The Process Is Continuous
Science is not a pronouncement, it is a process. It is an exercise in the aggregation of knowledge over time and revising what is considered to be fact as new information is found. An example is the Copernican Revolution and Galileo’s theory that the Earth orbits the Sun. Scientific work often results in changes of “the facts”.
In the latter part of the 20th century, the concept of “compaction” became the accepted theory describing the creation of oil and gas. The idea is coal, oil and natural gas originate from the remains of plants and animals that died millions of years ago that were buried under layers of water and sediment, which prevented the normal decomposition into dirt that occurs in the surface layers of the earth. These remains were compressed into sedimentary rock over the course of millions of years. Compaction theory says oil and gas in the ground is finite, and this limitation is part of the “peak oil” theories.
In the fall of 2015, Science magazine published the article “How buried water makes diamonds and oil” that describes the “Deep Earth Model” theory [HAND]. The model describes how water, 200 kilometers (roughly 124 miles) down, dissolves ions and causes many unexpected chemical reactions. Part of these reactions is the creation of “new” oil and gas. This model describes a continuous active process similar to those observed in biological systems and a process of creation with a vastly shorter timeline than the compaction theory. It challenges the compaction theory and may significantly alter modern theories of biology and geology.
CarbFix is an interesting project described in the report named “Rapid carbon mineralization for permanent disposal of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions” [MATTER]. CarbFix is an investigation of “sequestration”, which is the process of capturing gases such as CO2 and removing them permanently from the air. The commonly accepted theory states that sequestration requires thousands of years. The CarbFix study was expected to require many years to show measurable results. Less than two years into the project, a remarkable discovery was made by the team; it is described in the article “New solution to carbon pollution?” [SCIENCE] published in Science magazine. The team drilled wells into basalt formations, installed pipe and pumps, and began pumping gas into the wells. Early in the project one pump began to fail regularly so the team hauled it up to the surface for maintenance. The pump was covered with a brittle crust. The team was surprised to learn that the crusty stuff had captured a very large amount of CO2. This occurred far sooner than expected and shows that CO2 sequestration occurs very quickly and in very large quantities, perhaps up to 95% of injected volume.
These studies, and other research underway, reveal far more dynamic and powerful natural systems than many believe exist. The CO2 “problem” may not be the horrible mess the news media and politicians claim, not unlike the “Y2K” computer issue. As new research brings new information, we may learn of ongoing natural processes that are keeping our Earth healthy and alive.
References
[HAND] http://science.sciencemag.org/content/350/6261/613, Science 06 Nov 2015; Vol. 350, Issue 6261, pp. 613-614
[MATTER] http://science.sciencemag.org/content/352/6291/1312 Science 10 Jun 2016 Vol. 352, Issue 6291, pp. 1312-1314
[SCIENCE] http://science.sciencemag.org/content/352/6291/1262 Science 10 Jun 2016 Vol. 352, Issue 6291, pp. 1262-1263
NARO National Convention – Dallas Oct 6
Howdy and a big shout out to everyone heading toward Dallas for the National NARO Convention (Register Here) – Oct 6 to Oct 8. The Pops Crew will be there showing our Pops Royalty Management product. If your looking for mineral rights management software, check us out!
Pops is built by Mophilly, have a look at Mophilly.com, a small but expert business software company. Mophilly specializes in linking complex business data to iOS and Android mobile systems.
Petroleum In Daily Life
When you think of petroleum, what comes to mind first? Gasoline, Vasoline, Maybelline? Take a moment to think about this; how many can you name?
Some people are insisting that everyone on the planet give up petroleum entirely, click here to see article. What would that really mean in terms of daily life?
There are thousands of products made from petroleum, from eye liner to cell phones. The vast majority have little or no environmental impact at all. More significantly these products are a great boon to people around the world.
Here is a link to lists of everyday products that benefit from petroleum… Products Made from Oil and Natural Gas
Petroleum Is Part Of The Solution
Thousands, if not 100’s of thousands, of Californians own mineral interests… even property owners in cities. Governor Jerry Brown, like so many who lived through the 1960’s and 1970’s, realize the the world energy deficit cannot be filled with wishes and faith. The world energy shortage affects billions of people. The problem is overwhelming and complicated. Petroleum is part of thousands of products that do not pollute in the way that personal automobiles do, and is part of the solution. Surprised? Mr. Brown needs the support of mineral owners in California and through out the United States.
California Gold Country: NARO 2016 Sacramento
Spa treatments for your royalty paperwork? Pops will be at California NARO Convention in Sacramento, May 19th and 20th.
NARO and ShaleCast announce alliance
April 20, 2016 (Chicago, Illinois) – The National Association of Royalty Owners (NARO) and ShaleCast.com today announced an alliance to assist landowners participating in the shale revolution. “We believe this platform can be a game changer for the millions of royalty owners generated by the shale boom,” said Jerry Simmons, executive director of NARO. Simmons added, “For nearly 40 years, NARO has been educating and advocating for the nearly 8 million royalty owners across the United States, and ShaleCast is a great complement to that longstanding mission. We look forward to making it available to all our members who have a need for forecasting information for their families and businesses…
Read More Here on Marcellus.com
Say Howdy to NARO Oklahoma April 27th
Oklahoma is the home of “Pops” Phillips and many of his descendants live there still. Pops Royalty Software will be there at the 2016 OK NARO State Convention with a booth in the exhibit hall. Stop by and say hello.
Get Your Cure Here: Louisiana NARO April 25th
Stop by and sample our powerful paperwork processing potion. Pops Royalty Software will visiting at the 2016 NARO Louisiana Convention, April 25th and 26th in Lafayette LA, at the DoubleTree by Hilton. Our elixir is ready to soothe your paperwork pains.
Do you have leases?
We are excited about reaching out to the members of the National Association of Royalty Owners with the first of a series of ads for the Pops product. NARO is committed to promoting the rights, responsibilities and the definitions of citizens who own the natural resources in the United States. It is the only national organization representing oil and gas royalty owners’ interests. The NARO has a chapter in California, the state we call home, as well as Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Texas. There are regional chapters in the Appalachia and Rockies.
See the ad in the March 2016 edition of the Royalty Owners Action Report, the monthly newsletter, by joining the NARO. If you cannot see the ad, click this link to view the ad image: View Image
Debbie, do you have leases?
Thinking Clearly About Oil and Gas
There is a lot of chatter these days about much needed economic expansion in United States and the opportunity that is oil and gas production. Finding useful, clear headed information about this opportunity is harder than you might imagine. The web is packed with every conceivable viewpoint and Google has become a wasteland of paid advertising. Most of what you find merely confuses and confounds. Yet with effort one can cross check with other search engines and tease out articles that are candidates for a serious read.
The bias runs the gamut, as you might expect. The movie “Promised Land” portrays the oil and gas companies as evil, duplicitous con artists. On other hand “FrackNation”, to be released on January 22, 2013, offers a magnanimous view of the companies and their efforts. I want to see both movies, in one day if I can swing it!
Dozens of groups claim the high ground of truth. Among them is ProPublica. This group has a clearly defined agenda, in their own words, “To expose abuses of power and betrayals of the public trust.” I don’t question the journalistic craft; the articles are well written and seem to be earnestly researched. I just cannot put stock in their exposé simply because they are on a “Mission“. They intend to find what they already believe to be true and that is not a good way to go about research in my book.
Providing a bit of contrast to ProPublica is the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The NREL articles are closer to the type of research necessary to prove economic viability of renewable energy production. The site offers a large number of articles and one, the Renewable Electricity Futures Study, was pointed out to me by a staunch supporter of renewable energy. On the top level web page for the study is the comment “The direct incremental cost associated with high renewable generation is comparable to published cost estimates of other clean energy scenarios.” This implies the comparative research was limited to similar technology only. Ignoring significant competing technologies does not consider the real world reaction in the marketplace. Consider the iPod story in the MP3 player space. The gap in the analysis reduces its relevance to the larger matter and has the potential to mislead.
Renewable energy is here to stay, no doubt about it. As renewable energy production improves to meet demand on an industrial scale at prices that create hard cash business opportunities for micro and small business, the flow of investment will continue to increase. In absence of that, or perhaps in the meantime, we need to employ all available methods for rebuilding the economic power of working and middle class in the United States.
The primary problem of the day is driving an expansion of the US economy. A robust economy will afford many great things including renewable energy sources not to mention easing the national budget problems. We, meaning the denizens of “Main Street”, have lost a great deal of economic power in the past 40 years. Multinational corporations have justified their abandonment of the US workers with arguments of “too expensive” for almost all aspects of the US workforce. It is the responsibility of “Main Street” to create a business environment that promotes competitive, profitable local business. Part of creating that environment is finding ways to be “less expensive” without further destruction of our financial strength and standard of living.
One way to improve our economic fortunes is to promote the production and use of natural gas as a part of a larger energy strategy. Here in the United States natural gas is far less expensive than anywhere else in the world. How long has it been since you heard that anything was less expensive here? Boone Pickens pointed out in his talk on TED.com that a substantial reduction in air pollution can be realized by converting the national trucking fleets to natural gas. Natural gas development is just one step on that larger strategy but a very important one.
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