Tapping wells of resentment[Drilling rigs pop up like prairie dogs in Ft. Worth](TX)

AP ^ | 07 June 2007 | Angela K. Brown

[BGHater]

With Fort Worth sitting on one of the nation's largest natural gas fields, 150-foot drilling rigs are rising over golf courses, churchyards, even tree-lined neighborhoods.

"If you don't have a gas well ... get one!" a billboard urges commuters zipping along a busy interstate near downtown.

But not everyone is celebrating the natural gas bonanza here, despite the 55,000 new jobs and extra $5.2 billion it brings to the North Texas economy each year.

Once confined to the lonely prairies, oil and gas exploration has gone urban. In Fort Worth, Los Angeles and other densely populated places, that sometimes pits neighbor against neighbor, forcing them to choose between preserving a tranquil neighborhood or cashing the monthly royalty checks a gas or oil well provides.

Some Fort Worth residents complain that large property owners are the only ones getting a windfall from the gas companies drilling under their land.

In some instances, entire neighborhoods are organizing to keep the wells out. They are worried about the drilling and extraction noise, heavy truck traffic, decreased property values and explosions. An XTO Energy worker was killed last year in a gas well explosion in nearby Forrest Hill.

"Believe me, if people weren't getting money, nobody would want this," said Don Young, who founded Fort Worth Citizens Against Neighborhood Drilling Ordinance.

With U.S. demand for natural gas soaring, the city has 500 active gas wells and permits for an additional 225, including 70 now being drilled.

Drilling takes about a month of round-the-clock work, first vertically and then horizontally into a rock formation called the Barnett Shale thousands of feet below. Then comes a week or so of "fracking" -- the hydraulic fracturing process that breaks through the dense, black rock and unlocks the natural gas within.

[GreyFriar]

“Then comes a week or so of “fracking” “ — Gee, even Battlestar Galactica terms are of use here on earth. Perhaps we are their descendants.

[DainBramage]

If you oly own surface rights you are screwed. One well can take up 5 acreas. They cant drill within 400 ft or sao so of a house so they drill right where someone would put a house.

[Red Badger]

"Believe me, if people weren't getting money, nobody would want this,"

well, duh................

[Ditter]

Yeah I know! *grin*

[SIDENET]

"Believe me, if people weren't getting money, nobody would want this,"

What a genius! I wonder how long it took him to figure this out.

[Arrowhead1952]

"Believe me, if people weren't getting money, nobody would want this," said Don Young, who founded Fort Worth Citizens Against Neighborhood Drilling Ordinance.

This is one of those DUH statements. It also is one of those NIMBY arguments.

[Malsua]

Why does it take a week to Frac a well? When I worked in the Oilfield in the early 80s, it took two days tops. Haliburton showed up with a sand truck, a couple water tanks arrive and a few hours later, the formation is frac’d. No biggie.

Course, that was Clinton formation, not sure what formation these folks are into. Gas was Berea formation in Ohio, dunno what it is in Texas.

[BGHater]

Not sure about Ohio, but Texas is usually tight gas, devonian shale and coal-bed methane. I don’t know if they still have the experience there to speed up their operations or perhaps they simply are overstretched.

[Red Boots]

"Believe me, if people weren't getting money, nobody would want this," said Don Young, who founded Fort Worth Citizens Against Neighborhood Drilling Ordinance

One of our best employees had a well drilled on his property - he owned the mineral rights. He gets 30% or something, for the life of the well. THe drilling is noisy, but it only lasts a month or so. The revenue stream can go on for 30 + years, and run into the millions. Needless to say, he quit our company soon after.

[-=SoylentSquirrel=-]

"...Course, that was Clinton formation..."

One thing I've learned in the past few years is that the Clinton Formation is notoriously easy to frac.....

[VRWCmember]

"Believe me, if people weren't getting money, nobody would want this," said Don Young, who founded Fort Worth Citizens Against Neighborhood Drilling Ordinance.

Believe me, if Don Young was getting the money, he wouldn't care who was against it.

[VRWCmember]

LOL

[zeugma]

I've noticed a lot more of these going up in the Ft. Worth area recently. Doesn't bother me at all. If you want to use petroleum-based products, you have to be willing to live with what is necessary to produce them.

[Deguello]

The full week needed was to bring in the work-over rig to prep, bringing in the sand bins & filling these and then the rest of the frac trucks and the blender. Some fracing was taking 2 or more days.

FYI...there was a casing crew guy killed last week around Fort Stockton, Texas; when he fell on top of the traveling blocks and was cut in half. The rig type was a Super Single.

[golas1964]

“Then comes a week or so of “fracking” “ — Gee, even Battlestar Galactica terms are of use here on earth. Perhaps we are their descendants.

Felgercarb

[barry_lee]

It was actually a Top Drive Automated rig. The location was Goldsmith, about 15 miles west of Odessa.

I was the Field Geologist (Mudlogger) on that rig.

[Deguello]

Is it true what happened to the Driller after the event?

[barry_lee]

I haven’t heard anything about the Driller. I know I haven’t seen him around on the latest one we’re drilling. The rest of the crew has stayed the same. Well, they let a few Roughnecks go after OSHA tested them. Is that what you’re talking about?

[Deguello]

The rumor passed around was that the casing crew beat him up.

I have never seen the automated rigs. There are supposed to be 4 coming down to North Texas from Canada(?) the first of July.