Louisiana DNR: Natural gas is key to US energy future

No climate program should impose constraints or disincentives on US natural gas and oil production, said Scott Angelle, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources secretary.

Speaking to the Independent Petroleum Association of America’s annual meeting in New Orleans on Nov. 5, Angelle called everyone in the room an environmentalist when it comes to enjoying the outdoors. He said industry is open to innovation and technologies that promote a clean, safe environment.

But he also noted that industry is well aware how political debate around climate change policy could have serious implications for independents and for the country’s energy future.

Angelle and other speakers at the IPAA meeting agreed that no climate change policy should be adopted unless it assures the future production and use of gas.

IPAA literature reports that about 800,000 oil and gas wells operate in the US. These wells account for less than 1% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, said an Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2006.

Natural gas industry says it’s not responsible for Monongahela River pollution

The Marcellus Shale Committee said natural gas development is not a significant contributor to increased levels of total dissolved solids (TDS) in the Monongahela River.

Test results from water drawn in early August showed microscopic TDS amounts exceeded acceptable levels for drinking water established by federal and state authorities.

The US Environmental Protection Agency is talking with Pennsylvania and West Virginia environmental officials to determine the scope of the problem throughout the watershed and find solutions, said the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

The Marcellus Shale Committee noted the natural gas industry complies with Pennsylvania state standards established in October 2008 regarding the handling of the gas industry’s water discharges.

“The natural gas industry almost entirely eliminated water sent to treatment plants along the Monongahela River, equal to a rate of 1% of the total effluent discharge at each permitted facility,” the committee said.

Nearly all water used in gas development in western Pennsylvania is recycled, said the committee, which is jointly sponsored by the Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Association and the Independent Oil and Gas Association of Pennsylvania.