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RPSEA Strategic Advisory Committee Meeting on 9-Feb-12 8:00 AM

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:00:00 GMT

RPSEA Strategic Advisory Committee Meeting
Start Date: 9-Feb-12 8:00 AM
End Time: 9-Feb-12 3:00 PM
Location: Hogan Lovell

Hogan Lovell

Winter NAPE 2012 on 22-Feb-12 9:00 AM

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:00:00 GMT

Winter NAPE 2012
Start Date: 22-Feb-12 9:00 AM
End Time: 24-Feb-12 4:00 PM
Location: George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, TX 77010
Event Details:

The world's largest E&P (upstream) expo, NAPE Expo provides a marketplace for the buying, selling and trading of oil and gas prospects and producing properties via exhibit booths. NAPE is the premier E&P networking venue - where one can see what's going on throughout the entire oil patch in two days.

NAPE Expo brings prospects and producing properties (from the U.S. and around the world), capital formation, services and technologies all together in one location, creating an environment to establish strategic alliances for doing business and initiating purchases and trades. NAPE Expos are held twice a year in Houston.

On the day before the Exhibits open, the NAPE Conference brings oil and gas executives and experts together to speak on topics of interest - from E&P trends to legislative and regulatory challenges to technical advances.

Visit RPSEA's booth #3702. We are proud to be an Endorsing Organization.

For more information, click NAPE.

George R. Brown Convention Center

1001 Avenida De Las Americas

Houston, TX 77010

Coastal Impacts Technology Program, Technology Roadmapping Workshops on 28-Feb-12 8:30 AM

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:30:00 GMT

Coastal Impacts Technology Program, Technology Roadmapping Workshops
Start Date: 28-Feb-12 8:30 AM
End Time: 28-Feb-12 4:00 PM
Location: Texas A&M University - Kingsville/Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Center, Kingsville, Texas
Event Details:

In association with the Environmentally Friendly Drilling Systems (EFD) Program, the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) would like to invite you to the first two workshops concerning the EFD Coastal Impacts Technology Program (EFD-CITP). The objective of these workshops is to identify the research needed to reduce the impact of energy production within the Texas coastal counties. Outcomes from the workshops may result in requests for proposals. These first two workshops, see agendas, will focus on air emissions and restoring well sites along the coast, in particular, semi-arid ecosystems.

Please let Ginny Jahn, gjahn@harc.edu, know if you would like to attend one or both of these workshops. If you plan on attending both, we will supply a boxed lunch. Participants are encouraged to bring and share their ideas about potential research needs. Space is limited!

Attendance is limited in order to encourage discussion and active participation.

Morning Workshop: Reducing Air Emissions
What research is needed to develop cost effective methods to reduce air emissions?

08:30 Registration and Welcome - Rich Haut, Houston Advanced Research Center
09:00 Research on Innovative Control Strategies - Kim Jones, Texas A&M University –
         Kingsville
09:30 VOC Adsorption Technology Research - David Ramirez, Texas A&M University –
         Kingsville
10:00 Break
10:15 Air Modeling Research - Al Martinez, Texas A&M University – Kingsville
10:45 Air Monitoring Research - Susan Stuver, Texas Center of Applied Technologies
11:15 Open Discussion - Participants are encouraged to bring and share other potential
         research needs.

Afternoon Workshop: Restoring Well Sites
What research is needed to develop cost effective methods to restore ecosystems affected by energy production operations?

12:30 Registration and Welcome - Rich Haut, Houston Advanced Research Center
13:00 Restoration Materials, Methods, and Examples from Coastal Texas - Forrest Smith,
         South Texas Natives Project‐CKWRI
13:30 The Need for Pad‐Site Restoration Research - Paula Maywald, Land Stewards
         Consultants
14:00 Break
14:15 Restoration Research Strategies - Dave Wester, CKWRI
14:45 Pad Site Restoration Observations and Experiences - Terry Blankenship, Welder
         Wildlife Foundation
15:15 Open Discussion - Participants are encouraged to bring and share other potential
         research needs.

Texas A&M University - Kingsville/Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Center

1730 West Corral Avenue

Kingsville, Texas

RPSEA Executive Committee Meeting on 27-Mar-12 2:00 PM

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:00:00 GMT

RPSEA Executive Committee Meeting
Start Date: 27-Mar-12 2:00 PM
End Time: 27-Mar-12 5:00 PM
Location: Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council, Sugar Land, TX 77478

Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council

One Fluor Daniel Drive

Sugar Land, TX 77478

RPSEA Board Meeting on 28-Mar-12 8:00 AM

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:00:00 GMT

RPSEA Board Meeting
Start Date: 28-Mar-12 8:00 AM
End Time: 28-Mar-12 4:00 PM
Location: Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council, Sugar Land, TX 77478

Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council

One Fluor Daniel Drive

Sugar Land, TX 77478

RPSEA Unconventional Gas Conference 2012: Geology, the Environment, Hydraulic Fracturing on 17-Apr-12 7:00 AM

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:00:00 GMT

RPSEA Unconventional Gas Conference 2012: Geology, the Environment, Hydraulic Fracturing
Start Date: 17-Apr-12 7:00 AM
End Time: 18-Apr-12 4:30 PM
Location: Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh/Southpointe, Canonsburg, PA 15317
Event Details:

The RPSEA UNCONVENTIONAL GAS CONFERENCE 2012: Geology, the Environment, Hydraulic Fracturing will take place April 17-18, 2012, in Canonsburg, Pa. RPSEA’s active research Unconventional Resources Program includes a current portfolio of projects all targeting development of unconventional gas in the U.S. This conference offers an ideal opportunity to hear the latest perspectives and exchange ideas with industry experts. A reception will be held at the hotel at the end of day one. Registration is $50 for RPSEA members and $100 for non-members.

Technology Topics Include

The Latest in Well Stimulation
Produced Water Handling
Re-Fracturing of Low Permeability Wells
Low k Field Development and Optimization
Shale Resources
Horizontal Well Fracturing

Location/Lodging

Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh/Southpointe

1000 Corporate Dr., Canonsburg, PA 15317

724.743.5000

Special Meeting Rate = $129 per night. Please make reservations by March 30.

Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh/Southpointe

1000 Corporate Dr.

Canonsburg, PA 15317

U.S. on brink of strong oil, gas growth, Senate panel told

Nick Snow - noemail@rpsea.org — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Higher crude oil prices, breakthroughs in technology, and more access to prospective acreage are creating a US oil production revival that is a major break from nearly 40 years of declining production, two experts told the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Jan. 31.

“We believe that by 2020, the United States will become the largest producer of hydrocarbons in the world, surpassing Russia,” said Roger Diwan, partner and head of financial advisory operations at PFC Energy. Now that producers have solved the problem of producing oil and gas from tight shale formations, the nation is on the verge of a golden energy era which is reshaping the industry worldwide, he maintained.

“When you look at global oil and gas investment, the US has been the key destination in the last 10 years,” Diwan said. “The global industry is making money all over the world, and investing it in the US.”

The scale of the opportunity to increase US oil production is greater than in most other countries over the next decade, noted James Burkhard, managing director of IHS CERA Inc.’s global oil group.

“Indeed, the oil and gas industry in this country has attracted tens of billions of dollars of investment capital,” he said in his written testimony. “In the United States, spending to develop oil and gas fields rose 37% from 2009 to 2010—from $50.6 billion to $69.4 billion. Spending increased further in 2011.”

Howard K. Gruenspecht, acting administrator at the US Energy Information Administration, said the US Department of Energy’s independent forecasting and analysis agency’s initial 2012 Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) reference case forecasts 20% growth in US crude production over the next decade. Net petroleum imports are expected to drop from 49% of total US consumption in 2010 to 38% in 2020 and 36% in 2035 as a result, he said.

Gas export prospects

EIA’s initial 2012 AEO also projects that the US will become a net exporter of LNG by 2016, a net exporter of gas by pipeline by 2025, and an overall net exporter of gas by 2021, he said in his written statement. “The outlook reflects increased use of LNG in markets outside of North America, strong domestic gas production, reduced pipeline imports and increased pipeline exports, and relatively low gas prices in the United States compared to other global markets,” Gruenspecht said.

“With increasing supplies, gas prices in the United States are down,” observed a fourth witness, Richard H. Jones, deputy executive director of the Paris-based International Energy Agency. “Oil prices also are lower, with [West Texas Intermediate] much lower than Brent crude. Prices here generally are lower than in other markets already.”

He noted that when IEA looks at global oil markets, it finds that prices have been relatively stable over the last year. “Prices peaked at $120[/bbl] in April of last year, and they’ve been oscillating between $100[/bbl] and $120[/bbl] ever since,” Jones told the committee. “We think the concern for disruption has put a floor under prices, and a ceiling is there resulting from a fear of economic activity putting pressure on demand. The interplay of these two factors has kept the price in this range, and we think it’s too high considering the availability of oil in this market.”

Diwan said PFC Energy expects liquids production growth outside the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to recover in 2012, led by the US, Canada, Colombia, Brazil, and Russia. More production from the Bakken and Eagle Ford shales will help the US lead this liquids growth, he said in his prepared statement.

“There are several other shale areas that are just starting to be drilled, and if those prove as prolific, then our forecast is likely to be raised,” he added. “We have also penciled in an end to output losses in the Gulf of Mexico after the Macondo spill.”

Burkhard said application of advanced technology will be critical to future US oil and gas production growth, with fracing and horizontal drilling at the heart of the US expansion and the debate about environmental impacts. “Questions about water availability and quality, air pollution, cumulative land use, and the impacts on local communities need to be addressed to ensure that oil and gas development meets environmental needs and enhances public trust,” he testified.

To view the actual article, click OGJ.

1-Feb-12 10:00 AM

Fossil fuel forecast: a huge role

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:30:00 GMT

Leaders of BP and ConocoPhillips called Wednesday for greater access to and development of oil and natural gas fields, as a BP report showed fossil fuels will continue to dominate the world’s energy needs for at least the next 20 years.

Renewable energy is growing faster than other sources, at about 8.2 percent annually, but will make up only 6 percent of energy use by 2030, according to the forecast released Wednesday by BP. Oil, natural gas and coal will still account for 80 percent of global energy use.

Separately, ConocoPhillips CEO James Mulva said in Houston that the need and availability of fossil fuels weigh against government policies he said tax oil and natural gas differently than other energy sources and require utilities to use certain levels of renewables.

“Past assumptions of oil and gas scarcity that went into business strategic plans, government policies and public attitudes are out of date,” Mulva said, speaking Wednesday at a summit hosted by Rice University’s Baker Institute.

BP’s report showed that among fossil fuels, natural gas consumption will grow the fastest, at 2.1 percent per year. Its growth is especially manifest in the U.S., where its share as a power plant fuel has risen while coal’s has steadily declined, from 50 percent in 2005 to 45 percent in 2010.

A glut

Technology improvements have allowed drillers to access natural gas in deep, dense shale rock economically for the first time. That has led to a rush on North America’s shale gas fields, leaving a glut of low-priced natural gas in the U.S. market.

“Our entire understanding of North American energy potential is changing,” Mulva said. “Everyone is having to cast aside some old assumptions, such as the one about domestic fossil fuels being in short supply. They are not.”

He said the technology that fueled shale gas production has begun driving a rapid increase in the development of domestic oil fields, too. With natural gas prices low, producers are moving more rigs into fields containing higher-priced crude and natural gas liquids, including the Eagle Ford shale in South Texas and the Bakken shale in North Dakota.

BP said that the increase in world energy demand will occur mostly in emerging nations such as China and India as they look to cheap fossil fuels to power their growth. Slower population growth in developed countries, as well as greater efficiency of appliances, vehicles and machinery, will keep energy consumption stable in the United States and Europe, BP forecast.

Developed countries will put more renewables on the electricity grid, BP said. Fuel efficiency in gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles will rise, and electric and hybrid vehicles become more common, BP said.

Still, the forecast noted that oil will account for 87 percent of transportation fuels by 2030.

Worldwide, BP projects energy use will grow about 1.6 percent per year, mostly in electricity.

“That’s like adding one more China and one more U.S. to the world’s energy demand by 2030,” CEO Bob Dudley said in prepared remarks in London.

Coal share still growing

Globally, coal’s share of the fuel market will continue growing for a few more years, but the trend will start to reverse by 2020, as a significant portion of power generation shifts from coal to cleaner-burning natural gas, BP said.

Absent any major policies for tackling emissions linked to climate change – such as an international emissions-trading scheme or carbon tax – the continuing dominance of fossil fuels will mean global greenhouse gas emissions will rise 28 percent from 2010 to 2030, according to BP.

BP downgraded its prior projections for growth in nuclear power, as the Fukushima disaster in Japan casts a cloud on the safety of the fuel source.

To read the actual article, click Fuel Fix.

19-Jan-12 9:30 AM

Drillers must employ best practices to keep 'fracking' boom alive

Steve Holditch - noemail@rpsea.org — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Former RPSEA Board Chair Dr. Steve Holditch of Texas A&M University writes an article in the Houston Chronicle on hydraulic fracturing technology and natural gas production.

As recently as 2001, the production of gas naturally occurring deep inside shale rock provided less than 2 percent of total U.S. natural gas production. Today, it is approaching 30 percent. As late as 2007, it was commonly assumed that the United States would be importing large amounts of liquefied natural gas from the Middle East and other areas.

Today, almost overnight in natural-resource years, we are not only self-sufficient in natural gas, we have enough natural gas for the rest of this century on the basis of current demand. This same horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology is now being used in liquids-rich shales to increase oil production. These resource plays are in their infancy and can clearly improve the energy security of the United States.

Nonetheless, the hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, of shale rock to release gas trapped deep beneath the Earth's surface has inspired public fear-mongering, mostly around presumed threats to air quality and water quality. Most of that fear is unfounded.

Water quality

The issues involving water quality are less serious and less real. No matter what you may read, hydraulic fracturing does not involve pumping toxic chemicals under high pressure near public aquifers. There has been some use of diesel fuel as an additive to hydraulic fracturing fluid in the past, but the use of diesel is quickly being eliminated in the field.

Some 99.5 percent of what is commonly used in fracking is a composition of pure water and quartz sand. Other agents are included, making up about 0.5 percent of the fluid. Three typical additives are guar gum (which is also used to thicken food products), detergents (just like the soaps you use at home to wash dishes and clothes), and bactericide (like the chlorine used to kill bacteria as it does effectively in most local drinkable water supplies).

No one recommends drinking soap or chlorine, but we have safely managed and effectively used these chemicals in our homes and local water systems for generations.

Air quality

The impact of hydraulic fracturing on air quality can be more challenging. The full cycle of shale gas production - from initial exploration through the capture and transport of the natural gas and final site remediation - can result in the emission of ozone precursors such as nitrogen oxides, particulates from diesel exhaust, toxic air pollutants and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.

Methane is the pollutant that requires the most attention. Some persons would rather see the methane flared than simply released to the atmosphere. However, most operators would rather not flare methane, as they wish to sell the product instead.

Best practices

I served on a secretary of energy advisory board subcommittee, and we have recommended that industry accelerate cooperative efforts to establish best practices - and even encouraged the formation of a shale gas industry production organization dedicated to continuous improvement of best practices.

It will take time to determine if and what kind of organization should be formed. In the interim, there are already identified and accepted best practices that enlightened energy companies should engage in immediately - both to assuage public concerns about the impact of fracking on communities, wildlife and ecologies and to capture additional process efficiencies. In fact, most oil and gas operators already follow these best practices or they are developing plans to apply these ideas in the areas where they are operating with hydraulic fracking.

Below are just a few of the major practice recommendations in the report (the full subcommittee report can be found at www.shalegas.energy.gov ):

- Improve casing and cementing procedures to isolate the gas-producing zone from overlaying formations and potable aquifers. Loss of well integrity is simply the result of poor well completion - or poor production-pressure management.

- Control the entire life-cycle of the water used from acquisition to disposal. All water flows should be tracked and reported quantitatively throughout the process.

- Limit water use by controlling vertical fracture growth. Periodic direct measurement of earth stresses and the microseismic monitoring of water and additive needs will eliminate rogue methane migration - and save production money.

- Use multi-well drilling pads to monitor processes and minimize truck traffic and surplus road construction. The use of mats, catchments, groundwater monitors and surface water buffers - all standard in the oil industry - should be industry standard in shale gas production as well.

- Declare unique and/or sensitive areas off-limits to drilling. There is such an abundance of natural gas reserves that have come from the fracking revolution that there is no need to be provocatively drilling beneath protected urban or wilderness spaces. This recommendation is also one of the most difficult to apply as the owners of the minerals in such areas have the right to produce those minerals. Fortunately, with long-reach horizontal drilling, many urban areas can be developed from remote pad sites with appropriate controls.

1 Mitigate noise, air and visual pollution. Conversion from diesel to natural gas or electrical power for equipment fuel is an important first step … and can be substantially accelerated.

As the nation adjusts to the implications of this unexpected bonanza, industry would do well to quickly establish the kind of practices that encourage public confidence and insure that this marvelous resource is not wasted thorough inefficient, dangerous and provocative procedures.

Holditch is head of the Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University and a past president of The Academy of Medicine, Engineering & Science of Texas, which will present a special review of the history and future of hydraulic fracking at its annual conference in Houston Jan. 12-13.

9-Jan-12 10:00 AM

RPSEA Selects First Round of Projects to Award $9.6 Million for the Ultra-Deepwater Program

Danette Mozisek - noemail@rpsea.org — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:00:00 GMT

The Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) announces six proposals under the Ultra-Deepwater Program have been selected for negotiations leading to an award under its contract with the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory and in support of the Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program that was established pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This is the first of two rounds announced for the 2010 Ultra-Deepwater Program selections.

Awards, open to any U.S.-based organization, are negotiated once project selections are made within each RPSEA program, Unconventional Resources, Small Producer and Ultra-Deepwater. These projects focus on improving safety, minimizing environmental impacts, increasing efficiencies and reducing costs of domestic hydrocarbon resources, maximizing their value. Collaboration of America’s leading universities, research institutions, independents, national laboratories, state associations, service and operating companies is encouraged to utilize each of their research and technology resources. Proposals must provide a minimum of 20% cost share with up to 50% for field demonstration projects.

"The 2010 Ultra-Deepwater Program selections add to the current 41 program projects to form the foundation of a strong, interconnected assembly of tools and processes that will ultimately close the technological gaps in this challenging, but needed environment," said RPSEA Vice President, Ultra-Deepwater Program James Pappas. “The program goal is to unlock the potential for domestic hydrocarbon resources in water depths of 1,500 meters or greater by creating safe and environmentally sound solutions to energy needs.”

2010 ULTRA-DEEPWATER Program Selected Projects

More Improvements to Deepwater Subsea Measurement
Project Leader: Letton-Hall Group
Additional Project Participants: Oceaneering International, Inc./Deepwater Technical Solutions; Joe Brown Company, Inc.; BP America, Inc.; Chevron Corporation; ConocoPhillips Company; Shell International Exploration & Production; Statoil; TOTAL E&P USA, Inc.

Coil Tubing Drilling and Intervention System Using Cost Effective Vessel
Project Leader: Nautilus International, LLC
Additional Project Participants: INTECSEA/WorleyParsons Group; General Marine Contractors, LLC; NOV CTES; Tidewater, Inc.; GE VetcoGray; Anadarko Petroleum Corporation; Chevron Corporation; Shell International Exploration & Production; ConocoPhillips Company; Hess Corporation; Halliburton; Baker Hughes Incorporated; Rolls-Royce plc

Effect of Climate Variability and Change in Hurricane Activity in the North Atlantic
Project Leader: University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Additional Project Participants: Willis Re; Chevron Corporation

Deepwater Reverse-Circulation Primary Cementing
Project Leader: CSI Technologies, LLC
Additional Project Participants: Weatherford International, Ltd., University of Houston

Autonomous Underwater Inspection Using a 3D Laser
Project Leader: Lockheed Martin Corporation
Additional Project Participants: 3D at Depth, LLC

All Electric Subsea Autonomous High Integrity Pressure Protection System (HIPPS) Architecture
Project Leader: Granherne, Inc.

About RPSEA

Funding for the projects is provided through the Department of Energy’s Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program established pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This program—funded from lease bonuses and royalties paid by industry to produce oil and gas on federal lands—is specifically designed to maximize the value of natural gas and other petroleum resources of the United States by increasing the supply of such resources, through reducing the cost and increasing the efficiency of exploration for and production of such resources, while improving safety and minimizing environmental impacts. The Secretary of Energy has ultimate responsibility for and oversight of all aspects of this program. RPSEA is under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory to administer three elements of the program. RPSEA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit consortium with more than 170 members, including 22 of the nation's premier research universities, six national laboratories, other major research institutions, large and small energy producers and energy consumers. The mission of RPSEA, headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, is to provide a stewardship role in ensuring the focused research, development and deployment of safe and environmentally responsible technology that can effectively deliver hydrocarbons from domestic resources to the citizens of the United States. Additional information can be found at www.rpsea.org.

29-Nov-11 9:00 AM

U.S. Oil and Gas Yield Will Beat Peak by 2020, Research Projects

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:00:00 GMT

The Houston Chronicle's Fuel Fix reports the U.S. will be the world's top producer of fossil fuels by 2020.

The United States is on track to beat its previous peak production of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids, according to an analysis by consulting firm PFC Energy.

The analysis projects that the United States will become the world’s top producer of those fossil fuels by 2020. Though Saudi Arabia will continue surpass it in oil production, the United States’ booming shale gas business will make it the global leader in well-borne fossil fuels, according to PFC Energy.

Domestic energy production has declined since the early 1970s, when the United States peaked at about 22 million barrels of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids per year, the analysis noted. About 45 percent of the product was oil and 43 percent was natural gas.

The United States is poised to hit 22 million barrels of oil equivalent again in 2020. But natural gas will make up the majority of energy produced – about 58 percent, according to PFC Energy.

In September Bentek Energy predicted that combined Canadian and U.S. oil production would reach an all-time high by 2016.

The analysis attributes most of the growth in natural gas to shale formations in Texas, Louisiana and the Northeast. Technology improvements, including hydraulic fracturing, have allowed energy companies to access oil and natural gas from shale rock that was once too complex to access economically.

Shale will also increase production of oil and natural gas liquids, the report noted. PFC Energy projects that by 2020, more U.S.-produced oil and liquids will come from shale than from the Gulf of Mexico.

To view the actual story, click Fuel Fix.

15-Nov-11 8:00 AM

Highlights from the U.S. Senate Shale Gas Hearing

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 20:00:00 GMT

Energy in Depth highlights the U.S. Senate shale gas hearing that includes two RPSEA Board members, Dr. Stephen Holditch of Texas A&M University and Dr. Mark Zoback of Stanford University.

US Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Energy & Natural Resources Committee Chairman

“In recent years, a number of factors have raised the prominence of natural gas as a resource. Technologies such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have led to more domestic natural gas production and led to a reassessment of the U.S. technically recoverable resources. The international focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions has favored the lower carbon intensity of natural gas for power generation.” (Testimony, 10/4/11)

US Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Energy & Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member

Ø “Natural gas is clean-burning and abundant; it’s well understood and scalable; and it’s clearly in our best interest to take steps to ensure that we maintain a stable and affordable supply into the future by encouraging its safe and responsible development. … We’ve witnessed game-changing technological innovations that have unlocked tremendous volumes of previously inaccessible natural gas. These resources are already benefitting our nation by further diversifying our energy supplies, growing our economy, and creating thousands upon thousands of well-paying American jobs. … Greater use of natural gas would move our nation in the right direction in terms of energy security, economic growth, and environmental protection.” (Testimony, 10/4/11)

Ø Wide variations in geology among shale gas formations mean that what works best in the Northeast might not make sense in Texas, Murkowski said. The U.S. shouldn’t “try to apply a one-size-fits-all” approach to shale gas extraction. (Houston Chronicle, 10/4/11)

Ø "Responsibly developing all our resources is of paramount importance to us," Murkowski said. "These resources are already benefiting our nation by diversifying our energy jobs," she added. "America should allow for this kind of ingenuity in the private sector." (AOL Energy, 10/5/11)

US Sen. and Fmr. Gov. John Hoeven (R-ND), Energy & Natural Resources Committee

Ø “We need to [regulated hydraulic fracturing] it in a way that empowers the state and empowers the industry to move forward, versus falling back to the EPA stepping in and saying, ‘Everybody needs to do it this way.’” (Politico, 10/4/11)

Dr. Daniel Yergin, IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates

Ø “Almost overnight, in energy terms, shale gas has become a major and critical national resource. … Today shale gas accounts for about 30 percent of total US natural gas production, and this is expected to rise dramatically in the foreseeable future. Natural gas itself is one of the backbones of our economy, providing about a quarter of the country’s total energy. … Shale gas—the unconventional natural gas revolution—has been called the biggest energy innovation of the past few decades.” (Testimony, 10/4/11)

Ø Industry officials have resisted calls for federal regulation of shale gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing, insisting that states are better poised to keep an eye on that work. The advisory committee members testifying today echoed that view. “There’s a gap in perceptions,” Yergin said. “There’s this view that oil and gas activities are not regulated. But we were all impressed by the quality and experience of the states in regulating oil and gas.” (Houston Chronicle, 10/4/11)

Ø Testifying before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, subcommittee member Daniel Yergin, consultant and author, said, "We were all impressed with the states' regulation of oil and gas." Yergin added that the strength of state regulation of the industry was "not well recognized" by the general public. (Platts, 10/4/11)

Ø Yergin emphasized that fracking has been happening already for decades and in that time states have taken the lead in regulation. "I come out very impressed by the extent and seriousness of the states," he said. The problem with regulating from the federal government: there is a danger, he said "of a superstructure on top of a superstructure." (AOL Energy, 10/5/11)

Dr. Stephen Holditch, Petroleum Engineering Department Head, Texas A&M University

Ø I have been working on…hydraulic fracturing since 1970. … The United States has a real opportunity to develop it’s unconventional gas reservoirs to dramatically improve the energy security in the United States. The U.S. can use the abundance of Natural Gas to generate electricity and for motor fuel, which should reduce oil imports. … Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing are currently being used in South Texas, West Texas, the Bakken Formation in Wyoming and North Dakota, and most recently in Ohio to increase oil production in the United States. Oil production in the Lower 48 states has increased during the past year for the first time in decades. (Testimony, 10/4/11)

Ø If you read recent news articles on hydraulic fracturing, the process is often described as pumping in a mixture of water and toxic chemicals under high pressure. This description is far from the truth. Most fracture treatment fluids consist of 99.5% percent pure water and sand. About 0.5% of the fluid is made up of gelling agents, surfactants, and biocides. Virtually all of these chemicals can be found in a typical home. Gelling agents are typically guar gum, which is used in many food products to viscosify the product. A surfactant is just soap, like Dawn dishwashing fluid. Biocides are use to kill bacteria, like the Clorox we use in our homes. … The concentration of these ‘chemicals’ is very minute and does not pose a danger to fresh water aquifers. … Current drilling and hydraulic fracturing activity does not adversely affect shallow drinking water aquifers. I have been working in hydraulic fracturing for 40+ years and there is absolutely no evidence hydraulic fractures can grow from miles below the surface to the fresh water aquifers. (Testimony, 10/4/11)

Ø Stephen A. Holditch…said the chemicals used in “fracking” generally make up less than 1 percent of the fracture fluids and that the process does not adversely affect shallow drinking water aquifers. Holditch said there was “absolutely no evidence hydraulic fractures can grow from miles below the surface to the fresh water aquifers.” (The Oklahoman, 10/5/11)

Ø "There is nothing broken with the [regulatory] system," subcommittee member Stephen Holditch, the head of the petroleum engineering department at Texas A&M, said. (Platts, 10/4/11)

Ø As Dr. Stephen Holditch…said a the opening of his testimony: "shale gas is for real." "The US has a real opportunity to develop its unconventional gas resources," Holditch said. … Holditch said that one of the biggest concerns of the environmental community, that of chemicals in fracking water, was completely overblown. (AOL Energy, 10/5/11)

Dr. Mark Zoback, Department of Geophysics Professor, Stanford University

Ø I believe that utilization of domestic shale gas and…domestic shale oil, resources are extremely important to our nation. I personally believe that there is no question that they can be developed in a manner (utilizing horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing) that protects the environment and minimizes impact on nearby communities. … It is unfortunate, however, that the concern about the safety of shale gas development has focused almost entirely on hydraulic fracturing. As Dr. Holditch testified, the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing fluids are relatively benign, steps are being taken to make them even safer, and our committee recommends full disclosure of the composition of hydraulic fracturing fluids. … Drilling multiple wells from a single pad…not only greatly improves the efficiency of drilling and fracturing operations, it minimizes land-use, lowers the overall impact of drilling operations on local communities and makes regional planning easier to lessen the cumulative impact of shale gas development activities in a given area. (Testimony, 10/4/11)

Ø The process of fracturing shale rock to free trapped natural gas thousands of feet below the ground should not be the primary concern, the panel's experts told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “Hydraulic fracturing has sort of become a bumper sticker for everything we have to watch out for,' said Mark D. Zoback, a Stanford University professor of geophysics who has been studying hydraulic fracturing for 30 years. (The Oklahoman, 10/5/11)

Ø "Hydraulic fracturing has become a bumper sticker," allowing some groups to object to gas extraction from shales. (Platts, 10/4/11)

Kathleen McGinty, Fmr. PA DEP sec. and White House CEQ chair to President Clinton

Ø Shale gas resources are abundant in the United States. Shale gas has already generated significant economic opportunity, substantially changed the equation with respect to energy security, and has begun to reshape electricity markets in a way that offers air quality benefits. This point with respect to the robustness of the resource, while perhaps evident, bears stating. Even until quite recently questions were presented as to whether shale wells might produce in a robust manner initially, but then decline rapidly, or alternatively, if they would have staying power. Experience to date in the field shows a very strong pattern of production. … Much attention has also been trained on the fear that fracturing can and has contaminated drinking water. … Yet, fracturing per se seems not to be the culprit. … We found that the initiative “FracFocus” (www.fracfocus.org) is very effective in the collection and presentation of fracturing fluid data--painstakingly reported on a well by well basis. FracFocus has come together in a remarkable way and in short order. (Testimony, 10/4/11)

Ø “There was nothing that led us to the glaring conclusion that there was [a regulatory] actor missing from the scene. … The states are doing a good job.” (Politico, 10/4/11)

Ø Kathleen McGinty, a private consultant who once served as secretary of environmental protection in Pennsylvania, said “frack fluids per se are very unlikely to contaminate drinking water.” (The Oklahoman, 10/5/11)

Ø Witnesses also warned that federal regulation could unduly burden the already heavily state-regulated fracking industry and could potentially slow the economic growth of the industry. "The issues in each state are different," said witness Kathleen McGinty. "Geologic differences make a world of difference in terms of ensuring water and air safety issues." (AOL Energy, 10/5/11)

NOTE: A webcast of yesterday’s hearing is available here.

7-Oct-11 3:00 PM

Not too good to be true

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 21:00:00 GMT

RPSEA member the Consumer Energy Alliance reports on their website the optimistic picture of future U.S. petroleum reserves.

Some of the latest research on U.S. petroleum reserves paints a refreshingly optimistic picture of our future capacity – not just in shale gas which is often touted as the fuel of the future, but for oil as well.

One study from the National Petroleum Council found that the United States and Canada, combined, could be producing 22.5 million barrels per day by the year 2035, an amount about equal to current domestic demand today. The report finds that the same technologies — such as hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling — that have helped producers access more shale gas, could also unlock large volumes of so-called tight oil which has long been considered inaccessible. This trend of increased production, the report finds, would lead to job creation not just in the oil and gas industry, but also in the petrochemicals sector, which relies on oil and gas as key feedstocks.

The National Petroleum Council’s report follows another recent study from Goldman Sachs finding that the U.S. – currently the world’s third largest oil producer behind Saudi Arabia and Russia – could become the largest later this decade.

Such numbers are good, but definitely not too good to be true. In a recent Wall Street Journal piece, Daniel Yergin takes an in-depth look at the history of the peak oil discussion and explains why the doomsayers have repeatedly underestimated the United States’ oil-producing potential. Take as just one example, the Bakken formation in North Dakota. Just eight years ago, it was producing about 10,000 barrels per day, but today that has risen to more than 400,000 bpd, and North Dakota is the fourth largest oil-producing state in the country, thanks largely to that “tight oil” that the National Petroleum Council references in its report.

To view the actual article, click CEA.

22-Sep-11 4:00 PM

2011 Annual Plan for the Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program

Danette Mozisek - noemail@rpsea.org — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 20:00:00 GMT

The 2011 Annual Plan for the Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program has been approved by U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu, which sets the stage for RPSEA to move forward with its 2011 project solicitations to be issued in support of the Plan.

To view the Plan, click 2011.

6-Sep-11 3:00 PM

The SEAB Shale Gas Production Subcommittee Ninety-Day Report

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:00:00 GMT

The Shale Gas Production Subcommittee of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) issued their 90-day report last week. This report presents recommendations intended to reduce the environmental impacts of shale gas production. RPSEA Board members Mark Zoback and past Chairman Steve Holditch served on the subcommittee. It is likely that many of the recommendations from this report will influence the 2011 Annual Plan for the Section 999 Program managed by RPSEA. RPSEA is mentioned favorably on page 31.

The report can be found at the following link: http://www.shalegas.energy.gov/resources/081111_90_day_report.pdf

15-Aug-11 2:00 PM

RPSEA Selects Projects to Award $12.4 Million for the Unconventional Resources and Small Producer Programs

Danette Mozisek - noemail@rpsea.org — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:00:00 GMT

SUGAR LAND, Texas – August 1, 2011 – The Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) announces eight proposals under the Unconventional Resources Program and three proposals under the Small Producer Program have been selected for negotiations leading to an award under its contract with the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory and in support of the Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program that was established by DOE pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

"The 2010 Unconventional Resources Program selections add to the current 39 program projects, enabling a more effective development of clean-burning North American natural gas to help meet our nation's energy needs for many decades to come," said RPSEA President Dr. Robert Siegfried. "In order to ensure that the potential of domestic unconventional gas is realized, we must ensure that this resource can be developed in a safe and environmentally responsible fashion. Many of the projects selected in the 2010 program are oriented toward this objective.”

Siegfried added, "The 2010 Small Producer Program selections are intended to develop technology that will allow small producing companies to maximize oil and gas extraction from their existing assets. Ensuring maximum production from currently developed fields leverages existing oil and gas infrastructure to meet the nation’s energy needs.”

2010 Unconventional Resources Program Selected Projects

NORM Mitigation and Clean Water Recovery from Marcellus Frac Water

Project Leader: GE Global Research

Additional Project Participants: Endicott Interconnect Technologies; Inflection Energy LLC; Piceance Natural Gas, Inc.; Stearns & Wheeler, LLC

Lowering Drilling Cost, Improving Operational Safety, and Reducing Environmental Impact Through Zonal Isolation Improvements for Horizontal Wells Drilled in the Marcellus and Haynesville Shales

Project Leader: CSI Technologies, Inc.

Additional Project Participants: Chesapeake Energy Corporation; University of Houston

Development of Non-Contaminating Cryogenic Fracturing Technology for Shale and Tight Gas Reservoirs
Project Leader: Colorado School of Mines

Additional Project Participants: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Pioneer Natural Resources Company; CARBO Ceramics, Inc.

Novel Engineered Osmosis Technology: A Comprehensive Approach to the Treatment and Reuse of Produced Water and Drilling Wastewater

Project Leader: Colorado School of Mines

Additional Project Participants: Hydration Technology Innovations, LLC; Bear Creek Services, LLC; Pinnacle Operating Company, Inc.; MS Energy Services; Penn Virginia Oil & Gas Corporation

A Geomechanical Analysis of Gas Shale Fracturing and Its Containment

Project Leader: Texas A&M University

Additional Project Participants: Shell International Exploration & Production; Matador Resources; TerraTek, A Schlumberger Company; Apex HiPoint, LLC

Diagnosis of Multiple Fracture Stimulation in Horizontal Wells by Downhole Temperature Measurement for Unconventional Oil and Gas Wells

Project Leader: Texas A&M University

Additional Project Participants: Hess Corporation; Shell International Exploration & Production

Predicting Higher-Than-Average Permeability Zones in Tight-Gas Sands, Piceance Basin: An Integrated Structural and Stratigraphic Analysis

Project Leader: Colorado School of Mines

Additional Project Participants: Bill Barrett Corporation; Williams Exploration & Production

Technology Integration Program

Project Leader: Houston Advanced Research Center

2010 Small Producer Program Selected Projects

Game Changing Technology of Polymeric-Surfactants for Tertiary Oil Recovery in the Illinois Basin

Project Leader: Power Environmental Energy Research Institute (PEER Institute)

Additional Project Participants: MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company

Predicting Porosity and Saturations from Mud Logs and Drilling Information Using Artificial Intelligence with Focus on a Horizontal Well

Project Leader: Correlations Company Inc.

Additional Project Participants: Lynx Petroleum Inc.; Armstrong Energy Corporation; Read & Stevens, Inc.; Harvey E. Yates Company; New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources

Identifying and Developing Technology for Enabling Small Producers to Pursue the Residual Oil Zone (ROZ) Fairways of the Permian Basin, San Andres

Project Leader: The University of Texas of the Permian Basin

Additional Project Participants: Timberline Oil & Gas Corporation; Legado Resources, LLC; ER Operating Company; Tabula Rasa Energy, LLC; Kinder Morgan, Inc.; Advanced Resources International, Inc.; Applied Petroleum Technology Academy; University of Houston; Melzer Consulting; Petroleum Technology Transfer Council

About RPSEA

2-Aug-11 8:00 AM

Article Image

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:28:54 GMT

Standard Contract Documents

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:43:40 GMT

Listed below are standard contract documents that will need to be completed by subcontractors. (Some documents are in PDF format. If you do not have Adobe Reader, you can download it here.) Sample Subcontract Documents: These documents are not required to be submitted with a proposal. However, you are encouraged to review the Sample Subcontract Document applicable to your organization prior to submitting a technical proposal. Sample Subcontract for Commercial or Non-Profit Firms Word Sample Subcontract for Educational Institutions Word Sample Subcontract for National Laboratories Word Technical Proposal Documents: These documents are required to be submitted with a proposal. Cost Summary Form for Small Producer and Unconventional Proposals Word Excel Cost Summary Form for Ultra-Deepwater Proposals Excel Proposal Signature Page Word PDF Post Selection Documents: These documents are not submitted with a technical proposal...

Industry News

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:33:32 GMT

The latest news and analysis of issues and events in the oil & gas industry.

Click here for more
industry related news.

Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:42:13 GMT

Join RPSEA at Winter Nape 2012 February 22-24 Houston, Texas Booth #3702 Request for Proposals Released You can find the most current RFP information on the Current Request for Proposals page under the Business with RPSEA menu button. 2011 Small Producer Program Issued Date: December 13, 2011 Written Questions/Answers Period: Questions regarding the RFP must be in writing and directed to Contracts Director Wiley Wells by e-mail at wwells@rpsea.org within 30 calendar days from date of RFP issue. After this date, the question/answer period is closed, and all written questions and answers will be posted to RPSEA’s website. Due Date and Time: February 27, 2012, 4 p.m., Central Time 2011 Unconventional Resources Program Issued Date: December 20, 2011 Written Questions/Answers Period: Questions regarding the RFP must be in writing and directed to Contracts Director Wiley Wells by e-mail at wwells@rpsea.org within 21 calendar days from date of RFP issue. After this date,...

2009 Unconventional Resources Program Abstracts

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:40:41 GMT

The selected projects and project leaders are below. Click on the project title to view the abstract. 09122-01 — Gas Well Pressure Drop Prediction under Foam Flow Conditions — The University of Tulsa 09122-02 — Characterizing Stimulation Domains, for Improved Well Completions in Gas Shales — Higgs-Palmer Technologies 09122-04 — Marcellus Gas Shale Project — Gas Technology Institute 09122-06 — Prediction of Fault Reactivation in Hydraulic Fracturing of Horizontal Wells in Shale Gas Reservoirs — West Virginia University Research Corporation 09122-07 — Cretaceous Mancos Shale Uinta Basin, Utah: Resource Potential and Best Practices for an Emerging Shale Gas Play — Utah Geological Survey 09122-11 — Simulation of Shale Gas Reservoirs Incorporating Appropriate Pore Geometry and the Correct Physics of Capillarity and Fluid Transport — Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma 09122-12 — Integrated...

Abstracts

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:28:06 GMT

The Unconventional Resources Program is designed to bring the resources of America's leading universities, research institutions and technology innovators to bear on the development of gas shales, tight gas sands and coalbed methane resources by reducing costs, increasing efficiency, improving safety, and minimizing environmental impacts. The projects selected will form part of an integrated program designed to ensure the secure supply that will allow clean-burning domestic natural gas to play a key role in meeting the nation's current and future energy needs.

Most projects awarded under the RPSEA Unconventional Resources Program involve a team consisting of researchers along with producers or service companies that are in a position to evaluate and apply new technology. Each proposal must provide a minimum of 20% cost share, with up to 50% for field demonstration projects.

2009 Abstracts (Projects Funded)

2008 Abstracts (Projects Funded)

2007 Abstracts (Projects Funded)

2008 Unconventional Resources Program Abstracts

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:39:36 GMT

The selected projects and project leaders are below. Click on the project title to view the abstract. 08122-05 — Barnett and Appalachian Shale Water Management and Reuse Technologies — Gas Technology Institute 08122-15 — Novel Gas Isotope Interpretation Tools to Optimize Gas Shale Production — California Institute of Technology 08122-35 — The Environmentally Friendly Drilling Systems Program — Houston Advanced Research Center 08122-36 — Pretreatment and Water Management for rac Water Reuse and Salt Production — GE Global Research 08122-40 — Stratigraphic Controls on Higher-Than-Average Permeability Zones in Tight-Gas Sands in the Piceance Basin — Colorado School of Mines 08122-45 — Coupled Flow-Geomechanical-Geophysical-Geochemical (F3G) Analysis of Tight Gas Production — Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 08122-48 — Sustaining Fracture Area and Conductivity of Gas Shale Reservoirs for Enhancing...

2009 Ultra-Deepwater Program Abstracts

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:44:47 GMT

The selected projects and project leaders are below. Click on the project title to view the abstract. 09121-3100-01 — UDW Seabed Discharge of Produced Water and/or Solids — Fluor Enterprises, Inc. 09121-3300-02 — Displacement & Mixing in Subsea Jumpers Experimental Data and CFD Simulations — The University of Tulsa 09121-3300-05 — Autonomous Inspection of Subsea Facilities — Lockheed Martin 09121-3300-06 — High Resolution 3D Laser Imaging for Inspection, Maintenance, Repair, and Operations — 3D at Depth, LLC 09121-3300-08 — Sensors and Processing for Pipe, Riser, Structure, and Equipment Inspection to Provide Detailed Measurements, Corrosion Detection, Leak Detection, and/or Detection of Heat Plumes from Degraded Pipeline Insulation — Blueview Technologies, Inc. 09121-3300-10 — Development of Carbon Nanotube Composite Cables for Ultra Deep Water Oil and Gas Fields — Los Alamos...

Ultra-Deepwater Program Abstracts

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:38:03 GMT

The Ultra-Deepwater Program is designed to safely exploit the ultra-deepwater resource base and to convert currently identified (discovered) resources into economic recoverable (proven) reserves, while protecting the environment, thereby providing the citizens of the United States with secure and affordable petroleum supplies. This goal will be achieved by: · Increasing the production of ultra-deepwater oil and gas resources · Reducing the costs to find, develop, and produce such resources · Increasing the efficiency of exploitation of such resources · Increasing production efficiency and ultimate recovery of such resources · Improving safety and environmental performance by minimizing environmental impacts associated with ultra-deepwater exploration and production Many awards under the RPSEA Ultra-Deepwater Program are made to a team consisting of researchers along with producers or service companies that are in a position to...

Improvements to Deepwater Subsea Measurements (07121-1301)

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:00:52 GMT

Letton-Hall Group - Principal Investigator: Winsor (Chip) Letton, III

Objective: The Letton Hall Group is managing six tasks which together mature subsea multiphase metering technology. These tasks involve evaluating the impact of deposition and erosion within the meter, collecting fluid samples passing through a meter, deploying check meter technology and understanding the uncertainty of meter measurements.

Period of Performance: October 27, 2008 to December 31, 2011

Abstract

NETL Fact Sheet

Lorem ipsum survey

noemail@rpsea.org — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 19:20:50 GMT

Objectives:

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Release Date: 8-Mar-07 1:20 PM
Expiration Date: 8-Jun-07 1:20 PM

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2007-03-08T19:20:50Z

Instructor: Instructor

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