--> Abstract: Managing the Environmental Challenges of Producing Methane from Warrior Basin Coals, by S. W. Lambert; #90987 (1993).

Datapages, Inc.Print this page

LAMBERT, STEPHEN W., Methane Technical Services, Taurus Exploration, Birmingham, AL

ABSTRACT: Managing the Environmental Challenges of Producing Methane from Warrior Basin Coals

In 1989, Taurus Exploration acquired the assets of an independent coal bed methane producer in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. Those assets included 18 producing wells and 15,000 acres of potentially developable property. While remaining as operator of the project, Taurus sold a portion of its acquired interest to TECO Coalbed Methane, a subsidiary of TECO Energy of Tampa, Florida. Driven by the Section 29 tax credit, the Taurus field operation quickly grew into a very large-scale and rapid development program, beginning in late June 1989. Taurus continued to lease adjacent acreage and by June 1990, had expanded the project to approximately 33,000 acres, adding Chevron to the joint venture effort. By the end of 1990, Taurus had drilled approximately 400 multi-zone coal bed methane wells, ompleted 326 wells, and had begun pumping operations at 256 wells. Current production from the 400 well project now stands at 65 MMCFD, and rising.

The scale and pace of Warrior Basin coal bed methane well development challenged the capability of both operators and regulators to fully address the then rapidly increasing range of environmental concerns. Taurus' response to this challenge was to incorporate, indeed emphasize, management of environmental issues into the planning, development, and production phases of the project. Specific field procedures were established that provided for avoidance of potential environmental harm, such as pre-construction well site biological and archeological assessments; or for minimal impact, such as the formulation of Best Management Practices for landerosion control; or for both, such as Spill Prevention Control and Counter Measure Plans. Headquarters and field operations personnel organizatio s were altered to provide and place staff in highly visible roles focused on maintaining set corporate objectives of environmental excellence. The entire company was brought quickly to a singular mindset in which consideration of environmental implication(s) became a work standard expected for each and every field activity and individual job task.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90987©1993 AAPG Annual Convention, New Orleans, Louisiana, April 25-28, 1993.