American Gas - April 2012 - (Page 5)

industrynews PEOPLE TRENDS EVENTS AGA Producers Making Progress on Responsible Gas Development U.S. PRODUCERS are on the path toward ensuring that natural gas is produced in an environmentally responsible way, AGA said in a recent progress report. e report, Responsible and Sustainable Natural Gas Resource Development: Turning Principles Into Action, is a follow-up to a set of resource development principles released by AGA in May 2011 that called on producers of natural gas to engage stakeholders, establish best practices and communicate their actions to the public. “Producers, state regulators, local ofﬁcials and federal authorities have taken seriously the call to develop the abundant natural gas resource in the United States responsibly and sustainably,” said Dave McCurdy, AGA president and CEO. “We look forward to their continued efforts and the beneﬁts they will provide to our consumers and our nation.” e report highlighted a number of industry initiatives, including: Reducing surface footprint and community impacts. Horizontal drilling of multiple wells from single pads for shale development, greatly reducing the need for surface disturbance, is now a standard industry practice. Where practical, pipelines are being used to supply water and remove wastewater, reducing truck trips on local roads. Ensuring well integrity. All oil and natural gas wells are lined with steel pipe and ultimately cemented to protect the integrity of the wellbore. Standards have been established for the pipe and cement. Virtually all states where there is natural gas production have permitting and planning requirements related to well integrity. Disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. is is rapidly becoming standard industry practice. Initiatives such as FracFocus.org, sponsored by the Groundwater Protection Council, allow people to research fracture ﬂuid chemistry on a well-by-well basis. Protecting water quality through rigorous monitoring and mitigation strategies. Numerous federal and state regulatory requirements and mitigation strategies are directed toward well-site management and waterquality issues associated with shale gas development. Minimizing fresh water use. Industry has turned increasingly to well-site recycling of recovered fracturing ﬂuids and other system management techniques. Managing wastewater. Surface impoundments for drilling and fracture ﬂuids must be constructed in accordance with existing regulations. Impoundment design creates an impervious barrier against subsurface inﬁltration. Minimizing air emissions. More than 70 exploration, transmission and distribution companies are part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Natural Gas STAR program, which seeks to identify best practices that APRIL 2012 AMERICAN GAS 5 http://www.FracFocus.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - April 2012

American Gas - April 2012
Contents
President’s Message
In the News
Safety First
Ask AGA
Tech Talk
Engaging Consumers
Squeezing Every Btu
Places to Be
Noteworthies
Jobline
Marketplace
Advertisers’ Index
Facts on Gas

American Gas - April 2012