scholarly journals Materializing Exposure: Developing an Indexical Method to Visualize Health Hazards Related to Fossil Fuel Extraction

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Wylie ◽  
Elisabeth Wilder ◽  
Lourdes Vera ◽  
Deborah Thomas ◽  
Megan McLaughlin
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Scientific Instrument ◽  
Sensing Element ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
Black Boxes ◽  
The Us ◽  
Oil And Natural Gas ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Oil And Gas Companies

How can STS researchers collaborate with communities to design environmental monitoring devices that more effectively express their experiences and address gaps in regulation? This paper describes and shows the results of a novel method of visualizing environmental emissions of corrosive gases such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S) exposure using photographic paper. H2S is a neurotoxic and flammable gas that smells like rotten eggs and is frequently associated with oil and natural gas extraction. Communities living with oil and gas development in Wyoming report odors of rotten eggs and describe symptoms of H2S exposure. H2S is recognized as an acute and chronic threat to human and environmental health and oil and gas companies are required to have plans in place to prevent and respond to accidental, high concentration releases of H2S. They are not, however, required to monitor, report or prevent routine daily emissions. Yet 15-25% of the oil and gas wells in the US are predicted to contain H2S, and some communities surrounded by multiple wells report chronic, routine exposure. Chronic exposure is difficult to represent with current tools for monitoring H2S because they are designed to measure acute workplace exposure. Informed by STS theories of black boxes and regimes of imperceptibility that focus on the need to revise not only regulations but also material tools of science, this paper describes the development of an indexical approach to visualizing this hazard. In indexical design, the reactive sensing element of a scientific instrument is brought to the foreground. The silver in the photopaper is an index as it tarnishes with H2S exposure. Discolored tests strips can be arranged together to form data-rich maps of the exposure landscape where this discoloration both represents how the gas spreads through a space and is a physical trace of the gas. Preliminary results in the form of data-rich maps show that regulating H2S emissions as primarily accidental is inappropriate and fails to adequately protect human health. 

scholarly journals Mapping Oil and Gas Development Potential in the US Intermountain West and Estimating Impacts to Species

PLoS ONE ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (10) ◽  
pp. e7400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly E. Copeland ◽  
Kevin E. Doherty ◽  
David E. Naugle ◽  
Amy Pocewicz ◽  
Joseph M. Kiesecker
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Intermountain West ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
Development Potential ◽  
The Us

Groundwater phosphorus concentrations: global trends and links with agricultural and oil and gas activities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Warrack ◽  
Mary Kang ◽  
Christian von Sperber
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Surface Water Quality ◽  
The United States ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
Global Trends

<p>Although observations show that anthropogenic phosphorus (P) can reach groundwater supplies, there has been no comprehensive evaluation of P in groundwater at the global scale. Additionally, there have been minimal studies on distributed sources, such as agriculture, and the effects of oil and gas activities on P contamination in groundwater are poorly understood. We compile and analyze 181,653 groundwater P concentrations from 13 government agencies and 8 individual research studies in 11 different countries in order to determine the extent of P pollution at the global scale. We find that every country with data has groundwater P concentrations that pose a significant risk of eutrophication to surface waters. In Canada and the United States, we study the relationship between land use, focusing on crop/pastureland, and increased P concentrations in groundwater. In Ontario and Alberta, two Canadian provinces with different histories of oil and gas development, we find areas with a high concentration of P groundwater pollution to coincide with regions of intense oil and gas activity. Understanding the effects of anthropogenic sources on phosphorus contamination of groundwater and identifying all possible pathways through which contamination can occur will assist regulators in planning and implementing effective strategies to manage groundwater and surface water quality and sustain ecosystem health.</p>

The rise of shareholder activism—what you need to know

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 448
Author(s):  
Mark Malinas
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Shareholder Activism ◽  
Share Price ◽  
Strategic Direction ◽  
The Us ◽  
Dramatic Rise ◽  
Under Performing ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Oil And Gas Companies ◽  
Oil And Gas Sector

The past few years have seen a dramatic rise in shareholder activism in Europe and the US and it is a trend becoming more common in Australia. Companies operating in the oil and gas sector have been subject to particular attention and there are a growing number of examples of this in Australia. The targets of shareholder activism range in size and performance, but are often companies with perceived board weakness, those that are considered to adhere to outdated corporate governance, those whose strategic direction is in question or those that have an under-performing share price, though other factors can also be relevant. Using these issues or concerns as a pretext, activists are increasingly focused on using tactics that allow them to exert control or exercise influence to realise returns or agitate for change in companies that: have significant assets (such as oil and gas reserves) relative to their market value; have high costs, large capital expenditures and long revenue generation lead time (such as exploration projects); or, operate in low growth or fluctuating markets (such as with the price of oil and gas). Unsurprisingly, the oil and gas sector is being increasingly seen by certain funds and investors as fertile ground for shareholder activism. The Australian legal landscape also presents shareholders with a platform from which to exert influence. For instance: shareholders are able to requisition general meetings (and resolutions to be put to those meetings) if they hold sufficient shares and put the entire board up for re-election following the introduction of the two strikes rule; and, directors are required to adhere to statutory and common law duties in responding to shareholders. Shareholder activist campaigns are often played out in public and can be highly disruptive to companies’ operations. Accordingly, directors and senior management of oil and gas companies should be aware of shareholder activism in Australia and, in the broader interests of all shareholders and their company, consider how they should respond or be ready to respond. This may be done through various processes, including testing the company’s perceived weaknesses and addressing them and having a plan to address activism should it arise.

Risk In Exploration And Production - Eliminating Risk Is Not An Option - It's How You Manage It That Matters!

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars SØrum
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
Oil And Gas Exploration ◽  
Risk Levels ◽  
The Us ◽  
Comparative Advantages ◽  
Exploration And Production ◽  
Unconventional Oil And Gas ◽  
Below Ground ◽  
And Performance

Abstract The paper aims to provide insights as to what risk elements are observed in the US shale and tight oil and gas development and how they sit in a European setting. In doing so the paper explores the comparative advantages in prescriptive and performance based approaches for shale risk management and through discussing consequence based vs. risk based philosophies. The author uses metrics for below ground risks to compare risk levels. In doing so the paper aim to qualify what what is perceived as risk and what risks are measured in unconventional oil and gas exploration and production.

Air quality concerns of unconventional oil and natural gas production

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 954-969 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Field ◽  
J. Soltis ◽  
S. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
Natural Gas Production ◽  
Unconventional Oil ◽  
Oil And Natural Gas ◽  
Unconventional Oil And Gas

Air quality impacts from unconventional oil and gas development range from local to global scales impacting human health and climate.

Iraq's war against Islamic State will extend into 2017

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
National Guard ◽  
Oil Field ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
Knock Out ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Us Military ◽  
The Us ◽  
The City

Significance The province's capital, Ramadi, fell to ISG on May 17 after the group launched a knock-out blow against embattled Iraqi Security Force (ISF) units. These units had been fighting intensively for nearly eighteen months and were on the point of exhaustion when ISG launched its offensive on the city, carrying out 30 suicide truck bombs in a matter of days. ISF exhaustion combined with ISG shock tactics meant that a thousand jihadists were able to outfight government forces. Impacts Iraq will remain in a state of high-intensity conflict into 2017. Sunni Arabs will be incorporated into the Iraqi army and paramilitary units. The National Guard initiative will cause controversy among Iraqi factions. The US military is likely to intensify airpower and special forces presence in Iraq. The conflict will set back oil and gas development, such as new licensing rounds and Kirkuk oil field.

scholarly journals Learning Curve, Change in Industrial Environment, and Dynamics of Production Activities in Unconventional Energy Resources

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jong-Hyun Kim ◽  
Yong-Gil Lee
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Production Cost ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Shale Oil ◽  
Industrial Environment ◽  
The Us ◽  
Exploration And Production ◽  
Oil And Natural Gas

Since 2007, shale oil and gas production in the United States has become a significant portion of the global fossil fuel market. The main cause for the increase in production of shale oil and gas in the US is the adoption of new production technologies, namely, horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. However, the production cost of shale oil and gas in the US is comparably higher than the production cost of conventional oil and gas. In 2014, the crude oil and natural gas price decreased significantly to approximately 40 dollars per barrel, and natural gas prices decreased to 3 dollars per million British thermal unit, and thus the productivity and financial conditions for the exploration and production of shale oil and natural gas for producers in the United States have worsened critically. Therefore, technological innovation has become one of the most interesting issues of the energy industry. The present study analyzes the trends in technological innovation having a relationship with production activities. This study calculates the learning rate of 30 companies from the petroleum exploration and production industry in the United States using an improved learning rate calculation formula that reflects the changes in the oil production ratio. Thus, more statistically confident calculation results and interpretations of strategic production activities with regard to changes in the industrial environment were achieved in this study.

scholarly journals Correlation of Communication and Compensation and Benefits on Employees Performance Mediated by Motivation Research on Companies Merger and Acquisition in Indonesia in Oil and Natural Gas Industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-184
Author(s):  
Amalia Nur Kucaladevi ◽  
Etim, Sofyan Hernando ◽  
Dodi Thaufik Fathurokhman ◽  
Okeowo, Tengku Mohd. Khairal Abdullah Razmjoo
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Merger And Acquisition ◽  
Business Practice ◽  
First Century ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Natural Gas Industry ◽  
Oil And Natural Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Companies

Merger and Acquisition (M&A) is a common business practice in the twenty-first century. In M&A, human resource is the key to its success especially to create value-added for the company. Thereby, employees' performance shall be understood by the company towards its objectives. The purpose of this research is to examine what factors have potential effects on employees' performance in the context of companies after acquisition. Factors analyzed are communication and compensation & benefits, using motivation as a mediation factor on the relation between the factors to the employee's performance. Quantitative method is used in this research, whereas the data is collected by online questionnaire to 215 respondents of employees in four oil and gas companies in Indonesia after their acquisition by the state-owned enterprise within the period 2015-2018. Data analysis is processed with the help of SPSS of path analysis and Sobel test to test the hypotheses. Findings show that communication and compensation & benefits have a significant correlation on employees' performance. In addition, Motivation as a mediation variable also intervenes the correlation of communication and compensation & benefits to employees' performance.

Russian oil and gas projects abroad will be selective

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Investment ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Private Military Companies ◽  
The Us ◽  
Global Presence ◽  
Exploration And Production ◽  
Oil And Gas Companies ◽  
Retained Earnings ◽  
Investment Choices

Subject Russian oil and gas companies' foreign investments. Significance Russia's oil and gas majors have a widespread global presence but their rate of expansion and investment abroad in their primary areas of activity -- exploration and production -- has been moderate. Foreign investment choices often reflect the Kremlin's geopolitical preferences. Impacts Companies' increased retained earnings due to higher oil prices will give them additional resources for foreign investment. Companies investing in high-risk zones may seek protection from private military companies if the regular military cannot provide it. The US Treasury's relaxation of Rusal sanctions shows the limits of deploying such measures against globally integrated companies.

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