Can anyone explain why REX declared "force majeure" because of the recent pipeline rupture in Ohio?  Does this mean they think it was an act of terrorism?  How can they claim faulty work by their own contractor is comparable to an "act of God"?  Any thoughts?

This was in the Cattle Network report today. Here is the Wikipedia definition of "force majeure".  Does it fit the circumstances of the recent Ohio pipeline rupture?  You be the judge.

"Force Majeure (French for "superior force"), also known as cas fortuit (French) or casus fortuitus (Latin)[1], is a common clause in contracts which essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties, such as a war, strike, riot, crime, or an event described by the legal term "act of God" (e.g., flooding, earthquake, volcanic eruption), prevents one or both parties from fulfilling their obligations under the contract. However, force majeure is not intended to excuse negligence or other malfeasance of a party, as where non-performance is caused by the usual and natural consequences of external forces (e.g., predicted rain stops an outdoor event), or where the intervening circumstances are specifically contemplated."

Here is the link and the appropriate excerpt from the report.  
CattleNetwork.com
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Natural-Gas-Outlook--Storage-Is-12-Percent-Above-5-Year-Average/2009-11-19/Article.aspx?oid=942254&fid=CN-LATEST_NEWS_&aid=760 <http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Natural-Gas-Outlook--Storage-Is-12-Percent-Above-5-Year-Average/2009-11-19/Article.aspx?oid=942254&amp;fid=CN-LATEST_NEWS_&amp;aid=760>

Natural Gas Outlook: Storage Is 12 Percent Above 5-Year Average
 
"- Rockies Express (REX) declared a force majeure on the east leg of the pipeline on November 16, only a few days after it placed this segment into service. The force majeure was necessitated by a rupture on the pipeline east of the Chandlersville compressor station in Muskingum County, Ohio. The affected section of the pipeline was immediately isolated; however, REX has not yet determined the length of the outage. As a result of the rupture, nominations through Segment 390 in Ohio are not being scheduled and five pipeline interconnects remain unavailable."

Joe Rust

 
   

Some in Arlington neighborhood unhappy with pipeline plans

By SUSAN SCHROCK

sschrock@...

ARLINGTON — Several southeast Arlington residents say they fear for their safety — and their property values — after learning about a natural gas pipeline that will run behind their back yards beneath high-voltage power lines.

DFW Midstream Services plans to install a low-pressure pipeline to collect natural gas from drill sites around Arlington Municipal Airport and transport it to larger lines nearby for market delivery.

The pipeline would be buried largely in utility easements, except for a section of the Coldwater Creek neighborhood where some residents own the land behind their fence lines where the pipeline would run.

Many of those residents, who live off Sublett Road between New York Avenue and Collins Street, have refused DFW Midstream's easement request. State law allows the company to condemn private land for the pipeline. Construction could begin early next year, company officials said.

Ed Flanegin, who has lived on Winter Park Lane for three years, called the company's $600 offer to sign a 40-year easement agreement for his land "a joke." He has a sign in his front yard that says: "No Pipeline."

"I have to maintain it. I have to keep paying property taxes on it. It makes my home value go down and my insurance go up," Flanegin said. "I can't afford it anymore, but they are making millions."

DFW Midstream President Brett Wiggs said that he understands residents' concerns about the pipeline but that the company follows even stricter regulations than those imposed by the state.

Wiggs said the company plans to bury the 24-inch line at least 6 feet underground — 3 feet deeper than required. The company also X-rays each weld to make sure it's solid, takes measures to prevent the pipes from rusting and periodically runs testing equipment through the line to check for problems, he said.

"There are a number of steps we take to ensure the integrity of our pipeline systems. We believe it is actually safer operating in existing utilities," he said.

Good neighbor

Over the next three years, DFW Midstream plans to lay 85 to 110 miles of pipeline to collect and transport natural gas from well sites between Lake Arlington, Joe Pool Lake and Mountain Creek Lake. The company is already transporting natural gas being pumped from Carrizo Oil & Gas wells at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Almost half of the system's lines will be in existing utility and road rights of way, Wiggs said.

"We are in this urban environment. It's extremely important to us to be a good neighbor," Wiggs said. "By utilizing those existing rights of ways, it minimizes the long-term impact on the community because we aren't encumbering land that could be developed for other uses."

Residents say that they may not be able to stop the pipeline but that they want better financial offers.

Some, such as Jeana Cole, said they want the company to put in writing what they are going to do to ensure residents' safety and to be open to some of the neighborhood's requests, which include using new American-made pipe, odorizing the gas to help with leak detection and monitoring the line weekly for leaks.

"It's about our safety and our kids," Cole said.

Limited control

Wiggs said that his company has made fair offers for the easement use based on independent appraisals and that some property owners have negotiated higher payments. Wiggs said the company will go to court to reach a settlement with property owners who do not voluntarily sign agreements.

Cole and other residents said they feel as if they have no one to look out for them. The Texas Railroad Commission cannot regulate the pipeline's route, and Arlington has control only when the pipeline crosses public property.

This week, Flanegin, Cole and other residents carried protest signs in front of City Hall and spoke to the City Council in opposition of the pipeline. While the council could not comment because the item was not on the agenda, Councilman Robert Rivera said after the meeting that he is sympathetic to residents' concerns.

UPDATE 2-Pennsylvania residents sue over gas drilling

By Jeff Ferrell – 

SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) – Fifteen families got the `all clear' to return home Friday, two days after a gas well explosion forced their evacuation in north DeSoto Parish, 35-miles south of Shreveport.  But, the dust is still settling on the case and on their properties

A property owner even gave us a bag of the black, sticky dust which feels a bit like play dough.  "This is what's fallen in the middle of the road down here," said that nearby property owner.  Not wanting his face shown, nor his full name used, the man told us to simply call him "Mr. Thompson." 

Mr. Thompson's property lies a quarter mile from the site of Wednesday's (11/18/09) gas well blow-out, about 3-miles east of Grand Cane, Louisiana.  "I want to find out what this black residue stuff is," said Thompson. 

KSLA News 12 is told that black, sticky dust is actually shale shot-up through the busted gas well before falling back to the ground in a kind of `black rain.'  Thompson's biggest fear:  "My kids.  You know, they're liable to show up in ten years with some type of cancer because of this stuff." 

Otis Randle, Regional Manager for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), told me over the phone that the black dust is very common at gas well explosions and said it is quote, "nothing really to be concerned about," and that quote, "a good rain will wash it away." 

Randle said that's why his field crews took no soil samples for further testing.  We know that Chesapeake Energy, which owns the well, took samples for testing.  Thompson told us, he was assured he would be compensated financially if that testing found toxic levels.

In fact, during our visit a Chesapeake employee arrived at Thompson's home.  But the employee quickly told us to shut-off our camera or he'd be forced to leave and come back at a later time.  We obliged and turned off the camera.

That Chesapeake employee soon left, along with testing contractor Jones Environmental, traveling right behind him in their own vehicle.  Only then did Mr. Thompson bring out his digital camera to show photos he took near the gas well after the explosion. 

Thompson began to narrate, "this here is a truck that came out from back there.  The truck is white.  It's supposed to be white.  It's covered in black dust." 

Thompson also fears for his animals and said he's not alone.  "A guy, he asked me not to say his name, with you know another government agency, told me if it was his horses and stuff they wouldn't eat none of this hay or water that's been exposed to it." 

Mr. Thompson expects to hear about any compensation from Chesapeake, for exposure to that black dust, after the Thanksgiving holiday. 

Losing trees but saving 'hoot' habitat

Richard Tsong-Taatarii, Star Tribune

About 5,000 trees are being cleared in a 30-yard swath in Lake Rebecca Park Reserve to make way for a gas pipeline. As part of a settlement the pipeline company will pay to replant native species in the area.

Trees and owls must make way for a new natural gas pipeline that parallels one that crosses the Lake Rebecca Park Reserve.

Clearing brush, trees.

 
 
   


I know we are on the verge of beating this incident to death, but so many                       
things about this really need both thought & discussion.

First, Noel: Yes, gas is lighter than air, but this is risky to do in any case,
as you know. I remember the NTSB Report of an employee killing himself at
a Terminal in Ohio by accident by igniting crude oil with his truck while
trying to handle a leak. And, crude is *supposed* to be harder to ignite,
but it happens often with crude in other accidents.

Rick: I can't tell if that 15 feet means 15 feet from a girth weld into a
longitudinal weld. If it's a girth weld, then it's likely a field welding quality
issue, but if it's longitudinal, then it could mean really bad things for that
batch of pipe. I know about the PHMSA Advisory for bad pipe. I also know
that foreign steel makers can sign all the forms in the world, but if their mill
process is set up wrong, it means absolutely nothing. We might be about
to set the worries about steel pipe making back 40 years if bad batches of
pipe are being shipped. And, pipeline corporate bean counter may not
understand things like the relationship of hardness, toughness, and yield
strength. I hope no one is gambling that hydrostatic tests will find all of
these types of flaws.

Jerry: The recent EPNG & REX failures do show what can happen. It's even
worse with raw gas, due to no odorant, and heavier than air butane &
propane spreading out along the ground, ready to be ignited. Plus, add H2S
into the mix, and the risk to people grows.

And, let no one here forget:

http://www3.gendisasters.com/louisiana/53/natchitoches,-la-gas-pipeline-explosion,-mar-1965

http://files.usgwarchives.org/la/natchitoches/newspapers/pipeline.txt

1965, 17 dead in a gas pipeline explosion, caused by SCC. And, since this
location would probably be considered not to be a HCA today, no
requirement to check a pipeline in that area exists today. So, yes, big,
deadly accidents can still happen, even with current rules.

Also, a Fire Chief/Marshall can be removed easily for politics, so that's why
some of them say nothing about poor energy related facility siting & design.
I remember a Fire Chief commenting about the grave risk of having LNG
tankers in the busy harbor of his city on "60 Minutes" about 30 years ago.
I also bet that city got a new Fire Chief soon after that!

Joe & Chuck:: Yes, there's no air in the pipeline for an air-fuel explosion
inside, if one wants to get picky. But, once the product is out, all bets are
off! So, yes, that's a misleading comment from the Sheriff, but he may not
be aware of that. In any case, it show a problem in applying RP 1162.                                          

Rick & Joe: Pipeline failures caused by neglect many not meet the classic
definition of "Force Majeure", but EPNG quoted on their website that system
failures meet that definition in their agreements. Yes, I understand you can't
sign away negligence, but that might only be for bodily harm. Do our Lawyers
who read this have anything to say on the FM topic??  

Joe: In a former life, I was a steadily employed Test Tech for a Defense
Contractor. They were very big on "lowest cost keeps suppliers honest and
working hard". Well, this bit them big time, when a chip maker started sending
us RAM chips that normally passed first functional test, but started failing
the more they were tested/powered up, to the point of ZERO reliability at
the end product. They had to send back all of the sub assemblies for rework
to remove all those chips, costing the company several months of delivery,
and $32,000,000, which I don't know if my employer got back after they
resumed delivery again, or if they had to "eat it".

My employer was not allowed to declare FM to the Army, it seems, over
bad materials. It also showed the dangers of minimum low bid. I hope
someone in pipeline land is thinking that this story could happen to them
as well, with the lowest bid mentality in new pipe & construction costs.

Arnold: Yes, misusing FM for both the EPNG (IM issues, it seems) and REX
(materials or construction quality issues) accidents would be a bad precedent,
but if the ability to use FM so easily is written in their contracts, then
someone needs to set new limits on the use of FM.


-Mike H.


 
   

Gas pipeline blows in DeSoto; no one hurt

From Staff Reports

A natural gas pipeline burst and caught fire this afternoon in DeSoto Parish, according to the sheriff's office, but no one was hurt.

It happened before 2 p.m. off state Highway 5 near Murray Lane, DeSoto Sheriff Rodney Arbuckle said. That's near Kingston.

Workers shut off the leak, Arbuckle said, and will let the remaining gas burn off. No evacuations were necessary.

The pipeline belongs to the Exco company, Arbuckle said.

A gas well blowout last week in DeSoto killed a man who was a contractor for Chesapeake Energy Corp. At least 15 families also had to evacuate.

BREAKING NEWS: Evacuation ordered for neighborhoods near Shoun Trucking on Tennessee 126

CLAIRE GALOFARO | BRISTOL HERALD COURIER

Law enforcement officers diverted traffic from the area where a natural gas pipeline was punctured Friday afternoon.

State is asking Barnett Shale drillers to voluntarily cut air pollution

Posted Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009

By MIKE LEE

mikelee@...

FORT WORTH — State environmental regulators want natural gas companies to voluntarily emit less air pollution after tests showed high levels of a cancer-causing chemical near wells in the Barnett Shale gas field.

On Nov. 13, regulators from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Barnett's eight biggest operators discussed ways to cut benzene emissions, said Michael Honeycutt, chief of the commission's toxicology section.

Most natural gas wells produce condensate or drip oil, a lightweight form of crude oil that is collected in tanks along with saltwater and other drilling waste. The Barnett covers about 15 counties, and the amount of condensate varies from place to place. But it usually contains a number of volatile organic compounds, including benzene.

In August and October, the commission monitored well sites with infrared cameras and found hydrocarbon vapors coming from the hatches and valves on storage tanks and from vents on compressor stations, said Keith Sheedy, a commission engineer.

Air samples showed significant levels of benzene in several locations. One sample taken downwind from a tank seven miles west of DISH showed a level of 1,000 parts per billion, which is more than five times the commission's short-term exposure limit of 180 parts per billion.

That level is the equivalent of a person sniffing a can of gasoline, and it shows the need for more tests, including long-term sampling, Honeycutt said. A sample at another site found benzene at 500 parts per billion. Long-term exposure to benzene — a year or more — can lead to health problems including anemia, immune disorders and leukemia.

Honeycutt told a meeting of the Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods that his agency is taking the pollution problem seriously.

"The take-home message tonight is, we want to work on the benzene levels," he said.

On Friday, though, he said, "We don't know if this [level] is 1 out of every 2 facilities, 1 out of every 100 or 1 out of every 1,000."

The commission's results came shortly after tests conducted by Deborah Rogers, who runs an organic goat farm in west Fort Worth and by the town of DISH in Denton County. Those privately funded tests showed, along with benzene and other chemicals, high levels of carbon disulfide, which can lead to neurological problems.

Meanwhile, Rogers and other observers wonder why the state and gas industry took so long to act. Honeycutt said the commission began finding plumes of volatile organic compounds at Barnett oil and gas sites as far back as 2007.

The information, though, wasn't widely known when Fort Worth was rewriting its drilling ordinance in 2008 or when the Legislature met this year. At the time, industry officials strenuously opposed any suggestion that gas drilling and air pollution are linked.

"We cannot speak for other operators, but the wells and production equipment that Chesapeake Energy has in the Barnett Shale — specifically in Johnson and Tarrant counties — do not have volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions," Chesapeake Energy Vice President Julie Wilson wrote in an Oct. 14, 2008, e-mail to council members. "The gas in the Barnett is lean, meaning it is 95 to 96 percent methane gas (very clean) so it does not contain the liquid hydrocarbons that produce the VOC emissions."

Industry officials contacted last week said that they want to work on the pollution problem but also that they want more data from the state.

"It's in our best interest, economically and environmentally, to monitor these sites and to install the equipment when these emissions get to be significant," said Chip Minty, a spokesman for Devon Energy.

Quicksilver Resources, another major producer, issued a statement saying it "takes these concerns seriously and we feel we are compliant in matters regarding health, safety and environment. We are looking forward to receiving the data underlying the TCEQ studies in order to evaluate the full extent of this matter."

Chesapeake spokeswoman Jerri Robbins said last week that the company supports more testing but still questioned whether wells in Johnson and Tarrant County emit chemicals.

"Chesapeake's operating areas in the Barnett produce dry gas that generally does not contain liquid hydrocarbons which produce volatile organic compound emissions," Robbins said. "As more information becomes available and technology advances, we will continue to support efforts to reduce emissions further."

The commission expects to finish its study of Barnett emissions in December or January. What happens then is still open for debate, but "everything is on the table," a spokesman said.

Right now, most gas sites are operating under permits that don't set a level for benzene emissions. Honeycutt said the operators are being allowed to address the problem under a "find and fix" program — if they voluntarily reduce the emissions, they can avoid a penalty. The commission follows up by revising the permit to set a lower standard for benzene emissions.

"To some people, it's not a good solution, but I'll tell you, we get the reductions faster," he said.

It also makes sense for the companies to reduce the emissions because the chemicals being released are valuable, Honeycutt said.

It could take the commission three to five years to write a rule limiting the amount of benzene released from natural gas sites, Honeycutt told the League of Neighborhoods meeting.

State Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, said she wants the industry and the commission to come up with a plan to address the air pollution. She said she might also introduce legislation to speed up the commission's rule-making process.

"I'm hopeful we're going to have the companies come through and do what's asked of them," she said.

Rogers, who is helping to fund a private study of air pollution, questioned whether gas drilling in urban areas is worth the health risks, particularly in light of recent data that question the long-term production of Barnett Shale wells. She also said the industry needs to look at using existing technology to reduce the emissions. Some of those techniques are being used in national parks and at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.

"I am of the opinion that human habitat is just as important," she said.

Gas Line Explosion Causes Tucker Residents to Evacuate

PALESTINE, Nov. 23, 2009—A gas line ruptured in the Tucker area Sunday afternoon, causing residents to evacuate.

A 12-inch gas line erupted around 4:30 p.m. near Anderson County Roads 2130 and 2133.

According to Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor, the gas line was admitting a white cloud and making a loud noise.

Anderson County Sheriff deputies, Tucker Volunteer Fire Department, Elkhart Fire Department, the Constable and Texas Department of Transportation officers assisted in containing and evacuating the area. Only a few homes were evacuated, and they were allowed to return to their homes later that evening after Atmos Energy shut the line off.

"It was a good effort put out by everyone involved, and the gas company was able to get it shut off after a period of time," said Taylor.

According to Taylor it is unclear whether or not the gas line has been repaired, but the line is shut off.

There were no injuries.

Gas pipeline in Fort Worth would run along Interstate 30, not under neighborhood

By MIKE LEE

FORT WORTH — The state highway department has agreed in principle to allow a natural gas gathering line to run along Interstate 30 east of downtown, eliminating the need for a controversial pipeline beneath peoples' front yards on Carter Avenue.

If the pipeline is eventually built along I-30, it would end a high-profile dispute that became a rallying cry for opponents of gas drilling in Fort Worth. A conceptual plan for the I-30 route has been approved by Texas Department of Transportation officials in Fort Worth and Austin.

"They've gone through most of the approval process," agency spokeswoman Jodi Hodges said. "They'll still need to prepare an engineered, detailed plan but that [the I-30 route] is an option for them if they choose to pursue it."

A spokeswoman for Chesapeake Energy said the company "will be meeting next week to discuss the design and operational requirements that would need to be incorporated in order to construct the pipeline."

Chesapeake Energy's pipeline subsidiary, Texas Midstream Gas Services, has been trying for 18 months to build a pipeline between two natural gas sites along I-30. The company began acquiring right of way along Carter Avenue in June 2008 and filed condemnation suits against six homeowners.

The company said the Carter Avenue route was the simplest way to connect the two sites, since it has fewer hills and other obstacles.

The plan called for the pipeline to be bored deep beneath the homes, which would cause no disruption to the surface. But several residents said they were concerned about the potential for leaks or other problems, and some were livid at the idea of a private company condemning their land.

The Transportation Department maintained until about two months ago that it couldn't allow the pipeline to run along I-30 because of safety concerns. There are no access roads in the area, and state officials didn't want the pipeline construction to affect the flow of traffic on the freeway.

The case was closely watched.

Some residents were concerned that allowing the pipeline beneath private property would set a precedent for other neighborhoods. There are about 2,000 wells in Fort Worth, which sits on top of the Barnett Shale gas field, and operators have been building a network of pipelines to connect them.

Under state law, natural gas companies have the same right to condemn private land as cities or utility companies.

The Carter Avenue dispute led to a bill in the Legislature that would have made it harder for gas companies to take private land for pipelines; another bill would have forced the state to allow natural gas pipelines along freeways. Both bills died.

Maribel Chavez, the Transportation Department's district engineer, said in October that she was willing to help Chesapeake find a route along the freeway.

Details of the proposed route are scheduled to be rolled out during a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 2 at Meadowbrook Elementary School, 4330 Meadowbrook Ave.

"This is such a victory for the community," said City Councilwoman Kathleen Hicks, who represents the area. "The lesson here is when we try to think out of the box ... we can make things happen."

On the Waterfront: Suit filed over 2008 oil spill

N.Y. penalizes gas-drilling firm

Fortuna accused of misleading, bullying landowners

Canada pipelines urged to adopt security standard

* Standards agency develops uniform security strategy

* Not in response to bombings, but could help

CALGARY, Alberta, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Canadian energy companies are being urged to adopt a new set of standards to protect onshore oil and gas pipelines from vandalism and sabotage as police try to solve a case of gas line bombings in British Columbia.

CSA Standards developed the set of security management rules and requirements in conjunction with the National Energy Board, which regulates pipelines that cross into the United States or span provincial boundaries.

The national standards enable pipeline operators to establish uniform systems of oversight, planning and security operations, and provide for audits for those systems, officials said.

"It gives organizations a consistent approach to the items that they should be considering, whether it's information technology security or worker security," Suzanne Kiraly, CSA's president of standards, told reporters on Wednesday.

"From start to finish, it's a consistent framework to plan their own security management," Kiraly said.

The standards were not devised in response to the British Columbia bombings, but they would help pipeline operators develop plans to help protect against and reduce the impact of such incidents, officials said.

There have been six attacks on EnCana Corp (ECA.TO: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) pipelines near Dawson Creek, British Columbia, since October 2008 by an unknown saboteur who has warned that bombings will continue until the energy industry pulls out of the region.

Police have yet to make any arrests.

It is not known if the new standards would have prevented the attacks, said Brenda Kenny, chief executive of the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association.

"Sometimes, individuals with terrorism on their mind will find a way to do damage, and to that end of the story I think it's important to recognize that there is extensive monitoring, automatic shutdown and vociferous response by law enforcement agencies and the like," Kenny said.

Bemidji Pipeline Splits Public Opinion

Posted at: 11/25/2009 5:19 PM | KSAX.com
By: Megan Matthews

BEMIDJI, MINN. - The $3.4 billion pipeline project has been an economic boom for the area, but many Bemidji residents have had to make sacrifices for the pipes being buried just yards away from their homes.

"I realize it's good for the local economy, but we're not hearing the other side of the story, and we're just one family," Resident Lois Geiger said.

Geiger has lived in Bemidji for 17 years, and her house is one of many right alongside the new pipeline.

"Along comes a huge project like this, and wow they're there.  My house shakes when they're working.  It's shaking right now," Geiger said as construction workers welded pipe together just yards from her house.

Workers are installing the 36 inch pipe about 100 yards away from Geiger's house.  The project is so close, Geiger was paid to cut down four trees.  Many other residents had to do the same.

"There are people who had a lot more trees cut down than I did," Geiger said.

The project started in August 2009, and about 500 people from all over the country are staying in the area.

"We felt it was an economic boom for the area," Resident Kathy Jones said.

Area hotels and bars are making money of the workers, which has helped the economic situation of the town.

"I know here in Bemidji...the bars are happy campers, trust me," Geiger said.

Other residents, who aren't directly affected by the pipeline, enjoy watching the progress.

"We have found it interesting to watch, but...like I say we're not affected by it," Jones said.

Geiger and many others are affected by construction.  In fact, people's homes have been bought out to make room for the pipeline.  Geiger says she could lose her house if the project expands further in the future.

"I said to him, 'How far this way can you come towards our home?'  And he said, 'As far as we want,'" Geiger recalled from a conversation with an Enbridge representative.

The project is set to finish in December 2009, but Geiger says that's not soon enough.

"Tomorrow wouldn't be soon enough for me," she said.  "I feel like we've been invaded."

The thousand mile pipeline will stretch 1,000 miles from Alberta, Canada to Superior, Wis. when it's finished.

Written for the web by Megan Matthews

Dow's handling of leak irks resident

Published November 25, 2009

Barnett Shale air study reveals alarming results

by CHRIS HAWES / WFAA - TV

Posted on November 25, 2009 at 12:03 PM

Updated today at 3:30 PM

Tests are still under way, but News 8 has obtained some of the test results from the Barnett Shale Air Quality study, looking at levels of the cancer-causing toxin benzene.

If the air you breathe for years contains more than 1.4 parts per billion of benzene, state investigators start getting concerned about your health. "It can cause blood diseases leading up to leukemia," said Texas Commission on Environmental Quality toxicologist Dr. Mike Honeycutt.

So imagine the reaction of scientists looking at an air sample from a Targa Resources compressor station, outside Decatur, west of DISH in Denton County. The sample revealed a level of 1,100 parts per billion of benzene.

"That would be equivalent to opening up a can of gasoline and holding it up under your nose," Honeycutt said.

In a statement, Targa Resources president Joe Bob Perkins said:

"Targa Resources recently learned of a news story referring to the TCEQ's concerns over emissions from natural gas production in the Barnett Shale. Targa Resources has a strong commitment to our environmental obligations, and we have been recognized for our efforts to improve air quality. While Targa Resources' goal is to operate our facilities in compliance with all applicable regulations, we also focus on conducting our operations in cooperation with the communities in which we operate. Targa Resources has worked with the TCEQ to ensure compliance with current emissions permits in North Texas and will continue working with the TCEQ as it gathers data and considers updating existing regulations in the area."

But the study has uncovered even higher levels of benzene in the air. A sample taken at a nearby Devon Energy well head revealed 15,000 parts per billion of benzene.

Devon Energy spokesman Chip Minty points out a reading on public property, further from the wellhead, would have been lower, and provided the following statement:

"...a TCEQ survey sample reflected that a Devon well was emitting natural gas from its wellhead. Prior to its notification of this emission, Devon personnel had found and corrected the leak during the regular course of business ... Devon is sensitive to air quality in North Texas, and uses a number of innovations to reduce its air emissions, such as reduced emission completion methods, low emission valves and vapor recovery systems. Devon's ongoing effort to reduce emissions is part of Devon's role as a member of the Environmental Protection Agency's Natural Gas STAR program, a voluntary partnership aimed at reducing natural gas emissions. In addition to our independent efforts, we are working closely with TCEQ to address current emissions concerns in North Texas. We appreciate the leadership role TCEQ is playing in addressing recent questions about air quality in North Texas."

Other high readings revealed so far include a compressor station outside Weatherford and a disposal well outside Springtown in Parker County, both of which at dozens of times exceeded the benchmark for concern about long-term exposure.

Parker County Judge Mark Riley ordered the TCEQ testing and records be made available to any citizen who requests them,  free of charge. "We want everybody in the community to know there`s a potential here, and also there are steps being taken to hopefully resolve this issue," Riley said.

Since August, TCEQ has taken about 300 air samples at approximately 30 facilities in Tarrant, Wise, Denton, Park, and Johnson counties. Of those, 50 samples exceeded the commission's benchmark for concern about long-term health risk, which refers to exposure over multiple years.

TCEQ cautions that long-term testing is needed to see if the samples are in line with the benzene levels that exist over the course of a year.

"The benzene numbers that we're finding are coming from some part of the oil and gas facilities, so we have to figure out what parts, and how to resolve that issue," Honeycutt said.

The current study and full testing results won't be released for weeks. The next big hurdle may be figuring out how widespread elevated benzene emissions from natural gas facilities might be.

"We don't know if it's one out of every 10, one out of every 100, one out of every 1,000," Honeycutt said.

One area municipality isn't waiting. DISH -- ringed by compressor stations --  has sent a letter to companies in and around the town, asking operations be halted until more is known.

Thus far, the town southwest of Denton has received no responses.