Posts by Sharon
Technical limitations of satellite and regulations in stopping methane.
Don’t use satellites and regulations as delay tactics Way back when I lived on a farm in Wise County Texas watching fracking pioneer George Mitchell experiment with combining horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing to produce oil and gas from shale, I noticed horrible smells coming from the drilling/fracking sites. I complained about the emissions and…
Read MoreGen Z: Our future is not in our own hands
Written by Jack McDonald When I was 19, I testified in front of the EPA. I spoke about my personal experience living on the Barnett Shale where the fracking boom originated, but I also spoke about the looming threat of climate change that weighs on my entire generation. Based on Energy Information Agency data, the…
Read More101: Understanding the Texas Oil and Gas Pollution Permits
Written by Jack McDonald In Texas, when an extraction company wants to drill an oil well, they usually receive the permit to drill in 24 hours. They are then required to submit a series of additional forms and permits, though there is little in place to ensure that they actually do. This process is split…
Read MoreCautioning against the optimism of the EIA flaring data
By Jack McDonald How can the EIA rely on state data if the vast majority of flaring in Texas is unknown to the RRC? Last week, the EIA published their preliminary estimate of the amount of natural gas flaring that happened across the country in 2023. Their numbers look exciting. They titled their report, “Our…
Read MoreEconomics Don’t Justify Optimism About New Methane Regulations
After years of working to raise the alarm about dangerous methane emissions from the oil and gas industry, I’m happy to see that the media is now reporting on many aspects of the ongoing methane emergency. Among the stories the media recently reported were ones noting the record levels of atmospheric methane, how U.S. oil…
Read MoreTotalEnergies Flowback Operations on Memorial Day in Arlington, Texas
TotalEnergies decided that Memorial Day weekend would be a good time to start flowback operations at the Bruder Gas Lease in Arlington, Texas. People who have lived with oil and gas operations too close to their homes know the pattern. It’s intentional. Regulators and city staff are off enjoying their holiday. News media has already…
Read MoreThe Barnett Shale, the birthplace of fracking, is still a big polluter
The Texas Permian Basin is not the only area with massive emissions. The Barnett Shale in North Texas is doing its part creating health impacts for neighbors and accelerating the climate crisis by dumping more methane into our atmosphere. Methane is over 100 times more powerful at warming our planet than carbon dioxide in the…
Read MoreA Cautious Perspective on Biden’s LNG Permit Pause
We won a battle, but the climate war is far from over. Anyone living near the four proposed LNG export terminals and the two that are in pre-filing got a reprieve when the Biden Administration announced a pause on LNG permitting. Those people have every reason to celebrate. Assessing the known impacts to health, the…
Read MoreGoing Back Home
I’ve traveled such a long, long way from home since I left my farm in Wise County Texas. Oil and gas pollution turned an idyllic country life into a nightmare; the industry drove me from my peaceful home. Since then, It’s hard for me to feel totally at home anywhere anymore, therefore I am embracing…
Read MoreField Notes: Arlington, Texas September 11, 2023
North Texas was finally experiencing some slightly cooler weather on September 11th when I drove to Arlington, Texas to meet Liveable Arlington executive director Ranjana Bhandari, and journalists from France. The journalists were there for a story about the colonization of Arlington by TEP Barnett, an affiliate of French energy giant, TotalEnergies. At…
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