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Argyle - Bartonville Communites Alliance
Argyle, TX 76226

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Pipeline Installation between Wright well, Blessing well, Jeter Rd. site and beyond to Enbridge

Runner Susan asks - What’s the hurry with all the pipeline? Is all the gas going to magically disappear? Then she gives a great video showing all the pipeline on the ground between the Wright well on Gibbons, the Blessing well on 407 and the Jeter Rd. Site. I am going to attempt to answer this question.


ABCA ask Evan Junker the community relations guy with Williams on 4/9/10 Q: Define fulfill the lease agreement. Agreement with who? ( This question was asked based on a hand delivered letter received a week prior. But the answer applies to runner susan's question.) 


Evan Junker's response:
Each mineral owner signs a contract called a lease with Williams. Each lease has a series of terms and conditions. Some of the terms and conditions involve time limits on when production must be established.  That is what is driving us to get the pipelines in place. 


Therefore, the deadline is fast approaching as Mockingbird/ Williams is moving rapidly on installing pipeline.  For those of you who want to know more here is some interesting info on the pipeline. For example, how it is not even permitted through the Railroad Commission (RRC) and it will NOT be inspected by the RRC. 
On March 9th, 2010 this question was asked to a permitting representative with the RRC.


Why does Mockingbird's, Argyle pipeline not have a permit with the RRC?  
As far as pipeline permits go the railroad commission requires a pre construction permit if the gathering line is a class 2,3,4 or 5 or is over one mile long. Okay, so if you look at the map presented to the town the gathering lines would be classified as a Class 2 and be over one mile long. However, there is not a pre construction permit filed with the RRC. So that means Mockingbird is trying to say that this gathering line is a Class 1 and is less than one mile long. (Class 1:1-10 homes within 250 of pipeline/ Class 2:11-30 homes) The only way they can claim this is to segment the line. So they are saying that from the Wright well to the Blessing well is one segment.....the Blessing to the Compressors is another segment.... and Compressors to meter another, so on and so forth) However, remember what was presented to the P&Z and council was all one line of gathering pipelines. So when I asked the question to the RRC if they could do this the response was " we do not like for them to do this but there is nothing we can do to stop them". Yes guys NO penalties or fines from the RRC. Also a class 1 pipeline is not inspected by the RRC. In fact......
At the January "Town Hall" meeting in Lantana the Denton Record Chronicle reported:"In the final half hour, some residents asked which state officials had rule-making authority over the proposed wastewater pipelines. Williams has told local public officials that they plan to collect wastewater at centralized facilities and then pump it to the injection site. State officials said no one had rule-making authority over those pipelines.
No one from the railroad commission's pipeline safety division would inspect the wastewater lines, but the commission's oil and gas division would come out if the line failed and a clean-up was required."
Oh, okay this really makes me feel better. So when someone's life or property has been compromised then the RRC will come out. 

3 comments:

  1. So, it's not what the pipeline carries but how it's classified that determines whether or not it gets inspected? I thought the non-inspected pipeline referenced at the town hall was the waste water pipeline.

    This is all very interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You are correct, the waste water pipelines are not inspected as discovered at the town hall meeting. In addition, a class 1 gathering pipeline is not inspected. Because the RRC does not required a permit.

    Therefore, what is interesting about the Mockingbird pipeline from the Wright well to the Jeter Rd. site is that this group of gathering lines is over a mile long and should be at least a class 2. A waste water line is also present. This should of needed a permit from the RRC. However, at last check this has not happened so the RRC has no permit and therefore no record of this pipeline even existing. The only way I see that Mockingbird could of accomplished this is to segment the line.

    Thank you for asking for clarification. I hope this helps.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Here is an alarming fact. I called the Railroad Commission about the 3 pipelines that are going in. Here is what his response was:

    "What pipelines? I wasn't aware of any pipelines that were going in." I will have to look into it."

    I have been hot to the EPA on this one. Non-stop, you can be too!

    BTW, the RRC called back and said the brown pipeline was to be carrying Waste Water. They do have the permit from TX DOT for the installation along 407. They do not have any permits from Denton County other than Jeter Rd. They do not have a permit to cross 407. And I have not been in touch with Argyle in regards to this matter.
    If you are a property owner you can say 'no' to this waste water pipeline. It is in the opinion that it is not considered a 'utility'.

    ReplyDelete