Transcript Shale Gas Development and Production Activities Understanding Air Quality Impacts Mike Abraczinskas, Deputy Director North Carolina Division of Air Quality Air Quality Committee Environmental Management Commission March.

Shale Gas Development
and Production Activities
Understanding Air Quality Impacts
Mike Abraczinskas, Deputy Director
North Carolina Division of Air Quality
Air Quality Committee
Environmental Management Commission
March 13, 2013
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Overview
• Air emission sources and pollutant profiles
• Regulatory framework
• Air Permitting and Compliance
– Understanding the processes, sources and emissions
– Learning from others
• Emissions Inventories
– What data is available? What data is needed?
– Estimate emissions per well site
– Estimate air quality impacts
• Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Plan
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Source Profile
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Regulatory Structure – Air Sources
• Overall, a regulatory framework is in place covering air
emission sources (and the permitting process) at shale
gas development and production facilities.
• Only minor tweaks to existing rules may be necessary.
• WV, PA, KY, WY, OK, TX, AR, LA - No new state air
quality rules were required.
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Air Quality Permitting
• Learning from other states
• How have they handled the different phases of the shale gas
development process?
• Looked at AR, CO, PA, WV, TX, WY, OK, LA, KS, UT, OH
• None cover the drilling/fracturing/completion stage of the process
in air quality permits.
– Drilling/fracturing not considered stationary sources
– Although, completion may be rolled into permits.
• Several states have developed general permits for the production
stage (mainly small air permits for storage vessels and generators)
• Most compressors require a permit.
• Processing facilities have the potential to be Title V major sources.
• This information will help shape DAQ’s permitting approach.
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Emissions Inventories
• Learning from others.
– Gathering emission factors per pollutant to enable estimates of
emissions per well developed.
– Includes:
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truck trips and idling,
land clearing and unpaved roads
drilling and drilling mud
fracturing
completion
• Once DAQ has estimates on number of wells in a
particular area, emissions estimates can be generated.
– Allows air quality impacts to be assessed.
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Project Plan for Baseline Ambient Air
Monitoring near Potential Hydraulic
Fracturing Zones in Lee County, NC
Mike Abraczinskas, Deputy Director
North Carolina Division of Air Quality
March 13, 2013
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Background
• 2012 DENR Study – recommended collection of
baseline air quality data.
• Session Law 2012-143 – requires rules related to
collection of baseline data in areas where oil and gas
exploration and development activities are proposed.
• DAQ has the authority and expertise to accomplish
baseline monitoring objectives without additional rule
making.
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What to monitor?
• Limited information in NC
• Relied on experiences of Arkansas, Colorado,
Pennsylvania, Texas, Wyoming and USEPA.
• Helped indentify target air pollutants.
Air Pollutant Category
Typically Monitored Pollutants
Speciated volatile organic
compounds (VOCs)
benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylenes,
hexanes, 2,2,4-trimethylbenzene, styrene
Aldehydes
formaldehyde, acetaldehyde
Criteria Air Pollutants
Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone,
particulate matter (PM 2.5)
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Monitoring Objectives
• Collect data on targeted air pollutants to establish
ambient air quality prior to start-up of possible
emission sources from shale gas exploration.
• Minimum of one year of data is recommended to
account for any seasonal, weekly and daily variations.
• Use standard monitoring protocols and methods to
ensure consistent, high quality data.
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Where to monitor?
• Assessment of existing monitoring network relative to
shale gas deposits.
• Identified existing, well-placed upwind and downwind
multi-pollutant air monitoring locations in Montgomery
and Wake counties.
– Sites near the Triassic Basin, but not within the area that may
be considered most promising for shale gas production.
• Sanford sub-basin in Lee County
– No existing air monitoring in Lee County.
• Recommendation: Establish a multi-pollutant air
monitoring site in Lee County.
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NC Air Quality Monitoring Network
Dan River basin
Deep River basin
Sanford sub-basin
Recommended air monitoring location
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Summary
• Expanding knowledge base
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Gaining understanding of emission sources
Becoming familiar with federal rules that apply
Permitting team
Emissions Inventory team
Baseline monitoring plan in place. Will begin process of
looking for an appropriate monitoring site – March 2013.
• Gathering information from other state air agencies
where shale gas development activities are happening.
• Information will help shape DAQ’s approach.
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Contact Information
Mike Abraczinskas, CPM, EIT
Deputy Director
NC Division of Air Quality
(919) 707-8447
– Visit our web site:
• http://www.ncair.org/
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[email protected]
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