Synergy Group

[cowman]

Today I found out a bit more about the Synergy group I am being appointed to. It is totally being funded by the EUB and CAPP(Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers). Hmmm...I kind of wondered why there were no tree huggers appointed!
Don't worry...we'll get those darned wells drilled come hell or high water!

[cowman]

The exact opposite happened here cowman. The EUB initiated forming of a group and specifically put all the opponents of sour gas, coalbed methane etc. on the group.
The haul them all to Calgary for meetings every couple of months etc. I will say that most of the sour gas applications of late are going to EUB Board hearings.

[cowman]

Well we have little sour gas in this area but the Coalbed boys are going wild!
And you know something? It's going to happen no matter what so we might as well get all we can out of it with the least damage? I think a lot of the hype over coalbed was mostly scaremongering! The fact is the first zones they take CBM out of is quite a bit below the deep aquifier? And when they do finally decide to pull gas out of the wet coal zone, there are rules about disposing it in a deeper zone? It will not be like Wyoming in any way, shape or form?
The CBM boys have a little better science on fraccing coal than they did 5 years ago? They know that the frac is mostly horizontal with very minimal vertical fractureing? When you think about that...it makes sense? The coal is layered?
I wonder how much of the concern about methane in water wells was just a common occurance even before the coalbed drillers came along? We have gas in our very shallow wells around here with a few guys even running generators off some of them! A local hog farm takes gas and water out of the same well and it doesn't hurt the pigs...or the farmer! I think the opponents have ran with some of these fears?
I do have some flowing springs on my land. As long as I can remember there has been a light oil slick on the water where it tends to pool! Doesn't hurt the cows one bit and it is a very light slick...sort of like if you spilled a bit of gas in the water!
Now while I do support the industry I also want and expect a decent return on my portion of the revenue...whether that is surface rights or mineral rights? And I do expect industry to do a good safe job of extracting the gas.

[cowman]

And the regs aren't in place yet for coalbed mentane extraction !!!!!!

[wilagro]

cowman: Nothing on the EUB about your 'Synergy' board. Is this another 'secret' advisory board or commission where industry gets what they want and the government rubber-stamps everything?
Nothing in "The Advocate" either.

Just curious.

[Horse]

They will be when the oil co get them wrote for the gov stamp.

[cakadu]

Cowman, 1 litre of oil can contaminate 1 million litres of water.

So far, with the regulations that are in place, the results haven't been too great. Think about it - less than 4% of the reclamations are done because there aren't people to ensure that they are being done. With the increase in well drilling whether it be for CBM or for conventional oil or natural gas, have we any clue at all what we are actually doing?

I will never buy into the notion of I might as well get what I can because it is going to happen anyway. I certainly understand that it is going to happen, but I am not going to be going along for the ride. I strongly believe we need to be doing this in the best manner possible but how do we really know what that is when we have no idea of what we have already done. In other words, we have NO benchmarks.

They may understand the process better than they did 5 years ago, but does that mean it is really better?

[cakadu]

Linda, when an oil company decided to abandon a well on my property they thought they were going to do a half baked job. When I asked the rep from the environmental firm for a copy of the soil test from the flare pit he thought he was going to give me a snow job.
I called the owner of the environmental firm and advised that I expected the soil tests by fax within the hour...and when I got them I had a soil specialist go over them and advise me on what I should be aware of when I met with the oil company rep.

I called the oil company and asked to have a rep meet with me, and showed him my NOTES ( actually the specialists notes) about the deficiencies in the soil and the things I was concerned about.

That was EIGHT years ago, and they are still trying to get the metals out of the flare pit. Had I just agreed with what they were doing and let them do a snow job they would have gotten their rec certificate by now and I would be out not only surface rental but likely a proper reclaimation job !!

[cakadu]

I would also suspect that in your case, emrald, if you had signed off and a problem occurred thereafter, you would be on the hook and not the oil company. I may be wrong on that but it would seem to me if you said it was okay and then there was a problem, it would be your problem.

[cowman]

Well first of all Linda, you NEVER sign the reclamation certificate...let the government sign it? Then if there is a problem they can be on the hook for it. However farmers tend to be greedy and when the oil company holds up a couple of thousand dollars they quite often grab it! That is very short sighted thinking, but quite common.
The synenergy group is just starting to take shape. Brief article in the last issue of Red Deer County news and a short blurb in the Red Deer Advisor.
Without a doubt a counter balance to the local newly formed surface rights group(which I am a member of)! This synergy group is being paid for by the EUB and CAPP, so it stands to reason why it is there? The surface rights group is more about confrontation than about solutions? Once you realize this thing isn't going away, then you realize you need to work with these people....because in fact they hold all the good cards in this game?
The recent meetings going around Alberta concerning Coalbed methane has stirred up a lot of interest? It was standing room only at Trochu last Wednesday? This obviously has the unconventional gas boys worried! They are finding it harder to deal with landowners and while some of that concern was justified, a lot of it really isn't? The fact is the oil industry was taking unconventional gas long before this thing hit the papers! And yes they were fraccing in the Edmonton Sands and for sure in the Belly River for decades! Did they know what they were doing then? Who knows? But if they never tried it we wouldn't have an industry?
It is just fine and dandy to scream "Environment must come first", as we heat our homes with Natural gas, drive our cars and tractors, enjoy the nice paved highway, and use every plastic piece of junk ever made! The fact is we are all guilty...we have found the enemy...and it is us!
Oh...one other thing...the oil and gas industry is not happy with the current situation regarding the EUB? The spokesman for the unconventional gas producers has been calling for a lot more EUB field personal! It is pretty hard to deal with problems when the government agency responsible has no employees out in the field? The Alberta government has been very slack about staffing their own enforcement department! Probably too worried about how they're going to give the doctors and teachers more money?

[cowman]

The EUB office in Calgary is bursting at the seams with staff !!!

[cowman]

And I will tell you Emerald the EUB does have some very good people working for it! Jeff Stinson at Red Deer comes to mind?
Now without a doubt the EUB is there for one reason: GET THAT WELL DRILLED, but that doesn't mean they are out to pollute the world or something! They are dismayed by some of the tactics used by certain coalbed companies...especially when they first arrived on the scene from the USA!
Believe me when I tell you the EUB got these guys to clean up their act...in a big way!
You should also realize the EUB staff is not happy with the situation where they are all office jockeys? They know they need people in the field and the government has not allowed that to happen?

[wilagro]

cowman: Do you remember when Steve West practically destroyed The EUB in his reorganization? His shortsighted actions have come back to haunt this gov't many times over.

In my opinion, Ralph as his 'gang' had a willing but misguided agent in their restructuring. The same thing happened with Alberta Highways/Transportation where 2000 people were let go and privatization screwed up our highways maintenance.

[wilagro]

The spelling errors in the last message were the result of too much haste. Please feel free to correct them.

[wilagro]

wilagro you hit the nail on the head with the privatization of highway maintenance.My bet is that it, like health care is costing more since the restructuring.

Plus the fact that the Alberta Highways engineers formed their own company and are now making a killing working for municipalities, the government and anyone else that requires their services.