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BASE104
climber
An Oil Field
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Paul,
How do you know so much?
Yep. Statoil is a Norwegian Company that makes its bread and butter in the North Sea. They rock.
Tom Cosgriff, who put up or did early repeats and first solos of a bunch of big walls in the Valley and the Black, is an offshore drilling supervisor for Statoil. He loves it.
Tom comes through Canyonlands every year and is still super fit and climbing hard.
The Russians have a history of horrible pollution. The environment wasn't too high on the minds of the communist leadership. Baku is an utter disaster zone. You should google up photos of it. They are already trashing the arctic onshore.
Statoil, though. They are the cream of the engineering crop when it comes to harsh conditions. I would far rather see Statoil up in the offshore Beaufort than Shell or Exxon.
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tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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Base,
I've worked for a couple different EPC companies doing oil field design work on fire and gas and control systems for the past ~14 years, a combination of EOR projects and facility upgrades. Mostly in AK, but one stint in Kazakhstan on the drilling rig that did the exploratory wells on the Kashagon field helping them with permitting and shaking my head in disbelief at the politics involved in oil and gas companies, both the owners and the contractors.
Even though my expertise has nothing to do with formations, drilling or production, I find it's a good idea to learn as much as possible about the industry you work in. So between countless HAZID and PHAZER meetings, project documentation and internal company and client meetings, I've picked up quite a bit over the years. Amazing what you can pick up at a drill sight waiting for an operator just by looking at the map of the wells and what wells are producing, what are injecting, etc as well as production numbers.
I suppose I also have a vested interest in seeing Alaskan oil production steady over the long term as that's what provides my bread and butter, and what pays for our states government. I've seen several boom bust cycles and have been able to ride them out.
While I've never worked with Statoil, they have a steller reputation and it diddn't take much google fu to get some details.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Yeah, what are they trying to hide?
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/02/01-4
Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Josh Fox was handcuffed and led away Wednesday while attempting to film a House Science Committee hearing on fracking.
The "Gasland" director was attempting to film the hearing which is looking into the EPA's investigation of water contamination from fracking in Pavillion, Wyoming. Josh was filming the hearing for his upcoming film "Gasland 2."
Subcommittee chairman US Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) objected to the presence of Mr. Fox and his crew as well as another crew from ABC.
“This is a public hearing!” Josh shouted as he was led away. “I’m being denied my First Amendment rights.”
Approximately 16 Capitol Hill police officers entered the hearing room and handcuffed Josh amid audible discussions of "disorderly conduct" charges, according to Democratic sources who spoke to the Huffington Post.
The filmmaker did not have "proper credentials", and an ABC News crew did not make the committee aware that they would be filming, according to the Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill.
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PSP also PP
Trad climber
Berkeley
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When gold is discovered in your town then alot of people who don't care about your town come visiting ; same with gas in your shale.
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cupton
climber
Where the past and future meet
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Apr 11, 2012 - 11:17pm PT
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Hey, I just sat down and read the entire thread and wow. Thanks Base, Wes et al for one of the most informative posts on the taco ever. I truly enjoyed the clear scientific explanations beyond the media hype.
Your contributions to the Taco are truly appreciated.
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cupton
climber
Where the past and future meet
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Apr 11, 2012 - 11:49pm PT
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After reading all this my fears are not of fracking specifically but globally what we are doing to our water supply. Land subsidence is one thing but have the true costs as far as contaminating water ever been properly assessed?
Comparing peak oil to peak water "While oil is non-renewable and limited, it is replaceable by other more costly alternatives; water is renewable and relatively unlimited, but there is no substitute and it is only useful in the precise places."
It is the entire global water-energy-food nexus being upset that worries me. Virtual water is nice but entirely dependent on energy. Fracking and the energy sector in general are a only a portion of the problem/solution.
Are we losing sight of the forest for the trees?
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bmacd
Trad climber
100% Canadian
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Apr 12, 2012 - 12:29pm PT
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Oh god I am getting a headache trying to read all this on a smart phone. Great info thanks everyone will finish up when I get to a computer
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nutjob
Gym climber
Berkeley, CA
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OK, this discussion is moving beyond theoretical to directly and immediately affecting my future. After scoping neighborhoods across the Los Angeles basin last weekend, our most likely spot to plan a life is Culver City. Our favorite house to purchase has one major drawback: walking distance to the Inglewood Oil Fields.
PXP is the company that owns or drills these fields, and apparently promised decades ago that they were shutting down, but as of this year they began exploratory hydrofracking.
I'm inclined to JUST SAY NO to buying there, because there is insufficient regulation and accidents seem probable in the next few decades. But then again, there are oil wells all over LA basin, and I've got no idea about the connectedness of groundwater in the region.
According to Culver City website, they do get municipal water from groundwater as well as piped in from other sources.
So all this thread that I read through has not mentioned the oil drilling history of the Los Angeles basin... any insights BASE104?
Would you buy a house and plan the next few decades of your life in a place that was within a few miles of known hydrofracking?
Would I die faster from smog against the foothills or groundwater contamination of hydrofracking? Is it practical to maintain a whole home water filter of activated carbon to block the hydrocarbons? That doesn't address any radioactive stuff....
Damn LA Basin. Damn economics. Damn limited locations of employment for basic science research, and ridiculously competitive job market. I'm freaking out a little now, like a frog thrown in hot water, but I'll probably get over it, like a frog in a slowly heating bucket of water.
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tallguy
Trad climber
eastside
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Base, I appreciate reading all of the detail you have provided in your many posts, I have learned lots about oil and gas exploration... many thanks.
One question: You don't seem to draw a distinction between fossil carbon and biomass carbon. In terms of climate change, I think this distinction is critical.. using biomass carbon (wood, biofuels) for energy is only altering the kinetics of existing carbon cycling, while fossil carbon additions from hydrocarbons increase the total pool of atmospheric carbon. Big difference in climate change implications of those energy choices I think.
So I see a huge difference between using biomass carbon, which is going to end up as CO2 at some point anyways, for energy, versus fossil carbon, whose fate is almost certainly not to end up as CO2 unless we extract it and use it.
Thoughts?
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Social climber
Retired in Appalachia
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May 31, 2012 - 07:02pm PT
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I am still having a local battle with fracking issues that don't make the headlines, but are very real problems nonetheless.
Big mining trucks are still speeding wildly on our local rural roads.
It's a money-driven feeding frenzy.
I hate mining and miners and mining companies. More accurately, I hate the manner in which they do business.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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May 31, 2012 - 07:50pm PT
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Offhand I'd say fracking has a lot in common with nuclear industry from the standpoint of a lot of cutting corners on implementation / operation and a lack of financial accounting for the full lifecycle costs of appropriate pollution controls and waste disposal.
I think by the time this goldrush is brought under control a whole lot of damage is going to be done by slipshod / wildcat operators; either that or they'll institutionalize stupidity as they have with mountaintop removal in coal.
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pc
climber
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Article in this morning's Seattle Times. Unfortunate that there's no mention of the environmental concerns. Seems Alaska's above/beyond care? Sad...
The big concern mentioned is where are they going to find all the skilled labor to do all this new exploration. Pathetic article.
http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2019041570_alaskashale02.html
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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Dec 22, 2012 - 06:00pm PT
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The crew in the incident reported above accidentally perfed the wrong zone. Obviously a big cluster*** This wasn't supposed to happen
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
honeoye falls,ny.greeneck alleghenys
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So just curious Bruce ,did this news just get to ya?..
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PSP also PP
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Hey I have this great idea. You drill deep holes in the ground and you pump toxic waste down into the hole and then pressurize it so it cracks the rock and displaces in to the cracks. And then dollar bills come back up out of the hole. Oh; and the a really cool part is it won't require any governmental oversite so you can do it where ever you want and when you want. No rules really cool! Oh and you don't have to tell anybody what you pump down there. This is so cool!
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