Conference on groundwater and fracking in B.R. next week

Horizontal drilling has been in the oil and gas industry’s toolbox for a long time. But it was the development about five years ago of new chemicals that prevent algae growth that revolutionized hydraulic fracturing—or “fracking”—says Winston Porter, a former assistant administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency. “And it looks like most of this stuff is pretty benign stuff,” Porter says. Porter is one of the guest speakers at the National Ground Water Association forum on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at the Baton Rouge Marriott, 5500 Hilton Ave. The two-day series of speakers and presentations begins on Tuesday, Oct. 16. A chemical engineer by trade, Porter has made his presentation “America’s Energy Future” around the country. Now averaging about $3 per British thermal unit, natural gas is cheap in the United States, but is selling between $10 and $15 per Btu in India and China. Porter says overseas demand will eventually push domestic natural gas prices higher. Before fracking became widespread, much of the country’s coastline was preparing for or importing liquefied natural gas. But now those facilities—like the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal in Cameron Parish—are reversing their operations: liquefying gas for exportation rather than gasifying it for importation. Porter says his presentation also touches on renewable energy sources. For complete details on the conference and registration info, click here. —Adam Pearson