Centra Consulting and Bridge Energy present on oil and gas drilling in Payette County

On Monday, February 14, in a presentation for the Senate Resources & Environment Committee, Steve West of Centra Consulting introduced a geophysicist with Bridge Energy who talked about developing the first natural gas field in Idaho—in Payette County. They hope to get wells into production and also construct a pipeline.

The organization has drilled 11 wells. Four of which are unproductive, three are economically viable as they are and four could be viable with the use of fracturing, commonly known as fracing. Fracing is a process that stimulates a well so that the gas flows and the well can produce economically. In the process of drilling and placing the pipeline structure, the concrete and drilling mud block the pathways that connect the pores in the rock that contain
the natural gas. The process that Bridge is using is known as a mini-frac and is not nearly as extensive as the large shale fracturing process that has been in the press.

A mini-fracing process will clear pathways in those four wells to allow the gas to flow, analogous to a building like the Statehouse. The pores are the rooms which are reached through hallways. Fracing re-opens the doorway to the hallway so people can move between the rooms. The fracing that will be used only goes out about 150 feet from the bore hole and uses 3% of the fluid pressure volumes of the large shale fracs and the actual treatment takes 45 minutes.

The Payette County aquifers are 60 to 300 feet below the surface; the gas sands are between 2000 and 4000 feet and are separated from the aquifers by 1700 feet of impermeable shale.

Officials noted that they were presenting to the committee with the hope that negotiated rulemaking would take place to set up the regulatory program to cover oil and gas drilling. The Idaho Land Board also serves as the Idaho Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. The Commission has not had to meet for at least 18 years. The Commission is made up of Governor Otter and the state’s top elected officials and has has oversight of oil and gas drilling. This same presentation was made to the Commission on Tuesday.