Navarro County Times, Corsicana, Texas

Sour Gas Well

Written by Stephen R. Farris

Monday, 03 March 2008

The subject of a Sour Gas Well proposed near SECR 0070 still is not sitting well with some of the area’s residents as the Navarro County courtroom was packed Thursday, February 21, 2008, for the combined Lake Planning and Zoning/County Commissioners meeting.O’Ryan Oil Company has proposed moving the well back from public roads after the original plan had the well some 1,268 feet from the new site, which would cause the Radius of Exposure to cross over the roads and include a few surrounding residences.The Radius of Exposure is what everyone is concerned about if high levels of hydrogen sulfide or H2S were to escape from the well.

At 772 feet, the Radius of Exposure (ROE) is 500 ppm (parts per million) and is lethal, and at 1,690 feet, the ROE is 100 ppm and could cause irritation to the eyes if there were problems of gas escaping. “We look at the worse case scenarios when our company puts in a well like this,” said Ryan Heriffen, spokesman for O’Ryan Oil. “This is an oil well … not a gas well. The product we take out will be moved from the site and produced elsewhere at a processing plant located south of the location. Other than moving the well site, nothing else has changed.”Michael O’Quinn, with the Railroad Commission’s Kilgore office, was asked several questions, including O’Ryan’s safety record.“I can’t answer that,” O’Quinn said.

Nearby residents located near the proximity of the proposed well are concerned, too, with an escape route if the need to evacuate ever comes up. The new proposal would allow, what the company calls, a safe route from the area, which was not the case with the old proposal.“If the well head were to snap off,” O’Quinn said, “The 22,000 ppm is right there at the well head. As the parts mix with air, it starts to thin out and that’s where the 100-500 ppm comes into play.”

Another problem for the County is amending the Navarro County Lakeshore Area Oil and Gas Ordinance regarding wells subject to statewide rule 36 (hydrogen sulfide area).Bob Frisby was part of the LP&Z Board when this ordinance was founded.“We worked to get this ordinance put together,” Frisby said, “and recognized it had to be a viable piece of work. We are not in favor of anything that will de-value the property around the lake.”Frisby warned both LP&Z and County Commissioners that if they voted to amend the ordinance, as a precedent, they were going to start a stampede, referring to other oil companies coming in and setting up shop.

However, the amendment would not change anything to the ordinance other than setting up an appeal process in which the county could still say yes or no, and reducing the chances of the county ending up in a lawsuit.The filing fee for the Special Use Permit, in regards to this matter, was changed from the normal $250 fee to $5,000 as advised by Terry Jacobson, the County’s lawyer.“If citizens have more questions,” said O’Quinn, “our records are open to the public for review.”

No action was taken during this combined meeting, however, during their regular meeting on Monday, February 25, 2008, the Navarro County Commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of amending the ordinance. Commissioners Olsen and Harrington joined County Judge H.M. Davenport in voting for the change, while Commissioners Baldwin and Holt voted against. In other business, on Monday, the commissioners opted to continue the burn ban, and will consider the issue again at their next meeting.

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