Monday, March 27, 2023
  • Submit news
  • Contact
  • DMCA
  • Cookie Privacy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
Oil Market News
  • Home
  • Marketdaily
  • Price
  • crudenow
  • Companies
  • politics
  • Gas
  • investing
  • Stock
  • OPEChot
  • brend
  • ships
Oil Market News
Home Gas

Report: Texas Railroad Commission is failing to regulate deadly H2S “sour” gas

11 months ago
in Gas
Report: Texas Railroad Commission is failing to regulate deadly H2S “sour” gas
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


In West Texas oil fields, a rotten egg smelling gas is commonly released from the oil wells. It’s hydrogen sulfide and it’s as lethal as it is smelly. The Texas Railroad’s Commission is supposed to license these “sour wells” but a new report says Texas is failing to adequately regulate these sites and the toxic emissions that can have deadly consequences.

In October 2019, Jacob and Natalee Dean died of hydrogen sulfide poisoning at an Aghorn oilfield pump house near Odessa.

“The gentleman had gotten a call to go out and check this pump apparently when he opened the door or something to that effect, he was overcome by h2s gas,” said Ector County Sheriff Mike Giffis.

After several hours, his wife worried he was taking too long. She loaded their two kids in the car and drove to the pump house to search for him. When she went into the pump house, she also succumbed to the poison gas. The children remained in the car and survived.

“It’s just an awful, awful situation. Two little kids have lost their parents,” said Griffis.

But this was more than a terrible accident. According to an investigation by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, this tragic loss of life was unnecessary and could have been avoided. Six hydrogen sulfide gas safety measures were ignored or not in place.

Chemical Safety Board Chairperson and CEO Katherine Lemos said the oil producers in the Permian Basin should take hydrogen sulfide gas safety seriously.

“Hydrocarbons from the Permian Basin in particular are known to contain high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide that are immediately dangerous to life or health,” Lemos said.

The Chemical Safety Board found that Aghorn Operations did not require the wearing of H2S monitors, the H2S warming beacon malfunctioned, there was no written training process for H2S leaks, and the building wasn’t properly ventilated.

“We urge companies operating oil and gas facilities to understand the findings from this investigation and implement appropriate safeguards and training,” Lemos said.

The CSB also made recommendations to the Railroad Commission of Texas, addressing the requirements for protecting workers from hazardous air contaminants and from hazardous energy. However, according to a newly released report, the Railroad Commission is failing to enforce licensing requirements for H2S producing oil facilities and overly relies on industry self-reporting.

“The Railroad Commission is not following up and making sure that these operators get the permits they need, and they are allowing the industry to basically tell on themselves. So that would be like, if you were driving and you were speeding, and you got home and called the DPS and said, ‘Hey, I was, and you need to come give me a ticket,’” said Sharron Wilson, a field advocate with Earthworks.

Earthworks released the report that documents the dangers of hydrogen sulfide gas in Texas and how the Railroad Commission of Texas is failing to enforce H2S safety laws.

“The Railroad Commission does not keep up with this thing. We, we have to stop depending on the oil and gas industry to be a good actor, they have shown us over and over that they will not be a good actor. So having all voluntarily submitted information is just, you know, it’s never worked and it’s not, it’s clear. It’s not going to work,” said Wilson.

The report, titled “Fatal Vapors: How Texas oil and gas regulators cause avoidable deaths,” finds that 51% of poison gas wells in RRC District 8 — which encompasses most of the Permian Basin — do not have required permits intended to prevent harm from sour gas released by oil and gas production.

There is a long history in Texas of fatal accidents with hydrogen sulfide gas. The most well know might be the Denver City Tragedy. On February 2 1975, an oil field pipe ruptured and H2S gas leaked — killing nine people. A granite monument stands at the intersection of Texas 214 and Texas 83 in memorial but the report’s author Jack McDonald said a better memorial might be doing more to prevent H2S deaths, particularly when it comes to worker training.

“Railroad Commission regulation says that if they are going to be exposed to it, they should be trained on how to handle it, how to act safely around it. However, in practice, our report shows that potentially some operators are not receiving that training. Moreover, our report has documented numerous instances where OSHA has found that operators were instructing workers to act in unsafe ways and therefore increasing their risk of hydrogen sulfide exposure,” said McDonald.

McDonald said it is possible to have a robust and profitable petroleum industry in Texas and follow the law when it comes to H2S gas.

“So there really should not be any incremental damage to these in order to follow the law. But they don’t follow the law anyways seemingly because they don’t want to deal with those regulations. Things like putting signs at their well, telling the public that the well produces dangerous chemicals, something like that is clearly not onerous. And yet operators don’t follow the law,” he said.

In a written statement the Railroad Commission responded:

“The Railroad Commission has a strong program of compliance inspections of all oil and gas wells. In addition to compliance inspections, The Railroad Commission inspectors are deployed to wells to investigate issues, including all complaints. Violations are inspected until addressed and compliance has been achieved.”

Sue Franklin disagrees that the Railroad Commission is forcing well operations to comply with the law. She and her husband lived near Verhalen, which is between Pecos and Balmorhea. In recent years there’s been a boon of oil drilling close to their home, including one site called the Red Unit.

“And it was marked with a big H2S sign poison gas keep out bla bla bla – and we were assured that we would never get any smell or anything at our house but there were many nights that I woke up just gagging with gas in the house,” Franklin said.

Franklin began to have chronic breathing problems caused by the H2S gas and she was forced to move. The experience has soured her on the Texas oil industry.

“They need to shut it all down,” she said.

That’s unlikely to happen. The report calls for the Railroad Commission to overhaul regulating H2S gas wells in the state — including tracking which operators need regulation — and to address health threats posed by sour gas.





www.tpr.org

Latest Oil News

Texas Justices Consider Company’s Pause on Oil & Gas Payments

Texas Justices Consider Company’s Pause on Oil & Gas Payments

February 1, 2023
Gasoil margins fall on cautious sentiment amid firm oil

Gasoil margins extend losses on cautious sentiment

January 31, 2023
Monitoring Government: EPA tightens oil & gas emission rules

Monitoring Government: EPA tightens oil & gas emission rules

January 30, 2023
Indonesia faces difficult task to create OPEC-like group for nickel

Oil And Gas In For Turbulent Year As Governments And Industry Butt Heads

January 29, 2023
Tags: CommissiondeadlyfailingGasH2SRailroadregulatereportsourTexas
Previous Post

Northern Oil and Gas Announces Early Results of Its Tender Offer and Consent

Next Post

Oil prices up on drop in U.S. crude stockpiles, IEA data

Related Posts

Texas Justices Consider Company’s Pause on Oil & Gas Payments

Texas Justices Consider Company’s Pause on Oil & Gas Payments

by Oil Market News
February 1, 2023
0

Texas justices on Wednesday weighed whether operators of oil and gas leases can withhold payments without interest under the safe...

Gasoil margins fall on cautious sentiment amid firm oil

Gasoil margins extend losses on cautious sentiment

by Oil Market News
January 31, 2023
0

Asia’s 10 ppm sulphur gasoil margins extended losses for a second consecutive session, as cautious trading sentiment continue to weigh...

Monitoring Government: EPA tightens oil & gas emission rules

Monitoring Government: EPA tightens oil & gas emission rules

by Oil Market News
January 30, 2023
0

Photo: Adobe In November, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rolled out its supplemental proposed methane emissions rule, primarily aimed...

Indonesia faces difficult task to create OPEC-like group for nickel

Oil And Gas In For Turbulent Year As Governments And Industry Butt Heads

by Oil Market News
January 29, 2023
0

Windfall taxes, price caps, and calls for more oil and gas production marked 2022 in oil and gas. It looks...

Beshear, oil and gas leaders pitch using fossil fuels to make hydrogen fuel in

Beshear, oil and gas leaders pitch using fossil fuels to make hydrogen fuel in

by Oil Market News
January 28, 2023
0

This story is by the Kentucky Lantern, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants...

Focus on Water & Wastewater Treatment, Oil & Gas, Chemicals & Petrochemicals,

Internet of Things-as-a-Service to Enable Improved Opportunities

by Oil Market News
January 27, 2023
0

DUBLIN, Jan. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Process Gas Reciprocating and Centrifugal Compressor Services Market in the Oil and...

Next Post
Oil prices up on drop in U.S. crude stockpiles, IEA data

Oil prices up on drop in U.S. crude stockpiles, IEA data

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Trend Oil News

Oilfield services groups cheer ‘structural upcycle’ after highly profitable year

Oilfield services groups cheer ‘structural upcycle’ after highly profitable year

2 months ago
EU reaches deal for $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian oil

EU reaches deal for $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian oil

4 months ago
Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller Talks Accomplishments, Politics, and Trump At Pecan

Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller Talks Accomplishments, Politics, and Trump At Pecan

6 months ago
Report Examines Safety of Future Fuels

Report Examines Safety of Future Fuels

9 months ago
Business News | Stock and Share Market News | Finance News

Business News | Stock and Share Market News | Finance News

10 months ago
ADVERTISEMENT
Libyan state oil chief stresses support across divided country

Libyan state oil chief stresses support across divided country

March 26, 2023

Iraq wins landmark case against Turkey over Kurdish oil exports

March 25, 2023

UK government expected to offer energy companies windfall tax relief

March 24, 2023

Fears of an energy price surge percolate through sector

March 23, 2023

US regulator vows ‘aggressive’ crackdown on oil and gas methane leaks

March 22, 2023

Global commodity traders open to increasing Russian oil volumes

March 21, 2023

Crude Oil

4 Days from Deadline, EU Fails To Agree On Russian Oil Products Price Cap

4 Days from Deadline, EU Fails To Agree On Russian Oil Products Price Cap

February 1, 2023
Oil rises after U.S. fuel stocks draw down; economic concerns loom

Oil prices settle steady on higher U.S. demand, weaker dollar

January 31, 2023
S&P 500 Down 1%; Crude Oil Drops Over 2%

S&P 500 Down 1%; Crude Oil Drops Over 2%

January 30, 2023
Russia Can’t Replace the Energy Market Putin Broke

Russia Can’t Replace the Energy Market Putin Broke

January 29, 2023

Investing

Orbital Sidekick Raises $10M Investment to Monitor Oil and Gas Industry from Space 

Orbital Sidekick Raises $10M Investment to Monitor Oil and Gas Industry from Space 

February 1, 2023
Crude Oil Shielded From Bond and Stock Market Rout

Clean-energy investing poised to top money backing oil and gas after hitting a record

January 31, 2023
Crude Oil Shielded From Bond and Stock Market Rout

The Cushing® MLP & Infrastructure Total Return Fund Announces Fund Name Change

January 30, 2023
Boeing’s 747, the original jumbo jet, prepares for final send-off By Reuters

Boeing’s 747, the original jumbo jet, prepares for final send-off By Reuters

January 29, 2023

Market

Libyan state oil chief stresses support across divided country

Libyan state oil chief stresses support across divided country

March 26, 2023
Iraq wins landmark case against Turkey over Kurdish oil exports

Iraq wins landmark case against Turkey over Kurdish oil exports

March 25, 2023
UK government expected to offer energy companies windfall tax relief

UK government expected to offer energy companies windfall tax relief

March 24, 2023
Fears of an energy price surge percolate through sector

Fears of an energy price surge percolate through sector

March 23, 2023

OPEC

US Close- Fed signals more hikes coming, Powell says disinflation process begun, ADP

US Close- Fed signals more hikes coming, Powell says disinflation process begun, ADP

February 1, 2023
‘OPEC does not control the price’: OPEC President | OPEC News

‘OPEC does not control the price’: OPEC President | OPEC News

January 31, 2023
OPEC+ Closely Watches Chinese Factory Data

OPEC+ Closely Watches Chinese Factory Data

January 30, 2023
Week Ahead: FOMC, BOE, ECB, OPEC, NFP and Big Tech Earnings

Week Ahead: FOMC, BOE, ECB, OPEC, NFP and Big Tech Earnings

January 29, 2023
  • Submit news
  • Contact
  • DMCA
  • Cookie Privacy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

© 2022 OilMarket.News

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Market
  • Price
  • crude
  • Companies
  • politics
  • Gas
  • investing
  • Stock
  • OPEC
  • brend
  • ships

© 2022 OilMarket.News

wpDiscuz
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.