FORT WORTH – A long-anticipated natural gas air quality study released Thursday by the city found five sites with high emission rates but "did not reveal any significant health threats" to citizens.
The twice-delayed, $1 million report from contractor Eastern Research Group also said that Fort Worth's required 600-foot setback between drilling sites and residences was "adequate," but cautioned that compressor stations within the city may need to be studied further.The report, believed to be the most comprehensive study of urban gas drilling to date, is expected to draw scrutiny not only locally but nationwide as other parts of the country wrestle with natural gas issues.Among its findings were that three of the eight standalone compressor stations sampled in the study had high emission levels. But of the more than 130 sites that included compressor stations along with other natural gas facilities, only one had a high level."Based on the emission rates that ERG calculated for this project, five sites – a processing facility, three compressor stations and one well pad – had overall emission rates that exceed regulatory thresholds that are supposed to trigger certain permitting requirements," the report's executive summary said.Concerning the three standalone compressor stations with high levels, Councilman Jungus Jordan said council members should explore adding further controls to those facilities."Compressor stations need to be our first priority," Jordan said. "It's the low-hanging fruit."Jordan, who is also vice chairman of the North Texas Clean Air Steering Committee that has made recommendations to the state for improving North Texas air quality, said one possibility is requiring the use of electric engines on power compressor stations.Though connecting compressor stations to the electrical grid can be an issue, Jordan said he doesn't believe it would be a problem within most areas of Fort Worth's city limits.After getting a quick briefing on the report on Thursday, the city's new mayor, Betsy Price, said she was encouraged by the initial findings but added the issue needs more scrutiny."I think at first blush it looks good, but we don't need to stop there," Price said. "It's going to take awhile to digest it."ERG began field testing in August 2010 and sampled 388 natural gas well and gas transportation sites, including 1,000 active wells and 1,200 storage tanks. It obtained emissions samples from all stages of the gas production process, including "unannounced up-close point source testing, ambient air monitoring, air dispersion modeling, a public health evaluation, a regulatory assessment and full build-out estimates."Environmentalists still concernedNot surprisingly, the report's conclusions drew sharply different interpretations from environmentalists and the natural gas industry.To Jim Schermbeck, executive director of Downwinders at Risk, finding more than 20,000 tons of organic compounds within Fort Worth alone shows the Barnett Shale has to be a contributing factor in the high ozone levels currently seen across Tarrant County and North Texas."It's a no-brainer that has to be affecting ozone levels," Schermbeck said. "I think that's pretty significant."But Schermbeck said it would be unwise to make any snap judgments on the report, adding that "we've got to scrub it really hard."Representatives of the natural gas industry strongly disagreed, saying the study once again shows the industry is safe."Chesapeake is not surprised that the results of this study closely parallel those of many previous studies, firmly debunking the myth that natural gas production is harmful to our overall air quality," said Julie Wilson, vice president of urban development for Chesapeake Energy and head of its Barnett Shale operations based in Fort Worth, in a prepared statement.Ed Ireland, executive director of the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council, an industry group, said he believes "the bottom-line finding" of the study is that it "did not reveal any significant health threats" from emissions from natural gas operations.Ireland brushed back suggestions that stronger air pollution controls are needed at some Barnett Shale sites, saying, "If there are any of these sites that are found to be out of compliance, there's either a mechanical problem at that time or there could possibly be a need to change the type of emission control equipment there."'No widespread issues'Terry Clawson, a spokesman for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, said ERG's data mirrored what the state environmental agency's monitoring has shown."A quick look at the study leads us to believe that it generally confirms our assessment: There are no widespread issues, but improperly maintained or faulty equipment can cause localized emissions," Clawson said.The report said 98 percent of the estimated 20,818 tons of organic compounds per year had "relatively low toxicities (e.g. methane, ethane, propane and butate)." But ERG said "several pollutants with high toxicities (e.g. benzene) were also emitted from these sites, though in considerably lower quantities."Public briefingThe city's Natural Gas Air Quality Study Committee will be briefed by ERG on Monday with the full council getting a briefing on Tuesday. At 6 p.m. Tuesday, ERG will hold a briefing for the public in the council chambers.The entire air quality report can be read at www.fortworthgov.org/gaswellsBill Hanna, 817-390-7698; Jack Z. Smith, 817-390-7724
