The persistent presence of low magnitude earthquakes in the Delaware Basin, namely in Reeves County, is prompting Texas regulators to enact new policies for reviewing disposal well permits. The Texas Railroad Commission (RRC), the state agency charged with regulating the exploration, production, and transportation of oil and gas, acknowledges that the landscape is about toRead more
Blog
Alaska’s magnitude-7 quake on November 30th caused major disruptions in and around Anchorage—knocking out power, shaking buildings and breaking major roadways apart. While there have been no reports of fatalities or serious injuries thus far, more than 1,000 aftershocks have rocked the region over the weekend—some felt up to 400 miles away. Earthquake activity recorderRead more
The University of Houston recently announced a new collaboration with Hewlett Packard Enterprises (HPE), which includes a $10 million gift from HPE to the university. This gift, and the ongoing partnership, will help UH develop enhanced data science tools to address challenges in the healthcare, energy and smart materials sectors in the Houston area. Read more
Colorado voters on Nov 6 defeated Proposition 112, a measure designed to increase oil and gas well setbacks from homes and businesses in the state. We reported on this particular piece of legislation last month, which if passed would have required most new oil and gas wells to be placed at least 2,500 ft fromRead 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
A proposition on Colorado’s November 6th ballot threatens to cut the state’s oil output by more than 50 percent and halt the development plans of many E&P companies in their tracks. If passed by the state’s voters, Proposition 112 will require new drilling sites, processing plants and gathering lines to be placed more thanRead more
A magnitude 4.0 earthquake recorded northeast of Amarillo on October 20th has seismologists asking an increasingly familiar question: was the earthquake a result of naturally occurring shifts in fault systems? Or, was it induced by oil and gas activities in the region? Earthquakes are not new to the Texas Panhandle. The region has aRead more
If Permian oil and gas production is going to continue to thrive, operators need reliable and affordable access to more water management solutions. Oil executives from major Permian operators shared this common consensus at a recent energy summit at Rice University in Houston, calling water disposal from oilfield operations one of the biggest challenges theyRead more
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week announced a new study of current oil and gas wastewater management requirements to help determine if new regulations are necessary. EPA’s current guidelines cover E&P effluent onshore at the wellhead and at centralized wastewater treatment facilities. But as one EPA official told The Oil & GasRead more
As water demand keeps rising and viable supplies dry out, creative approaches are required to make smarter use, and reuse, of existing water. This is the mission of the new Center for Materials for Water and Energy SysTems (M-WET), a multi-university research center headquartered in The University of Texas at Austin’s Cockrell School of Engineering.Read more