3
EVP NOTES
th
The 84 Texas Legislature is officially over. There may be summer extensions to complete some
bills but as a whole, for our industry, we can say it is finished.
EVP
The US House passed a bill to remove the Lesser Prairie Chicken from being listed as an
Judy Stark
endangered species until 2021. As soon as we have an update on these two bills and other pending
legislation, we will let you know. All in all there was nothing that “hurt” the industry but we look forward to
continuing to be strong advocates for our industry at all times.
Our industry never seems to get a break! As soon as the legislature passed HB40, which provided consistent
language to municipalities regarding hydraulic fracturing, we are now having to defend ourselves against the
unproven theory that our industry incites earthquakes. SMU released “statements” indicating injection wells caused
4.0 earthquakes in Azle, Mansfield and Irving, Texas.
The Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton was quick to react and directed Commission staff to work with
seismic researchers at Southern Methodist University to schedule a public meeting in response to their recently
published study in Nature Communications titled, “Causal factors for seismicity near Azle, Texas.”
The following statement is attributed to RRC Commissioner Ryan Sitton:
“This hearing will help us gain a better understanding of the Azle data and determine what measures, if any, should be
taken. I appreciate SMU’s work on this issue and look forward to an “engaging, thorough discussion that considers
all scientific evidence available.”
“As a Texas Railroad Commissioner, one of my primary duties is to ensure that Texans have confidence in the way
energy is developed in our state. Since November 2013, certain areas of Texas have experienced elevated levels of
seismic activity, and residents are concerned that this may be caused by oil and gas related activities.
“Since that time, the Commission has held hearings in Azle and Austin, hired an in-house seismologist and adopted
disposal well rule amendments that are designed to address disposal well operations in areas of historical or potential
seismic activity. I want the public to know that the Commission is constantly monitoring the situation, and will
consider any evidence and data that suggests possible causation between oil and gas activities and seismic events, so
that we can take appropriate action if necessary.
In light of SMU’s study, I am calling for invited testimony from the Azle operators and SMU research team to present
their respective research on this important issue at the Railroad Commission as soon as possible.”
As always, please call with any questions! Until next time……….
What can you find on PPROA.ORG?
Pipeline archives
Membership & advertising services
Preferred providers
Commodity prices
Association events calendar
And more!