Roden Calls Out Ireland on Double-speak

District 1 City Council Member Kevin Roden just called attention to Ed Ireland's double-speak when it comes to the new EPA requirements for green completions. Dr. Ireland said that the technique is already standard practice on the Barnett Shale, but he voted against it when it was an action item for the Denton Drilling Task Force. The industry is all in favor of green completions when it "makes sense" - that is, when it is more profitible than letting the gas vent. So, they want industry to make that call on a case by case basis rather than having it be a requirement by law. This is a classic case where "best available technology" is a contested term: what does the criterion of "best" mean? - max profit or max emissions capture? I think the general idea is that in this case the answer will usually be "both." But, if so, why did Dr. Ireland vote against it and why all the loopholes in the EPA rules? We will need to make sure the requirement applies to Denton wells....and, if not, we need to write green completions into our ordinance.