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The Coalbed Natural Gas Alliance
strives to provide you with the latest information and commentary on
CBNG.
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Independent study
counters NPRC reports In late August 2004, the Northern Plains Resource Council (NPRC) released two reports regarding reinjection/injection and treatment of the water produced in conjunction with coalbed natural gas. The reports, commissioned by the NPRC, were prepared by a team led by Jim Kuipers of Kuipers and Associates. The coalbed natural gas industry commissioned CDM, Inc. and Kevin C. Harvey, Inc. (collectively CDM) to review the reports and has provided technical comments to the regulatory agencies in Montana and Wyoming. “The reports lead the public to believe that injection and water treatment are the only logical and technically sound water management tools for coalbed natural gas development in Montana and Wyoming,” said Karen Brown, coordinator of the Coalbed Natural Gas Alliance. “A trained environmental engineer will tell you that they are only technically feasible on a site-specific basis within limited areas of the Powder River Basin.” Brown added that coalbed natural gas (CBNG) operators in the Powder River Basin have and will continue to pursue injection and water treatment as viable water management tools. She remarked that if geologic and geographic conditions permit – and the landowner agrees – these tools are part of a water management plan. “While some environmental groups propose only one or two options, industry and landowners – who have CBNG development on their property – support a toolbox approach,” said Brown. “It is important to allow industry the flexibility to use tools that meet landowner needs and protect the environment.” She noted that many CBNG producers believe the high quality water should be put to beneficial use. “Many landowners would be opposed to injecting useable water – and essentially wasting it – especially during the current drought conditions in the region,” Brown said. Camp, Dresser & McKee (CDM), a full service engineering consulting firm, and Kevin Harvey, a certified professional soil scientist, conducted an in-depth review of the reports. Based on published data, consultation with industry experts, discussions with regulatory agency personnel, and the experience of the reviewers themselves, complete analyses of the reports were completed. The expert reviews were gathered and published by the Petroleum Association of Wyoming (PAW) and were submitted to recognized regulatory agencies in Wyoming and Montana, including the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation, both the Wyoming and Montana offices of the Department of Environmental Quality, and the governors’ offices in both states. Brown said that the advocates of water injection claim this practice eliminates or mitigates the full range of adverse surface water impacts. “This statement ignores the other surface impacts of injection and does not consider the technical and environmental issues associated with it,” she said. “Industry’s experience with viable formations as injection zones has met with limited success. In several attempts to inject the water to shallow aquifers, operators have found that they would have to drill up to one injection well for every one to two producing wells, creating even more surface impact.” Currently, the coalbed natural gas industry is experimenting with and using different water treatment technologies. Brown says that these technologies, specifically for coalbed natural gas operations, are an emerging and evolving science. “Water treatment makes sense when the operator can discharge the treated water into a year round river system, or can use the treated water in a managed irrigation system,” Brown said. “However, when the CBNG operation is in a remote area, water treatment may not be the best water management tool.” Brown remarked that experienced soil scientists say that surface water quality depends on the soils over which the water flows. “If an operator discharges treated water down an ephemeral drainage, the water will pick up salts from the soil,” Brown said. “In some cases, the drainage water will pick up as much or more salts than were removed in the treatment process.” She added that the decision to use water treatment technologies should be based on several factors including terrain, geography, mineralogy, landowner desires and economics. The full industry response to the reports can be found at www.cbnga.com and www.pawyo.org for any interested party to view. The CBNGA’s mission is to inform and communicate
accurate information as well as provide education about coalbed natural
gas development primarily within the Powder River Basin. The CBNGA is
composed of energy providers, businesses, ranchers, farmers and citizens
throughout Montana and Wyoming that support responsible energy development.
Technical Review and Analysis of Kuiper’s/NPRC Documents Related to the Management of CBNG Produced Water in the Powder River Basin Read a summary of the key points of the report. View full PDF document by clicking on the link below. If you are unable to view the CDM Report, Click on the Adobe graphic to obtain the latest Acrobat Reader.
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