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Our first of a series of videos launched this month. Subject matter experts were interviewed at the 2014 Clean Frac'ing Conference held in Houston, Texas.
EFD will be adding more videos to the Video Magazine section. Topics such as Clean Water, Clean Air, Field Trials in Action and more coming soon!
Click here to visit the website
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Current Applications
of EFD Tested Technologies
 "As part of Keane's commitment to the EFD Program, Keane has already begun converting its Cummins engines for hydraulic fracturing operations with plans to convert their drilling fleet's CAT engines in 2014."
Newpark Mats, as tested in EFD field trials in the Eagle Ford, are now utilized in numerous environmentally sensitive areas as access roads, for well pads, rig platforms, as well as right-of-way access, minimizing impacts to the surrounding ecosystems.
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Newpark Mats Reaches Milestone
250,000 Mats
Save Over 1 Million Trees
Newpark Mats and Integrated Services, a unit of Newpark Resources and the leading provider of ground protection solutions, commemorated the production of its 250,000 DURA-BASE Advanced-Composite Mat as it rolled off the company's world class assembly line in Lafayette, Louisiana.
These mats have been part of the EFD field trials in the Eagle Ford.
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Earlier this year HARC, the University of Arkansas and Latitude Geographics Ltd. embarked on a collaborative project to design & develop a Land Use Site Selection Tool (LUSSIT). The easy to use, GIS based analytical and planning tool will assist in selecting the best areas for a site while minimizing environmental impacts. This tool will also help promote communication between regulators and producers expediting the permitting process.
This project's unique method of collaborative development includes the consultation with regulatory agencies, and an advisory committee comprised of representatives of the Oil & Gas industry with the goal of providing valuable feedback and guidance on the project team's work plan and results.
Our first LUSSIT Advisory Committee meeting in March resulted in an excellent turnout with positive responses to the phase one project progress and direction. Expanding on the initial LUSSIT tool concept of facilitating the ability to; 'Visualize, Assist and Collaborate' we introduced the committee to our Decision Support System along with an interface concept.
A few examples of feedback from the committee on the concept to date are:
- Quite amazed by how much it does make sense
- Use cases presented, mirror the real-world process fairly accurately
- The ability to track the status and ask questions is great
- Delegating and documenting in a common area ... invaluable
- Impressed with the functionality
- There are many potential positive uses for the proposed framework within our organization
- Liked the flow, and the idea of getting away from the large map-centric view in the application
The project is moving towards the conclusion of Phase 1 on May 1st, 2014. We will then be moving into Phase 2, refinement of the application design and functionality followed by development and deployment for field trials in November of 2015.
Our next Advisory Committee meeting is September 23rd, 2014 if you are interested in participating in this project as a stakeholder please contact us at: rhaut@harcresearch.org
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AIHce 2014 + Stewardship Conference
May 31 - June 5, 2014 San Antonio, Texas Occupational & Community Health Issues Associated with Hydraulic Fracturing Operations
Natural gas well completion by hydraulic fracturing has received increasing public and regulatory interest.
This roundtable will explore the occupational and community health exposure issues associated with hydraulic fracturing operations, as well as various control measures being utilized at hydraulic fracturing job sites.
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2014 Martz Summer Conference
June 5-6, 2014
Water and Air Quality Issues in Oil & Gas Development:
The Evolving Framework of Regulation & Management
Technological advances for extracting oil and gas from shale deposits have ushered in a new era of energy development in key resource-rich pockets throughout the US. In this event, we review the ongoing efforts of governments and industry to develop the regulatory and management practices necessary to protect water and air resources, drawing on the latest scientific research to tackle areas of uncertainty and to inform future action. Some of the questions that will be addressed include:
- Where does the industry get the water (and how much is used)? How does this impact water availability for other uses? Are source waters threatened?
- What happens to the produced and flowback water? Who owns (and is responsible for) this water? What is the life-cycle of water in fracking operations?
- How is air quality impacted and regulated?
- How are water and air contamination (and public health) monitored?
- What land-use rules, zoning practices, set-backs, and other requirements can be used to protect local resources and other community values? What level of government makes these decisions?
- What role does (should) oil and gas development play in a national energy policy?
What types of "best management practices" offer the most promise for effectively managing competing objectives?
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Did you miss a newsletter? Archives available on the EFD site! |
SPE Holding First R&D Competition
The SPE invites submissions to its first R&D Competition beginning February 17, 2014. The competition seeks ideas from basic sciences and other engineering fields to address research challenges in the oil and gas E&P industry.
The deadline for submission is
June 1, 2014.
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Environment 24/7
Available here " 'Environment 24/7' shows how each person, family, and company can help create a cleaner and healthier environment."
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Rich Haut, EFD Director, helped raise over $37,000 towards children's cancer research locally. This was one of over 1300 events held nationwide to raise funds.
Texas General Land Office (GLO)
National Coastwide Cleanup is April 26, 2014. Since the first cleanup in 1986, more than 446,000 Texas Adopt-A-Beach volunteers have picked up more than 8,500 tons of trash from Texas beaches.
Are you engaged in the communities in which you
operate, serve, and/or live?
Let us know and we'll share the news! awilcox@harcresearch.org |
Water & Wastewater:
Issues, Challenges, Solutions and New Technologies
Equipment Demonstrations
April 15-16, 2014
Water/Wastewater:
Challenges and Treatment Options Equipment Demonstrations
August 5-6, 2014
Contact: Carl Vavra
carl.vavra@pe.tamu.edu
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Unconventional Oil & Gas Report -
Special Report from the Oil & Gas Journal
Tom Williams from the EFD Team provided an interview in the Transition Drivers section of the article, 'Cabot fuels Marcellus operations with gas.' The topic is using natural gas to power operations and how this practice is growing across the United States.
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Webinar held on Fracturing, Water Quality
& Public Health: Current Laws and Regulations
Improved technology developments in directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing have resulted in an oil and gas production boom nationwide. This webinar examined the laws and regulations governing water quality issues related to oil and gas development, recent state court decisions affecting regulations, and implications for public health.
Listen to and watch playback and/or view the slides here.
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Call for Papers
Deadline to submit: May 1, 2014
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Coming soon - Virtual Hydraulic Fracturing site!
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The EFD program, funded by federal, state and foreign government agencies, industry and environmental organizations, provides unbiased science to policy makers and identifies, develops and tests new technologies, processes and systems to reduce the environmental footprint associated with oil and gas activities, from well site selection through natural gas compression. The program, approximately $4 million per year, is engaged in research and technology transfer activities from the Western Slope of the Rockies to the Ukraine, and from the North Slope of Alaska to Columbia (South America). Research includes land, air and water issues, as well as public perception investigations. The program was honored with the Chairman's Stewards Award for Environmental Partnership at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. For more information, see: www.efdsystems.org.
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