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Permalink Reply by Bobi Carr ("parker") on February 23, 2009 at 17:39

The Times says there will be more coverage in Tuesday's paper.

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Permalink Reply by SLW on February 24, 2009 at 3:55

I would think this will be #239502. They have the lat-lon wrong on SONRIS though

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Permalink Reply by The_Baron on February 24, 2009 at 4:06

Drilling of Shreveport's first Haynesville Shale well to start this week
By Drew Pierson • dpierson@gannett.com • February 24, 2009 2:00 am

Drilling of Shreveport's first well in the Haynesville Shale natural gas formation will begin this week next to Clyde Fant Memorial Parkway.


"It's important to know that urban drilling is different," Joan Dunlap, vice president of Petrohawk Energy Corp., said during the company's news conference at the well site Monday afternoon. "I know there are a lot of issues associated with urban drilling.

Petrohawk Energy crews have cleared out the pad site for the well at the end of the riverfront parkway near the start of the Jimmie Davis Bridge, she said.

The announcement of the site had less to do with any outside factors than it did keeping the lease on the property active — it is the site of the former Hamel's Amusement Park, Dunlap said.

The company distributed fliers over the weekend notifying residents of the work, she said.

Petrohawk Energy will install barriers to reduce noise from the drilling, which should take about 30 days, she said. And the company has been working closely with the city to ensure truck routes minimize disruption to traffic and local roads, Dunlap said.

This drilling essentially will be a test during which the company will drill down to the shale and take a sample to determine how much gas it can expect to pipe out.

Dunlap did not know in which direction the pipeline will leave the site once it becomes operational.

There are dozens of Haynesville Shale-related natural gas rigs in operation throughout the area — Petrohawk Energy has 20 — but none in a major urban area like Shreveport.

It is hard to estimate how many rigs the company will have in Shreveport but the number likely will be five to 10, Dunlap said.

"We're really excited," said Jodee Niswanger, the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association's north Louisiana director, who was on hand for the announcement Monday.

The news comes as local leaders in Bossier and Caddo conduct a series of community forums to discuss an areawide natural gas and oil drilling law that they likely will consider passing sometime this year. The proposal likely will deal with a plethora of drilling-related issues, such as noise abatement and pipeline easements.

"Maybe it'll be great to get the well in here so citizens can see a well go up as the process is being debated," Dunlap said.

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Permalink Reply by Bobi Carr ("parker") on February 24, 2009 at 6:03

I hope they do a great job and alleviate some of the fears.

If it can be done in a manner that has little impact on nearby residents IT SHOULD BE DONE IN THAT MANNER.

It looks like Petrohawk will be setting the tone of the debate.

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