Mansfield Gas Well Awareness

Urban Gas Urban Gas Development 101:Development 101:

What you need to What you need to know . . .know . . .

Who we are Who we are . . .. . .

What you don’t see . . . What you don’t see . . .

Impacts of Urban drillingImpacts of Urban drilling UrbanUrban gas wells: gas wells:

Lower air qualityLower air quality Great nuisance odorsGreat nuisance odors Impact water quality and Impact water quality and

quantityquantity Pose a risk to public health and Pose a risk to public health and

safetysafety disturb neighborhoods with disturb neighborhoods with

noise, traffic, lights, seismicitynoise, traffic, lights, seismicity Lower quality of life, more stress Lower quality of life, more stress Lower property valuesLower property values Polarize and divide communities Polarize and divide communities

(need to balance surface rights (need to balance surface rights vs mineral rights)vs mineral rights)

Well Activity Well Activity Continues Continues indefinitelyindefinitely

Can Can rework/stimulate rework/stimulate wells every year . wells every year . . .. .

Fugitive Fugitive emissions emissions continue continue for life of for life of well . . .well . . .unacceptaunacceptable riskble risk

Asked City for helpAsked City for helpPriority Gas Well Concerns of the Woodland Estates HOA (starting with highest priority)

1. Air Quality: Emission Controls / Vapor Recovery – no fugitive emissionns, including diesel fumes Venting and flaring prohibited Mandatory use of state-of-the-art pollutions controls, including:

-thermal oxidizers -BTEX Condensers -closed-loop systems for drilling and storage tanks. -Ventless flow back tanks-Vapor recovery systems during all phases of gas well development and operation

Requirement for city inspector to visually inspect and sign off on vapor recovery systems at each phase of well development to ensure recovery equipment is installed and working properly, including visual inspections with Optical Gas Imaging Cameras (OGICs).

2. Noise – the existing ordinances to protect nearby homes from excessive noise emanating from the well are inadequate and need to be revised. It doesn’t matter if the current limit is 60 decibels and the gas well operator infrequently goes over that limit (and he does), what matters is whether homeowners rights are bring violated by being awakened at night during drilling operations, or that they can’t enjoy their back yards because of the noise from fracking.3. Setbacks – we highly recommend more restrictive setbacks for gas wells to protect public health and safety, such as prohibiting new wells within 1 mile, ½ mile (recommended by McKenzie et al., 2012), or at a minimum 1500 feet from schools, public parks, and neighborhoods4. Accountability – Meaningful penalties need to be issued for violations. Gas well operators that are out of compliance with city, state, and/or federal regulations should be notified immediately with a cease and desist order and fined on the first offence. The existing lack of regulatory oversight, enforcement, and lax penalties provide no incentive for gas well operators to comply with city ordinances or state/federal laws. We recommend:5. Other concerns and areas for improvement-Emergency response planning (e.g., containment berms sufficient to contain 100% of all potentially spillable liquids should be required on all padsites and around any equipment where liquids are contained) and responder training specific to well operations and blast management.-Public relations between gas well operators and adjacent neighborhoods is virtually non-existent. Well operators should be required to keep neighboring properties informed of planned activities on a weekly basis (a website through the City would suffice) and needs to be educational and informative for the public.-Many of the above measures will help protect property values by minimizing impacts of gas drilling on adjacent properties, however, additional measures may need to be considered to further protect homeowners. -Right-to-know – improvements are needed to allow more transparency, such as notifications to homeowners living near gas wells, informing them on what to do in an emergency or who to call if they have concerns, and full disclosure of all chemicals that will be used or housed on-site, including so-called proprietary chemicals.-Air monitoring – existing air monitoring is inadequate to document errant emissions, ensure compliance with City ordinances and protect public health-Liability insurance limits carried by operator should be adjusted to cover potential residential property damages and environmental loss in the event of a catastrophic accident.-Provide specific requirements for security cameras at pad sites, particularly during well development, to assist with monitoring and enforcement.-Require recycling of flowback water to conserve natural resources and minimize the volume of wastewater being sent to disposal wells.

Specific Questions/Topics for City Attorney

Request Detailed Inventory of all Equipment from EagleRidge

Request for Independent review of existing Gas Well Drilling and Production Ordinances

What we gotWhat we got1. Notification1. Notification::

Gas well operator must give written Gas well operator must give written notice to City official and Gas Well notice to City official and Gas Well Inspector 48 hrs before activities Inspector 48 hrs before activities beginbegin

Gas well operator shall send notice Gas well operator shall send notice to occupants of dwellings within to occupants of dwellings within 1,000 ft of drill site at least 10 days 1,000 ft of drill site at least 10 days prior to the commencement of any prior to the commencement of any work on the drill site. work on the drill site.

2. Hours of Operation:2. Hours of Operation: workover operations shall be workover operations shall be

restricted to daytime hours of 7:00 restricted to daytime hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Fracturing Saturday and Sunday. Fracturing operations shall be restricted to operations shall be restricted to daytime hours Monday through daytime hours Monday through Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.on Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.on Saturdays. Fracturing operations Saturdays. Fracturing operations shall be prohibited on Sundays. shall be prohibited on Sundays.

3. Noise monitoring3. Noise monitoring:: The exterior noise level The exterior noise level

generated by the drilling, re-generated by the drilling, re-drilling or other operations on a drilling or other operations on a drill site located within 600 feet drill site located within 600 feet of an property occupied by a of an property occupied by a protected use shall be protected use shall be continuously monitored to ensure continuously monitored to ensure compliance.compliance.

4. Electric motors4. Electric motors An operator shall use only An operator shall use only

electric motors for the purpose of electric motors for the purpose of drilling operations. The City may drilling operations. The City may approve an alternative motor if approve an alternative motor if the Drill Site is located more the Drill Site is located more than 1,500 ft from a Protected than 1,500 ft from a Protected Use, or if the electric delivery Use, or if the electric delivery utility company reports that utility company reports that there is insufficient capacity to there is insufficient capacity to serve a Drill Site.serve a Drill Site.

Gas leak – 9/13/2014Gas leak – 9/13/2014

What MGWA wants . . . What MGWA wants . . . Protect public health and safety with mandatory

minimum setback of 1500 feet between new wells and protected uses (schools, daycares, parks, nursing homes, hospitals, and residential homes).

Mandatory emission controls for existing gas wells and compressors within 1500 feet of these protected uses.

Air Quality Monitoring to detect fugitive emissions, strict enforcement, and fines for non-compliance.

written response plan for gas well emergencies.

your air will your air will be affected be affected whether you whether you live near a live near a well or notwell or not

cumulative cumulative impacts impacts from from thousands of thousands of gas wells gas wells and and compressorscompressors

affects air affects air quality of quality of entire entire airshedairshed

What you can What you can do . . .do . . .

Come to MGWA meetings Come to MGWA meetings Go to City Council Meeting Go to City Council Meeting

and voice your concernsand voice your concerns Visit the MGWA website Visit the MGWA website

http://mansfieldgaswellawareness.weebly.com/

Help educate othersHelp educate others