california air resources board air monitoring near oil and ... · california oil and gas operations...

Ca lifo rn ia Environmental Protection Ag ency

0 : Air Resources Board

California Air Resources Board Air Monitoring Near

Oil and Gas Operations

Climate Action Team

Public Health Workgroup

Cal EPA Headquarters - Sierra Hearing Room

Sacramento, California

May 23, 2017

.

Ca liforn ia Environmental Protection Ag ency

0 ~ Air Resources Board

Outline

• Community monitoring

• Well stimulation treatment (WST)

2



Community Monitoring

Near Oil and Gas Facilities

3



Motivation to Monitor Near Oil and Gas Facilities

• Exposure concerns raised by communities

• Public awareness raised as a result of Aliso Canyon

underground natural gas leak, particularly aging

infrastructure

• California Council on Science and Technology (CCST)

independent review of well stimulation

recommendations:

○ Production generally a concern

○ Measure toxic emissions near production wells

○ Assess public health near all wells

○ Develop policies to limit exposures

4

Ca lifornia Environmental Protection Agency

0 Air Resources Board

Modoc

Shasta Lassen

Tehama

Northern Sierra

Placer

Tuok.unne

• Ma~sa

; .... Great Basin Unified

San ~quin valley Unified

\

Kem

Mojave Desert

South Coast

Scale

0 50 100 200 Miles

San Diego Imperia l - -0

0

Legend Oil and Associated Gas Wells

Non-Associated Dry Gas Wells

Air Districts

NOTE: OH and Gas wels presented on this figure are from the Departmeri of Oil and Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) website GlS shapefite "Al \/VeHs~ (posted 02/16/2016). (http:/M'WW.conservation.ca .gov/dog/maps/Pages/GISMapping2.aspx)

California Oil and Gas Operations

• Third largest oil producer,

15th largest natural gas

producer in US

• Generally, gas wells are

found in northern

California, oil wells further

south

• Gas produced with crude

oil is called associated

gas

5



California Oil and Gas Operations • Oil & Gas Production

• ~ 82,000 active production wells statewide

• ~ 122,000 plugged wells statewide

• Production equipment

• Wastewater percolation ponds

• Central Coast - 3

• Los Angeles - 1

• Central Valley ~ 1,000

• Transmission and compressor stations

• Natural gas underground storage facilities

6



A 0 -

Scale

50 100 -

S!lloyou

La Goleta Gas SoCal Gas Co

200 Miles

Capacrty lnformanon fiom EIA, 2014

Lo-

hnp /l<NN, e,a g,w/cfapr,o/ngqs/ngqa cfm?l_report-RP7

Legend

Working Gas Capacity (Mscf)

>50,000,000 to 100,000,000

Q >10,000,000 to 50,000,000

0 5,000,000 to 10,000,000

Pleasant Creek Gas Pacific Gas & Electric Co

GrHtBIIM\Unafted

llmpenll

.. 2 l

I 2 l f

Natural Gas Underground Storage Facilities

• Thirteen facilities located

throughout California

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Community Air Monitoring Scope

• Characterize emissions from oil and gas

operations

- Toxics and particulate matter

- Methane and other volatile organic

compounds

• Source testing as necessary

• Health risk assessment if supported by data

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Related ARB Efforts

• Statewide air quality and greenhouse gas

monitoring network

• Recently adopted regulation - Greenhouse

Gas Emissions Standards for Crude Oil and

Natural Gas Facilities

• Well stimulation air sampling and analysis

• Oil and gas wastewater pond research

• California aerial methane hotspots survey

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Existing Statewide Monitoring Networks Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Sites Air Quality Monitoring Sites

• Site

c::J Air Basin

County



• Tuscan Buttes

cfhlco

• ARB-operated stations

e ARB-funded station

P. lm Sprfn s

San Bernardino

Mextc.:ill

Sl Ge

H ende

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Public Outreach

• Actively solicit input from stakeholders

- Community members and organizations

- Environmental organizations

- Local air districts and other government agencies

- Other (e.g., academia, research organizations, etc.)

• Regional and local community meetings

• ARB webpage including schedules, progress, results

• E-mail listserv notifications

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Community Selection Criteria

Community

Selection

Air Monitoring

Data

Community

Concerns

& Public Input

Density of

Operations

Community

Proximity to

Facilities

CalEnviroScreen Local Air

District Input

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Methods and Resources

• Air monitoring methods

- Mobile vehicle monitoring (screening)

- Trailer mounted stationary monitoring

- Collection of air samples in canisters for analysis

• Data analysis methods

- Source attribution analysis

- Health risk assessment if supported by data

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Mobile Vehicle Monitoring

• Mobile screening to identify areas for investigation

• Supplementary monitoring to fill data gaps among

stationary trailers or to pinpoint sources

• Low emission hybrid-electric fueled vehicle

• State-of-the-art monitors for instant measurements of

methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, black

carbon and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene,

and xylenes)

• Discrete samples for analysis of toxic VOCs and

aldehydes

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Mobile Monitoring Stations

• Real time monitoring of methane, carbon dioxide,

carbon monoxide, black carbon, particulate matter

(PM), ozone, sulfur compounds (SO2/H2S)

• Hourly VOC speciation using gas chromatograph

• Particle-bound metals with a X-ray fluorescence

• 24-hour integrated canisters and filter based media for

laboratory analyses of toxic VOCs, aldehydes,

mercaptan, toxic metals, and PAHs/SVOC

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Well Stimulation Treatment (WST)

Operations

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Well Stimulation Treatment Operations in California

• Enhances oil production by making reservoir

more permeable, allowing oil to flow

• Includes hydraulic fracturing, acid

fracturing, matrix acidizing

• Vast majority in four fields in the San Joaquin

Valley

• California WST is unique

• Shallow wells, reservoirs more permeable,

less water use, duration ~<1 day

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Well Stimulation Treatment Operations in California

• Hydraulic fracturing

• Fluid injection increases pressure in an isolated

section of the well until nearby rock fractures

• Sand injected into fractures to prop them open

• Acid fracturing

• High pressure acidic fluid injection fractures nearby

rock, acid etches fracture walls to create permeability

• Matrix acidizing

• Acid pumped into well at low pressure dissolves rock,

creating permeability

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Senate Bill 4 (2013)

• Set the regulatory framework for WST activities in CA

• Required the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal

Resources (DOGGR) to prepare regulations to ensure

WST is done safely

• Requires DOGGR to issue permits to conduct WST

• Permit application must include detailed

information about fluids used, groundwater

monitoring plan, water management plan

• Requires public disclosure of WST operation details

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SB4: Independent Scientific Review of WST in CA

• Assessment of WST practices, impacts, gaps in data,

potential risks, and alternative practices

• Conducted by California Council on Science and

Technology (CCST) and published in 2015

• Conclusions:

• WST is a potential source of air quality impacts in California and

emissions can be concentrated near production wells

• Emissions from oil production generally is a concern

• Recommendations:

• Additional analysis, measurement and control of toxic air

contaminants (TACs), and assessment of public health near all

wells

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DOGGR Permit Application Process

• Oil and gas operators submit detailed

application to DOGGR

• DOGGR forwards application to ARB and local

air district, among others, for comments

• ARB and district may recommend provisions to

add to permit to address air quality concerns

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ARB Permit Application Comments

• No studies have measured emissions from

WST operations in California

• Operators generally include several TACs in

their proposed WST fluid (e.g. distillates,

ethylene glycol, methanol, phthalic anhydride,

vinylidene chloride-methylacrylate polymer)

• Therefore, ARB has recommended air

monitoring for selected WST operations

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Air Sampling and Analysis During WST Operations

• Requires operators to obtain air samples

before and during WST and analyze the

samples for toxics, aldehydes, PAHs, and

methane

• Air sampling typically over 8-12 hour operation

• ARB will coordinate with OEHHA for health risk

assessment if supported by data

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Air Sampling and Analysis During WST Operations

• Air sampling began in December 2016

• Limited sampling has been completed in three

oil fields in Kern County

• More data will be collected and analyzed prior

to reporting results

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Contact Information

WST Permit Sampling and Analysis

Carolyn Lozo, Industrial Strategies Division

(916) 445-1104 [email protected]

Community Air Monitoring Near Oil and Gas Facilities

Carolyn Lozo, Industrial Strategies Division


Ken Stroud, Monitoring and Laboratory Division


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mailto:[email protected]



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