a study published earlier this month, the USGS said efforts should continue to systematically quantify nationwide earthquake risks to natural gas pipelines. Because they are buried underground, pipelines are vulnerable to the compounding effects of an earthquake, such as strong shaking, fault ruptures, landslides and liquefaction, according to the federal agency.

Leveraging publicly available data on gas pipelines such as incident data from past earthquakes and information collected by the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the USGS developed a first-order assessment of quake risks to U.S. gas transmission pipelines caused by strong ground shaking. 

Models determined that California had the highest distribution of average annual loss (AAL) for pipelines from earthquake-induced shaking. Other western states also saw a higher percentage of AAL, while Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee recorded a moderate percentage of AAL.

“To quantify the risk and its associated uncertainties, we systematically integrated the latest USGS National Seismic Hazard Model, a logic tree-based exposure model, three different vulnerability models and a consequence model,” said lead author Neal Simon Kwong.

The results enable comparisons against other risk assessment efforts, encourage more transparent deliberation regarding alternative approaches – such as characterizing displacement demands or alternate models to evaluate leaks or breaks – and facilitate decisions on potentially assessing localized risks due to ground failures that require site-specific data.

“USGS science remains critical to systematically evaluate both short- and long-term risks posed from natural hazards such as earthquakes,” said USGS’ Kishor Jaiswal, research structural engineer. “And it has the potential to help identify areas of high risk and prioritize large-scale infrastructure investments to mitigate risks.”

Related Posts

man-shoots-at-young-daughter,-mother-during-custody-exchange-–-kmid-–-local-2-news

Man Shoots At Young Daughter, Mother During Custody Exchange – KMID – Local 2 News

by NewsReporter
April 14, 2022
0

by: Erica Miller Posted: Apr 14, 2022 / 06:11 PM CDT Updated: Apr 14, 2022 / 06:12 PM CDT by: Erica Miller Posted: Apr 14, 2022 / 06:11 PM CDT Updated: Apr 14, 2022 / 06:12 PM CDT ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- An Odessa man is behind bars after police say...

basin-wildfires:-local-crews-stay-busy-with-2-more-fires-–-kmid-–-local-2-news

Basin Wildfires: Local Crews Stay Busy With 2 More Fires – KMID – Local 2 News

by NewsReporter
April 14, 2022
0

by: Rob Tooke Posted: Apr 13, 2022 / 10:49 PM CDT Updated: Apr 13, 2022 / 10:56 PM CDT ECTOR COUNTY, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – The Basin is windy and extremely dry. Grass fires are sparking under these conditions, which characterize dangerous fire weather. In Ector County, local fire crews worked...

ecso-searching-for-yeti-thief-–-kmid-–-local-2-news

ECSO Searching For Yeti Thief – KMID – Local 2 News

by NewsReporter
April 13, 2022
0

by: Erica Miller Posted: Apr 13, 2022 / 02:56 PM CDT Updated: Apr 13, 2022 / 03:10 PM CDT by: Erica Miller Posted: Apr 13, 2022 / 02:56 PM CDT Updated: Apr 13, 2022 / 03:10 PM CDT ECTOR COUNTY, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- The Ector County Sheriff’s Office is asking for...

commissioners-extend-local-wildfire-disaster-–-odessa-american

Commissioners Extend Local Wildfire Disaster – Odessa American

by NewsReporter
April 13, 2022
0

Ector County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to extend the local declaration of local disaster related to wildfires. Ector County Judge Debi Hays said after Tuesday’s meeting the declaration doesn’t have an end date. Hays explained the commissioners will have to vote again to end the declaration, but she said that...

Ector County News Online

© 2021 Ector County News Now

Navigate Site

  • Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • DMCA Policy
  • Medical Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • CCPA
  • Terms of Use

© 2021 Ector County News Now

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT