Controlling Oil Pollution | Video

Jennifer Joas | 2/12/2013

The Bakken formation is producing more than 700,000 barrels of oil a day. Despite that, it`s still a fairly new oil play, with new challenges. There are more than 8,000 oil wells in western North Dakota. Once that oil is pumped from the ground, it`s put in storage tanks. But oil producers started realizing those tank are emitting gases into the air. So the State Health Department is stepping in to make sure every deep breath you take, is truly clean air.

Bakken operators deal with gas emissions all the time, when it comes to flaring natural gas, but what they weren`t prepared for was gases coming from the oil.

"It`s something I don`t think operators had seen anywhere else. So it was unique to the Bakken and once you capture that gas, and get the equipment in place, you can provide a value as well," said North Dakota Petroleum Council President Rob Ness.

The oil companies collaborated with the health department to develop new combustors to capture that excess gas. The new combustors come with a $70,000 price tag, but the state says it`s worth every penny.

"They`re much smaller qualities. But when you start getting the number of oil wells in the state like we`re getting, it`s still a concern to us. And so we believe they should be captured," said Health Department Air Quality Director Terry O`Clair.

Despite the extra emissions in the Bakken, the State Health Department says the air quality in western North Dakota is still meeting health standards.

"We`re still well within the standards that are set to protect health and welfare. So that`s good. But that doesn`t mean we should take that for granted. We need to keep our eye on it," O`Clair said.

Existing oil wells are already getting this new technology. And the health department will begin enforcement to make sure any new wells also capture the excess gas.

O`Clair says he expects this problem to arise in other parts of the country where shale drilling is taking place.

COMMENT ON THIS STORY

BACK TO NEWS | BACK TO BISMARCK STORIES