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As we expected, the Texas RRC has formally established the Stanton Seismic Response Area (SRA) in Martin County and a small segment of Howard County, due to continuous seismic activity in the region, including a M 4.2 event on December 31, 2020, and a M 4.6 event on December 28, 2021. The RRC attributes theRead more

As we expected, the Texas RRC has formally established the Stanton Seismic Response Area (SRA) in Martin County and a small segment of Howard County, due to continuous seismic activity in the region, including a M 4.2 event on December 31, 2020, and a M 4.6 event on December 28, 2021. The RRC attributes theRead more

Image Source: Texas RRC Northern Culberson-Reeves Seismic Response Area – Up to 2 M Barrels per Day ofSWD Injection held at bay for Area Operators In another blow to SWD operators in Texas, on October 20,2021, the Texas RRC established the Northern Culberson-Reeves (NCR) Seismic Response Area (SRA) due to an increase in 4.0 MRead more

We’ve been asked to opine on the future implications of the Seismic Response Area (SRA) recently identified by the Texas RRC.  The area is located in the heart of the Midland basin, at the intersection of Andrews, Martin, Ector, and Midland counties. The intent behind the RRC’s “voluntary” curtailment requested of operators is to abate induced seismicityRead more

We’re excited about the upcoming PWS conference next week in Houston at the Westin at Gessner (new location)!  This conference promises to be highly technical with up-to-the-minute research.   I am hosting an AWESOME panel of experts and we plan on covering a number of highly relevant topics. For example, we will have top legal expertiseRead more

When it comes to regulations governing produced water disposal in the places like the Permian, “we need to stay flexible enough to dial it back if we get it wrong.” Laura Capper, founder and CEO of EnergyMakers Advisory Group, shared this opinion, and more, at the recent Produced Water Society Permian Basin 2019. Capper InRead more

Houston-based oilfield water treatment company H2O Midstream recently announced a deal to acquire all wastewater assets from E&P Sabalo Energy for an undisclosed sum. The deal gives H2O Midstream 37 miles of oilfield water pipelines, nine saltwater disposal wells and four permits for the development of additional disposal wells. The company will now be ableRead more

  The number of seismic activities that can be physically felt—those which are magnitude 2.8 (M-2.8) or greater—fell from a monthly average of 162 in June 2015 to just 25 in June 2018. At the same time, oil production grew by 20 percent and injection rates into disposal wells dropped. Recent data from the USRead more

Constrained water disposal capacity in some key hydrocarbon producing areas of Oklahoma is making for some complicated water logistics, leading producers to get creative in how to reduce their disposal volumes. EnergyMakers Advisory Group’s Laura Capper shared this, and other, insights in the Feb 2019 issue of The Oil and Gas Investor. In a featureRead more

As the oil and gas industry faces mounting challenges about how and where to dispose of its growing volumes of wastewater in certain regions, the Trump administration is considering whether to ease regulations and make it easier for drillers to discharge appropriately treated wastewater directly into rivers and streams. This potential shift in policy comesRead more