Energy Probe

Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are known as carbon abatement.

When funds are used to pay for technologies that reduce emissions, the resulting emission reductions are ‘additional’ only if the reductions would not have occurred in the absence of those funds.

A measure of the amount of pollutants emitted into the atmosphere and the dispersion potential of an area to dilute those pollutants.

American Petroleum Institute

A body of rock that is sufficiently permeable to conduct groundwater and to yield economically significant quantities of water to wells and springs.

The natural radiation that is always present in the environment. It includes cosmic radiation which comes from the sun and stars, terrestrial radiation which comes from the Earth, and internal radiation which exists in all living things.

Backscatter is the portion of the outgoing radar signal that the target redirects directly back towards the radar antenna.

A closed geologic structure in which the beds dip toward a central location; the youngest rocks are at the center of a basin and are partly or completely ringed by progressively older rocks.

barrels, petroleum (42 gallons)

billion cubic feet

Natural gas produced by living organisms or biological processes.

Bureau of Land Management

Best Management Practices

An approach to address competitiveness issues through either: 1) requiring imported goods to pay for their un-priced emissions costs; and/or 2) relieving exports of their expected emissions costs. The goal of these approaches is to “level the playing field” for Canadian firms in either the domestic or international market so as to not place Canadian firms at a competitiveness disadvantage.

British thermal units

Clean Air Act

CAIDI is the average forced sustained interruption duration experienced by interrupted customers per year (measured in hours).
Calculation is SAIDI divided by SAIFI.

Also known as a “tradable permit system,” a cap-and-trade policy involves setting the annual level of emissions by issuing emission permits (permits). If individual emitters produce more emissions than they have permits, they can purchase additional permits. Governments can fix the level of emissions (providing quantity certainty) by choosing the number of permits to issue, but the price of permits will be set by the market, and is thus uncertain.

A carbon tax is a policy instrument that sets a per-unit charge on emissions. Typically the system involves a tax on fuels that emit carbon dioxide when burned and on other greenhouse gas emission. A schedule for future tax rates would be established, sending a long range price signal to the economy. The tax thus provides price certainty but leaves the annual level of emissions reductions uncertain.

Steel piping positioned in a wellbore and cemented in place to prevent the soil or rock from caving in. It also serves to isolate fluids, such as water, gas, and oil, from the surrounding geologic formations.

Coal Bed Natural Gas

Council on Environmental Quality

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act

Code of Federal Regulations

Methane

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon dioxide, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas, until recently considered benign or beneficial. Of late, some scientists have attributed to it a large role in global warming.

A clean-burning natural gas found deep inside and around coal seams. The gas has an affinity to coal and is held in place by pressure from groundwater. CBNG is produced by drilling a wellbore into the coal seam(s).

A strip of land through which one or more existing or potential utilities may be colocated.

Clean Water Act

Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, located on the north shore of Lake Ontario in Clarington, Ontario, near Toronto, is comprised of four reactors. Planned in the early 1970s and constructed between 1981 and 1993, its cost overruns led to the effective bankruptcy and dismantling of Ontario Hydro, a provincial crown corporation.
The Darlington reactors have a total output of 3512 MW (capacity net) and 3740 MW (gross net).

The technique of drilling at an angle from a surface location to reach a target formation not located directly underneath the well pad.

A well which injects produced water into an underground formation for disposal.

A criterion evaluating the extent to which a policy design will result in disproportionate impacts on different regions, sectors, or households; the criterion assesses issues of equity.

A general term used to refer to the effect on a material that is exposed to radiation. It is used to refer either to the amount of energy absorbed by a material exposed to radiation or to the potential biological effect in tissue exposed to radiation.

Delaware River Basin Commission

The mast, draw works, and attendant surface equipment of a drilling or workover unit.

Energy Information Administration

The shift of the energy system toward an increased use of electricity-using technology instead of fossil-fuel combusting technology. This shift on the demand side is enabled by a growth in electricity generation on the supply side to provide the required electricity.

Energy stored in electromagnetic waves or radiation. Energy is released when the waves are absorbed by a surface. Any object with a temperature above absolute zero (-273° Celsius) emits this type of energy. The intensity of energy released is a function of the temperature of the radiating surface. The higher the temperature the greater the quantity of energy released.

Effluent Limitation Guidelines

Air pollution discharge into the atmosphere, usually specified by mass per unit time.

Those species of plants or animals classified (in the U.S.) by the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Commerce as endangered pursuant to Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. See also Threatened.

Environmental Protection Agency

Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act

The process of identifying a potential subsurface geologic target formation and the active drilling of a borehole designed to assess the natural gas or oil.

A small diameter pipeline that generally connects a well to the initial processing facility.

A rock body distinguishable from other rock bodies and useful for mapping or description. Formations may be combined into groups or subdivided into members.

Federal Register

A mixture of water and additives used to hydraulically induce cracks in the target formation.

Subsidies provide an incentive to change behaviour, or to invest in a new technology. Usually, some of those changing their behaviour would have done so even without the subsidy, but they still receive the money. Those who accept compensation for doing what they would anyway have done are free-riding on the subsidy.

foot/feet

One kind of action that could reduce emissions. For example, in response to a carbon pricing policy, a firm could shift from coal-burning technology to natural gas-burning or electrical technology.

Fish and Wildlife Service

gallon

Greenhouse Gases

Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans in the-20th century, and its projected continuation.

Subsurface water that is in the zone of saturation; source of water for wells, seepage, and springs. The top surface of the groundwater is the “water table.”

Ground Water Protection Council

Hydrogen Sulfide

The area in which a particular species lives. In wildlife management, the major elements of a habitat are considered to be food, water, cover, breeding space, and living space.

Hazardous Air Pollutant

Hydrochloric acid

A drilling procedure in which the wellbore is drilled vertically to a kick-off depth above the target formation and then angled through a wide 90 degree arc such that the producing portion of the well extends horizontally through the target formation.

Injecting fracturing fluids into the target formation at a force exceeding the parting pressure of the rock thus inducing a network of fractures through which oil or natural gas can flow to the wellbore.

The pressure exerted by a fluid at rest due to its inherent physical properties and the amount of pressure being exerted on it from outside forces.

A well used to inject fluids into an underground formation either for enhanced recovery or disposal.

Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission

A form of radiation, which includes alpha particles, beta particles, gamma rays and x-rays, neutrons, high-speed electrons, and high-speed protons. Compared to non-ionizing radiation, such as found in ultraviolet light or microwaves, ionizing radiation is considerably more energetic. When ionizing radiation passes through material such as air, water, or living tissue, it deposits enough energy to break molecular bonds and displace (or remove) electrons. This electron displacement may lead to changes in living cells. Given this ability, ionizing radiation has a number of beneficial uses, including treating cancer or sterilizing medical equipment. However, ionizing radiation is potentially harmful if not used correctly, and high doses may result in severe skin or tissue damage.

infra-red

The relocation of greenhouse gas-emitting firms to other jurisdictions to avoid the costs of a carbon pricing policy. In this case, the policy has not reduced the total number of emissions, merely caused their point of origin to change. Since climate change is a global issue and the source of emissions does change their impact, leakage reduces the effectiveness of the policy.

A legal document that conveys to an operator the right to drill for oil and gas. Also, the tract of land, on which a lease has been obtained, where producing wells and production equipment are located.

Linkages between carbon pricing systems (usually cap-and-trade systems) are explicit recognition of emission reductions in one jurisdiction by another jurisdiction. For example, a linkage exists between systems A and B if firms in jurisdiction A can receive credit for emissions permits allocated in jurisdiction B. Linkages can be one or two-way depending on whether both jurisdictions accept the other’s credits as valid reductions.

Emission reductions usually involve some cost, often the cost of investing in new technologies or processes. The cost of reducing emissions is known as the abatement cost. The marginal abatement cost is an economic concept, which refers to the cost of one extra unit of reductions (that is, the cost of a marginal increase in abatement).

thousand cubic feet

An electromagnetic wave having a wavelength from 1 mm to 0.1 mm (300 GHz to 3000 GHz). Millimeter waves exhibit many of the properties usually associated with waves in the optical regime, e.g., they are easily concentrated into a beam.

million cubic feet

millirem

millirem per year

Material Safety Data Sheets

Material containing no significant amounts of radionuclides other than naturally occurring radionuclides. The exact definition of ‘significant amounts’ would be a regulatory decision.

National Environmental Policy Act

National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants

National Energy Technology Laboratory

Radiation that has lower energy levels and longer wavelengths than ionizing radiation. It is not strong enough to affect the structure of atoms it contacts but is strong enough to heat tissue and can cause harmful biological effects. Examples include radio waves, microwaves, visible light, and infrared from a heat lamp.

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material

Nitrogen Oxides

National Pollution Discharge Elimination System

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Ozone

Offsets are emission reductions that are ‘created’ outside any regulated system, and sold to regulated emitters. Regulated emitters can use offsets, instead of permits, to comply with the carbon pricing policy. For example Company A wants to reduce its emission to 500 tonnes a year. It invests in energy efficiency technologies, and reduces its emissions to 600 tonnes a year, but finds that further reductions would be very expensive. Instead
of reducing another 100 tonnes itself, Company A pays for emission reductions in India, where there are more low-cost emission reductions opportunities.

Oil Pollution Act

The entire volume of gas contained in the reservoir, regardless of the ability to produce it.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

A small particle of solid or liquid matter (e.g., soot, dust, and mist).
PM10 refers to particulate matter having a size diameter of less than 10 millionths of a meter (micrometer) and PM2.5 being less than 2.5 micro-meters in diameter.

A rock’s capacity to transmit a fluid; dependent upon the size and shape of pores and interconnecting pore throats. A rock may have significant porosity (many microscopic pores) but have low permeability if the pores are not interconnected.

A discrete "packet" of pure electromagnetic energy. Photons have no mass and travel at the speed of light. The term "photon" was developed to describe energy when it acts like a particle (causing interactions at the molecular or atomic level), rather than a wave. Gamma and X-rays are photons.

Particulate Matter

Carbon emissions arise predominantly from the burning of fossil fuels. Carbon-based fuels like oil pass from the oil well, to the refinery, to the distributor and finally to the consumer. Carbon pricing can be applied anywhere along this fuel chain, and the point at which it is applied is the point of regulation. The point of regulation is usually described as UPSTREAM or DOWNSTREAM.

parts per million

In a carbon trading system, the prices of emissions permits are determined by the market. If there are not enough permits, prices will rise, creating a strong incentive to invest in emission reductions. However, if prices rise too fast and too high, the system may produce unnecessary and damaging shocks to the economy. A price ceiling or SAFETY VALVE, sets a maximum possible price. When prices reach the price ceiling, the carbon trading system acts like a carbon tax.

A right that can be granted to state by the federal government that allows state agencies to implement programs with federal oversight. Usually, the states develop their own set of regulations.

Water produced from oil and gas wells.

Silica sand or other particles pumped into a formation during a hydraulic fracturing operation to keep fractures open and maintain permeability.

That portion of recoverable resources that is demonstrated by actual production or conclusive formation tests to be technically, economically, and legally producible under existing economic and operating conditions.

Reasonable and Prudent Practices for Stabilization

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

Rehabilitation of a disturbed area to make it acceptable for designated uses. This normally involves regrading, replacement of topsoil, re-vegetation, and other work necessary to restore it.

An element of policy design determining how government revenue (accrued through either a carbon tax or the auctioning of permits in a cap-and-trade system) will be allocated. Possible approaches to revenue recycling include: reducing existing taxes, providing support for competitiveness issues, funding support for technological deployment and research and development, or addressing adverse distributional effects.

Recommended Practice

Reportable Quantity

In a carbon trading system, the prices of emissions permits are determined by the market. If there are not enough permits, prices will rise, creating a strong incentive to invest in emission reductions. However, if prices rise too fast and too high, the system may produce unnecessary and damaging shocks to the economy. A ‘safety valve’ or PRICE CEILING, sets a maximum possible price. When prices reach the safety valve, the carbon trading system acts like a carbon tax.

SAIDI is the average forced sustained interruption duration per customer served per year (measured in hours). Calculation is
“Total Customer Hours of Interruptions” divided by “Total Number of Customers”.

SAIFI is the average number of forced sustained interruptions experienced per customer served per year (measured in outages).
Calculation is the “Total Customer Interruptions” divided by “Total Number of Customers”.

Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act

Standard cubic feet

Safe Drinking Water Act

The distance that must be maintained between a well or other specified equipment and any protected structure or feature.

Natural gas produced from low permeability shale formations.

A water based fluid mixed with friction reducing agents, commonly potassium chloride.

Sulfur Dioxide

Any solid, semi-solid, liquid, or contained gaseous material that is intended for disposal.

Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures

A spillover is an indirect effect of spending or investment. Spillovers occur when the investor cannot exclude others from the benefits of the investment. For example, investment in research produces new knowledge that often cannot be completely controlled. As a result, the benefits of investment ‘spill over’ into the rest of the economy.

Condition that exists when the surface rights and mineral rights of a given area are owned by different persons or entities; also referred to as “severed estate”.

Susquehanna River Basin Commission

Any of several processes used to enhance near wellbore permeability and reservoir permeability.

A condition or requirement attached to a lease or contract, usually dealing with protection of the environment, or recovery of a mineral.

State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulation, Inc.

A colorless gas formed when sulfur oxidizes, often as a result of burning trace amounts of sulfur in fossil fuels.

Solid Waste Disposal Act

trillion cubic feet

Total Dissolved Solids

The total amount of resource, discovered and undiscovered, that is thought to be recoverable with available technology, regardless of economics.

Natural gas that is formed by the combined forces of high pressure and temperature (both from deep burial within the earth’s crust), resulting in the natural cracking of the organic matter in the source rock matrix.

Plant or animal species that have been designated as being in danger of extinction. See also Endangered Species.

Natural gas trapped in a hardrock, sandstone or limestone formation that is relatively impermeable.

The dry weight of dissolved material, organic and inorganic, contained in water and usually expressed in parts per million.

tons per year

Toxics Release Inventory

United States Code

Underground Injection Control

A program administered by the Environmental Protection Agency, primacy state, or Indian tribe under the Safe Drinking Water Act to ensure that subsurface emplacement of fluids does not endanger underground drinking water resources.

40 CFR Section 144.3 An aquifer or its portion:
(a)
(1) Which supplies any public water system; or
(2) Which contains a sufficient quantity of ground water to supply a public water system; and
(i) Currently supplies drinking water for human consumption; or
(ii) Contains fewer than 10,000 mg/l total dissolved solids;
and
(b) Which is not an exempted aquifer.

Carbon fuels typically change hands between producers, processors and refiners, distributors and final consumers who burn them. The producer, where fuels first enter the economy, is known as upstream in the fuel chain.

United States Geological Survey

Volatile Organic Compound

The chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water with respect to its suitability for a particular use.

All lands which are enclosed by a continuous hydrologic drainage divide and lay upslope from a specified point on a stream.

The activities and methods to prepare a well for production and following drilling. Includes installation of equipment for production from a gas well.

To perform one or more remedial operations on a producing or injection well to increase production. Deepening, plugging back, pulling, and resetting the liner are examples of workover operations.

Water Quality Act

X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength in the range of about 10-9m (1 nm) to 6 x 10-12m (6 pm), or frequencies in the range of 3 x 1017Hz to 5 x 1019Hz and photon energy between 1.2 keV and 240 keV.