Despite "Green" Label, Austin a Growing Oil and Gas Hub
Subjects like solar panels and smart-grid technologies become a topic of discussion at plenty of Austin happy hours. But when dozens of people gathered at a lakeside bar earlier this month, the talk drifted toward oil prices, shale plays and hydraulic fracturing.
“When you think Austin, you don’t think oil and gas,” said David Tovar, a geoscience technician at Three Rivers, an oil and gas company based in Austin, as he held a pint of Texas brew. The native Texan ended up at Three Rivers after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a geological sciences degree ...
Comments (2)
S. Read
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“When you think Austin, you don’t think oil and gas,” said David Tovar, a geoscience technician at Three Rivers, an oil and gas company based in Austin, as he held a pint of Texas brew.
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Really? We certainly do. After our trips to Austin to talk to the Texas Railroad Commission about the property takings via the Rule 37 Spacing Exception ~ that statewide Rule that allows gas operators to drill and frack by taking the land of unleased property owners in our suburban neighborhoods. The Railroad Commission is just doing what they believe the laws tell them to do, apparently. With partisan politicians in place as Commissioners who care more about big oil and bigger gas, we see a big divide. There continues to be a major disconnect with Austin and what's going on with shale gas drilling. So, when we think Austin...we think "Oil and Gas." Cheers.
allen gilmer
S. Read, The Railroad Commission is following the lead of Garza v Coastal in allowing hydraulic fracturing. You make the statement that hydraulic fracturing per se invades your property, apparently minimizing your value. This is a pretty broad statement. Railroad Commission rules do have stipulations about distance to a lease line, the distance thereof contains most if not all fracs. Research also shows that most production is derived closer to the heel of a horizontal well than the toe, minimizing this issue further. Spacing exceptions are granted when there isn't another way to develop the minerals you want to develop. Why have you not leased your land to drill? Did you hold out for higher price per acre when the price of gas collapsed and now upset about that decision? Or do you not own your minerals and are understandably upset about the dominance of the mineral estate, given that you probably weren't specifically informed about it when you bought your land? Does that justify efforts to condemn your neighbors minerals who DID decide to lease? Lastly, I think you misrepresent the use of the term "BIg Oil". Most operators in these plays are not Big Oil, they are Small and Medium Oil.