The Texas Railroad Commission is working with federal and state government agencies on ways to protect the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas from a possible terrorist attack, the commission’s chairman told pipeline executives.
“With the growth in production in the Eagle Ford Shale, large portions of pipelines and processing facilities in South Texas have been left vulnerable to theft and attack because of their proximity to an unsecured border,” David Porter told the Texas Pipeline Association (TPA) at its annual meeting last week in Houston.
Attacks on the Es Sider and Ras Lanuf oil ports in Libya on Jan. 4-6 have been blamed on militants connected to the Islamic State. They have resulted in the destruction of several onshore oil tanks. An oil tanker docked at Es Sider was attacked over the weekend, creating a tower of fire that strained the ability of firefighters to keep blazes under control.
Porter told association members that he believes Texas shale plays provide a potential target for terrorists and said he wrote about his concerns to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. The letter led to last week’s meeting in the Rio Grande Valley with representatives of the commission, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Texas Department of Public Safety and representatives of the pipeline industry.
“It was a very productive discussion,” he said. “I think lines of communication have been opened and will remain open because it’s critical for all of us to work together to protect public safety and to prevent any disruption in energy production.”
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Eagle Ford’s daily production of oil and gas was up through the first 10 months of 2015, despite a cutback in rig counts forced by weak commodity prices. Production of crude oil increased by 1% to 1,082,167 barrels per day through October over 2014, according to commission data, and natural gas production rose 4.7% to 5.34 billion cubic feet per day.
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The TPA later released a statement noting that it has not been informed of any specific incidents related to terrorism on pipeline rights of way, but “we are confident that our member companies remain vigilant in the face of potential threats.”
The associated emphasized that federal and state regulations already mandate regular inspections of the lines and that rights of way be cleared to allow for unimpeded aerial observation.
“The security of Texas’ pipeline infrastructure is the industry’s No. 1 priority,” the statement read. “We are committed to protecting the health and safety of workers and the communities in which we operate.”
Joseph Markman can be reached at jmarkman@hartenergy.com.
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