In an August 26 article titled, “The Big Takeover,” the Fort Worth Weekly writes:
“Perhaps the most chilling im
ages, however, for the tens of thousands of North Texans who now live near gas wells and their attendant gathering stations, compressors, and pipelines were those captured in a short YouTube video put together by [Don] Young and [Sharon] Wilson from footage taken by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The state agency film was made as part of an ongoing TCEQ program to identify hydrocarbons escaping into the air from gas wells and other industrial sites around the state. Young learned of the filming program and requested and obtained copies.
“The footage that he received was shot at well sites in Johnson and Parker counties from a helicopter equipped with a specialized infrared video camera, called a HAWK, that can film emissions invisible to the eye. The HAWK camera, according to TCEQ spokesperson Lisa Wheeler, photographs “hydrocarbon emissions” but cannot specify which poisonous hydrocarbons are escaping or determine the quantity.
“The film shows what looks like great plumes of smoke — the otherwise invisible hydrocarbons — escaping from wells being drilled and also from storage tanks, water separators, and pipelines. TCEQ has not released information that would identify the specific well sites and companies involved.”
Full story at Fort Worth Weekly
The video with TCEQ’s infrared camera footage:
.
Tags: air pollution, fugitive emissions, infrared, TCEQ, Texas, video
0