Oil & Gas
Secretary Angelle explains Benefits of Offshore Oil and Gas
Department of Natural Resources Secretary Scott Angelle provided testimony to members of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Resources on Saturday, August 13, 2005 at Port Fourchon along with nine other officials and speakers.
STATE’S CONSERVATION OFFICE REPORTS ON OILFIELD SITES
The state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has aggressively pursued oilfield site restoration since 1994. Several years ago as Act 404 was established by the legislature, both state government and the oil and gas industry moved into fast-gear to evaluate and identify orphaned or abandoned oilfield sites in Louisiana. It was determined then, that the oil and gas industry’s role would be to provide funding for restoration of such sites.
Jennings to Host Oil Celebration with Parade and Special Activities
Did you know that Louisiana ranks first in the U.S. in crude oil production and is second in natural gas production...and, did you know that 100 years ago, on September 21, 1901, oil was first discovered in a rice field near Jennings, now known as the "cradle of Louisiana oil."
BAILEY TALKS WITH OIL MINISTERS ABOUT LOUISIANA'S OIL LEASING
Sandra Bailey, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Mineral Resources at the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, has recently traveled to Caracus, Venezuela to meet with oil ministers on the topic of the state's mineral leasing program. In March of this year, she met with Venezuela's Minister of Energy and Mines Ali Rodriquez, and Director of Hydrocarbons Bernardo Alvarez.
CONSERVATION AND IOGCC OFFER WORKSHOPS FOR OILFIELD OPERATORS
Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) Office of Conservation and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) will hold two workshops in the state designed to help operators in the oil and gas business evaluate and minimize waste generated from drilling, production, and pipeline operations. The workshops will be held in Lafayette and Shreveport, DNR officials said.
COMMISSIONER STARTS PROGRAM TO PURSUE ORPHANED OPERATORS
The state Office of Conservation has begun implementing stricter guidelines in pursuing operators of abandoned oil and gas wells and pits in the state. This month the Oilfield Site Restoration Commission voted to have Commissioner of Conservation Philip N. Asprodites recommend appropriate legal actions against operators of orphaned well sites in Louisiana.
EMERGENCY RULE FOR OILFIELD WASTE TESTING AMENDED, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials have amended Statewide Order No. 29-B starting October 1, continuing oilfield waste testing at commercial disposal facilities for 120 days, while eliminating exploration and production (E&P) waste testing at the well sites.
DNR RELEASES FIRST DATA ON INTERNET ON SAMPLES TAKEN FROM OILFIELD WASTE
BATON ROUGE – The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will make available on the Internet today the first raw data gathered on samples taken of oilfield waste from throughout the state.
OFFICE OF CONSERVATION TO OVERSEE OILFIELD SITE CLOSURE IN CAMERON PARISH
Work has begun to close the former Big Diamond waste disposal facility in Cameron parish according to officials at the Department of Natural Resources' Office of Conservation (OC). The first step in the closure process is to pump out rainwater that has accumulated in two treatment cells at the site, reported OC's Director of Injection and Mining Carroll Wascom. Wascom said the next step will be to perform a comprehensive sampling and testing program of the partially treated oilfield (exploration and production) wastes that remain in the pits to determine their current conditions. Using this test data, a complete remediation plan will be devised and implemented. The Big Diamond Trucking Service, Inc. site is located near the community of Sweet Lake. The facility received oilfield waste from 1979 to 1985. By 1990, the OC began closure plans and enlisted the help of operators that had used the site to assist in funding for closure activities. After the water is removed from the pits, the remaining material in the pits will be sampled and analyzed to determine the current status of the waste. Two weeks before the date of the sampling, area citizens will be notified and will have an opportunity to take split samples. "We have been working on this project for the past two years and I'm excited that this will be the start of the process to ultimately clean up and close the Big Diamond site," noted state Representative Dan Flavin of District 36. Anyone wanting additional information on the closure may call Carroll Wascom or Pierre Catrou at (504) 342-9197.
EMERGENCY RULES FOR OILFIELD TESTING TO START MAY 1st
As directed by Governor M.J. "Mike" Foster, the Office of Conservation of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has finalized emergency regulations that call for comprehensive and systematic testing of oilfield waste disposed of in commercial facilities throughout the state. After a recent public hearing and comment period, meetings between intergovernmental state agencies, and participation by a special interest committee, and expert advisors from LSU and elsewhere, DNR Secretary Jack Caldwell said the emergency rule will be promulgated today. Additionally, he said the permanent rules should be promulgated by this summer.