...Hydraulic Fracturing Demand for energy shows every promise of remaining high, and supplies of natural gas and oil worldwide are dwindling. Renewable and alternative energy sources – for example, wind-generated electricity, or nuclear power – are being developed and considered at the national level; however, at the time of writing more than half of the total energy consumed in the United States comes from oil and natural gas sources. Specifically, natural gas was – in 2011 – providing fully a quarter of the total energy consumed in the United States (Obama, 2013). Hydraulic fracturing, also known as “fracking”, provides a means of exploiting the reserves of natural gas within United States territory. These natural gas reserves are positioned in such a way that they cannot typically be exploited by traditional methods, and instead are produced by a process of hydraulic fracturing. This means of oil and gas production is relatively new, and it remains controversial in terms of economics, safety and environmental cost. In addition to ecological, sociological and political considerations, there are many legal issues involved in the production of energy via hydraulic fracturing (Hagstrom and Adams, 2012). Regulation The actual activity of hydraulic fracturing is carried out by private corporations; however, the process is governed by multiple State and Federal regulations and laws. As the field of hydraulic fracturing is developing quickly and recently, legislation and regulation...
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...References……………………………………………………………………………………….11 Appendix Case Study …………………………………………………………………………...………..7 Abstract This paper was written with the attempt to educate the reader on the inception and brief history of “clean water act of 1972”. Before this important law companies used our waterways as liquid landfills. This law was one of many that was desperately needed to help make America a better place for generations to come. Antonio Hines Environmental Science November 3, 2014 The Clean Water Act of 1972 History of the Clean Water Act Dead fish floating in our river ways and different wildlife lying on the banks of our streams was common place in the early 60’s. In Ohio, the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland was so polluted that it caught fire – for the tenth time! Time Magazine reported that Lake Erie was dying from all the waste dumped into it. Saint Louis took its drinking water from the muddy Missouri River because it had gotten to the point that no one wanted to eat or drink from the Mississippi River. Therefore, it is safe to say, these areas needed help and fast! American did receive assistance and it came in the form of laws being established to prevent the death of wildlife and further pollution of American’s lakes and rivers. There were three laws that changed the industrial era and American life as we know it today: The National...
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...SETTLEMENT OF OIL AND GAS DISPUTES: DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES PAPER DELIVERED BY: OLABISI O. SOYEBO, SAN, MCIArb. AT THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE MAITAMA, ABUJA 29th NOVEMEBER, 2011. SETTLEMENT OF OIL AND GAS DISPUTES: DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES BEING A PAPER DELIVERED BY OLABISI O. SOYEBO. SAN. MCIArb., AT THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE MAITAMA ABUJA ON 29TH NOVEMEBER, 2011. INTRODUCTION Oil and gas are considered among the world's most important resources and the oil and gas industry plays a critical role in driving the global economy. They are used for numerous products, in addition to serving as the world's primary fuel source. The processes and systems involved in producing and distributing oil and gas are highly complex, capital-intensive and require state-of-the-art technology. Though efforts are being made to develop alternative sources of energy the world over, Oil and Gas will no doubt remain the largest fuel in the international energy market for some time and demand for the resources will continually create transactions and the attendant disputes. We all know that big business means big problems! The focus of this paper is to highlight the types of disputes which arise in the Oil and Gas industry, the type of Dispute Settlement/Resolution mechanisms available for resolving such disputes, issues of jurisdiction vis a vis private international law, consideration of the enabling instruments and laws and a practice guide to...
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...Governments, Agencies, the general public, and not to mention the Media have endless discussions about the good, the bad, and the ugly of this mostly misunderstood topic. Hydrofracking is used to release natural gas from underground shale formations. One of the biggest and most controversial shale formations is the Marcellus Shale. Onshore Natural gas and oil production is carried out by private companies; however government regulation is critical. State governments are the primary regulators of these activities. Therefore, minimum uniform regulation exists nationwide. Supporters of fracking believe that State regulations already in place are more than sufficient to protect the public and natural resources, especially the precious water supply. Supporters also believe that further EPA regulations “could hurt the industry and the economy” (Hydrofracking). Elizabeth Jones, the chair of the Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates mining and drilling in the state, said: “If some of the new EPA regulations considered today are implemented, more than half our oil and natural gas wells could be eliminated. America's production of domestic energy resources would diminish by 183,000 barrels of oil per day and 245 billion cubic feet of natural gas annually. The federal government would lose $4 billion in revenue, and the states would lose $785 million in taxes, not counting the additional jobs lost”...
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...also have natural gas under their property or experience environmental and property damage from fracking. Matt Willie addresses the conflict of private property and gas companies. He summarizes that the main issues involved with hydraulic fracturing and property rights are trespassing, pooling, ownership, and damages (Willie, 1752). For trespassing, the issue that has arisen is whether horizontally drilling under someone else’s property is trespassing (1752). The author then concludes that based on the Texas Supreme Court case Coastal Oil and Gas Corp. v. Garza Energy Trust, extracting gas or oil...
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...Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill or the Macondo blowout) is a massive ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, now considered the largest offshore spill in U.S. history. Some estimates placed it by late May or early June as among the largest oil spills in the world with tens of millions of gallons spilled to date. The spill stems from a sea floor 10,000 foot deep oil gusher (MC252) that followed the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion. The explosion killed 11 platform workers and injured 17 others. Factors that contributed are: 1. The cement that seals the reservoir from the well; 2. The casing system, which seals the well bore; 3. The pressure tests to confirm the well is sealed; 4. The execution of procedures to detect and control hydrocarbons in the well, including the use of the BOP; 5. The BOP Emergency Disconnect System, which can be activated by pushing a button at multiple locations on the rig; 6. The automatic closure of the BOP after its connection is lost with the rig; and 7. Features in the BOP to allow Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) to close the BOP and thereby seal the well at the seabed after a blow out. A failure of the cement plug was found contributed to the blowing of an exploration. As far as the drilling processes going on a cement cork is placed at the bottom of the well in order to temporarily shut it off before pumping the oil out. As the cement...
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...supplies such as rocks, soil and from human activities for instance in preservatives, paints, and agricultural activities. There are increased levels of arsenic in the ground water sources as compared to surface water and this makes people who rely on ground water to be vulnerable to water that is contaminated. In the U.S. the mean arsenic levels from the measurements taken from ground water samples is usually estimated at one part per every billion litres of water although in some regions high levels of arsenic concentration in ground water is recorded. There have been several amendments and developments with regards to drinking water standards and contamination from arsenic. The Environmental Protection Agency in the year 2001 enacted a law regarding to the arsenic contamination of drinking water in accordance to the 1995 Safe Drinking Water Act and it set a threshold for arsenic contamination in drinking water at 10 ppb as a replacement for the initial threshold of 50 ppb that was settled on in 1975 (Thomas & Copeland, 2008). The regulation on the level of arsenic contamination at 10 ppb proved to be costly to small systems but the arsenic standard was enacted in March, 2001 while the public water firms were given a period of five years to comply to the standards. Afterwards, in February 2002 EPA delayed the standard while it reviewed the scientific and cost analysis in support to the regulation and after the review the 10 ppb...
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...able to distinguish state and federal laws and regulations. It will help to understand the place of hydraulic faulting of oil and gas. It will form and state my own opinion on what hydraulic fracturing laws and regulations should be put in place. It will also discuss the place of hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas in meeting US energy needs. Table of Contents Body of the Report 3 Summary or Conclusion 6 References 7 Legal Issues in Hydraulic Faulting Body of the Report Hydraulic fracturing is the procedure of creating fractures in rocks and the rock formation which is done by injecting a mixture of sand and water into the cracks which allows forcing underground to open further. The larger fissures allow more oil and gas to flow out of the formation and into the well bore from where it can be extracted. The first use of hydraulic fracturing was in 1947 but there was one more modern technique called horizontal slick water flacking which makes the extraction of shale gas economical and was first used in 1998. This energy forms the injection of highly pressurized fluids which creates new channels in the rocks by which extraction rates increases and it ultimately recovers all the hydro carbons. Hydraulic fracturing performs and enables the production of natural gas and oil from rock formations in deep below the earth surface. Sometimes at such depth there may not be sufficient reservoir pressure to allow natural gas and oil to flow from the rock into the...
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...Fracturing Course Project DeVry University LAWS-310-62220 Professor Stephens August 17, 2014 Abstract This paper will cover the legal and environmental issues raised by hydraulic fracturing. It will discuss state and federal regulations as well as proposed federal laws. This paper compares and contrasts stat law approaches, establishes and understanding for the place of hydraulic fracturing as it relates to the United States energy needs, and examines Frances laws and regulations on hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic Fracturing Hydraulic Fracturing, also known as fracking, is a controversial oil and gas extraction process introduced in the late 1940s, which stimulates the movement of oil and natural gas trapped between rocks deep underground (ConocoPhillips, 2013). A large number of water, sand, and chemicals are pumped into the ground to break the rocks and release gas (Publica, 2013). This method increases the output of oil and natural gas. “This process, along with new innovations in horizontal drilling, has opened up new natural gas development opportunities across the country, especially in the mid-Atlantic region” (Law, 2011). Hydraulic fracturing is currently underway in the United States in Ft. Worth, TX, Fayetteville, AR, and the Appalachians (USGS, 2014). Internationally, hydraulic fracturing is currently taking place in Russia; however fracking is forbidden in France (Chu, 20104). Venezuela holds the largest gas and oil reserve in South America, but lack the...
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...plays in our nation’s ambitions for a clean and sustainable energy future. Due to recent technological advances in horizontal drilling techniques, the vast natural gas reserves found within the shale formations underground in the United States have become easily accessible. Responsible development of these resources is believed to be key to a sustainable financial, and environmentally prosperous future for America. However, recent environmental and health concerns beg to differ, and question whether these new developments pose more of a threat to americans than they are worth. Nature sustains life on our planet. Humans have developed an organization of society that runs on machines. What does it take to run the machines that power our world? Our society also runs on money. So anything that plays into the running of our society must must invariably be tied to how it profits the people in charge of running things. How does it benefit us as a whole? This question is larger than the debate which this paper addresses, yet it is valid in that it is an overarching theme that drives the situation behind the issues within. A big part of what our economy has deemed is important in order to sustain the current level of comfort that we have been sold is largely based on non-renewable energy sources such as oil, coal, and gas. It is a very competitive world. Our level of comfort is key to maintaining an edge over our competitors on the global financial stage. Deep within the earth, there...
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...Production and Operations Management Introduction Improving the operations of a company that will enhance productivity and product quality may not only certainly benefit a company’s bottom line, but can also benefit national interests. Marathon Oil, for example, is the United States’ “fifth largest transportation fuel refining company and the largest in the Midwest” (“Corporate Profile”). This Findlay, Ohio based company’s operations “include a six-plant refining network, a comprehensive terminal and transportation system, and extensive wholesale and retail marketing operations” (“Corporate Profile”). Marathon’s six refineries have a total refining capacity of 1.142 billion barrels per day and provide the United States with approximately seven percent of its total capacity (“About MPC”). Marathon sells 4.1 billion gallons of gasoline each year that are then distributed to over five thousand independently owned and operated Marathon locations (“About MPC”). Marathon owns Speedway, the fourth largest convenience store chain in the U.S. Speedway not only sells gasoline but also sells food and beverages and a variety of other products in one of its 1350 locations scattered throughout the Midwest (“About MPC ”). To be sure, examining Marathon’s overall product process and identifying those phases which might be improved could result in more efficient refining and distribution of the United States’ life blood: transportation fuels. Efficiency improvements to Marathon’s...
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...Agreements in Oil and Gas on the Right to Health and the Right to a Healthy Environment: A Case Study of the Niger Delta” Full Name of Student (Your student registration number) A XXXXXXXXXXX DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT FOR THE REQUIREMENT OF DEGREE OF XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX UNIVERITY Declaration I hereby declare that research thesis is my original work and has never been used presented for any degree or diploma in any university or institution. Where material is obtained from published or unpublished works, this has been fully acknowledged by citation in the main text and inclusion in the list of references. Table of Contents Declaration 2 Table of Contents 3 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 11 1.1 Background of the study 11 1.2 Statement of the Problem 27 1.2 Research Aims 29 1.3 Research Objectives 30 1.4 Research Questions 31 1.5 Justification of the Research 32 1.6 Research Methodology 42 1.6.2 Research design 45 1.6.2 Target population 45 1.6.3 Sampling 46 1.6.4 Data collection 46 1.6.5 Data presentation 46 1.7 Definition of terms 46 1.8.2 Environment 47 1.8.3 The right to health and the right to a healthy environment 47 1.8.4 Human Right Laws 48 ...
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...(Nigeria) Nigeria has two distinct reputations. One as a corrupt and violent country that is not highly recommended for tourist type visitations (although it does have incredibly interesting historical sights) and the other for being the country visited mostly for unbelievably lucrative business transactions involving oil and gas. The Nigerian people live mostly in poverty in a country where oil and gas exports total billions in revenue. This is due to the fact that the Nigerian government has total control over their property rights. In addition corruption within that government runs rampant. According to an article by Michael Burleigh 70% of Nigerians live below poverty level struggling to survive. (Burleigh) What is even more interesting in a country rich in oil and gas is that the poverty stricken also have to deal with chronic fuel shortages due to the lack of refining in Nigeria. Nigeria Delta (referred to as Niger Delta) is the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria. This area is very significant to Nigeria. The area is a very populated region with more than 40 ethnic groups speaking over 250 different languages. The Niger Delta is an incredibly oil-rich region which...
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...the Crude Oil and Natural Gas Sector of Nigeria Table of Contents A State Intervention Approach to International Trade and the Right to Health in the Crude Oil and Natural Gas Sector of Nigeria 1 Chapter 1 General Introduction 6 1.1. Background 6 1.1.1. Definitions 14 1.1.2. Trade Liberalization 14 1.1.3. International Trade Law 15 1.1.4. Right to Health 16 1.1.5. Human Right Laws 17 1.2. Research Questions 18 1.3. Justification of the Research 21 1.4. Research Objectives 30 1.5. Research Methodology 31 1.6. Research Structure 37 Chapter 2 Theoretical Framework and Literature Review 40 2.1. Introduction 40 2.2. International Trade Rules and Protection of People’s Right to Health 41 2.2.1. Sources of International Trade Rules 41 2.2.2. Trade Liberalization and the Protection of the Right to Health 44 2.3. Scope of the Right to Health 54 2.4. Brief Overview of State Intervention Theory 59 2.5. States Duty towards the Fulfilment of the Right to Health 65 2.6. Legislative and Institutional Regulations Protecting the Right to Health in Nigeria 73 2.6.1. The International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) 1966 76 2.6.2. The African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) 78 2.6.3. The International Health Regulations, 2005 81 2.6.4. The Nigerian Constitution 82 2.7. Conclusion 83 Chapter 3 State Intervention in the Negative Effects of Trade in Crude Oil and Natural...
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...OAO Gazprom Annual Report 2014 The Power of Growth OAO Gazprom Annual Report 2014 Note. This Annual Report has been formed on the basis of Resolution No. 1 of OAO Gazprom’s Management Committee On Organization of Work Related to Holding the Annual General Shareholders Meeting dated 29 January 2015. The terms «OAO Gazprom», «Company» used in the Annual Report refer to the parent company of Gazprom Group, i.e. to Open Joint Stock Company Gazprom. «Gazprom Group», «the Group» or «Gazprom» imply OAO Gazprom and its subsidiaries taken as a whole. For the purposes of the Annual Report, the lists of subsidiaries and affiliates were prepared on the basis used in the preparation of OAO Gazprom’s consolidated accounting (financial) statements in accordance with the requirements of the Russian legislation. Similarly, the «Gazprom neft Group» and «Gazprom neft» refer to OAO Gazprom neft and its subsidiaries, «Gazprom energoholding» refers to OOO Gazprom energoholding and its subsidiaries, Gazprom neftekhim Salavat refers to OAO Gazprom neftekhim Salavat and its subsidiaries. In this Report “companies investments to which are classified as joint operations” define OAO Tomskneft VNC and Salym Petroleum Development N.V. The Annual Report also contains information related to Gazprom Group’s business activities in the future, based on the forecast and estimates of Gazprom’s management derived from the current situation. Actual results may differ from the said forecast and estimates due to the effect...
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