Published: August 15, 2008 09:32 pm      

O’Ryan picks new site

Granted permit for new sour gas well outside P&Z lines

The company that’s been fighting to put a sour gas well inside the Richland Chambers Reservoir area has received permission from the Texas Railroad Commission for a sour gas well about 3,000 feet outside the lake area boundaries — and just outside the jurisdiction of the planning and zoning commission.

O’Ryan Oil and Gas has been going back and forth with the lake planning and zoning commission and the Navarro County Commissioners Court for months in its attempts to drill an oil well inside the lake area, and into a formation that has hydrogen sulfide in it, which is a poisonous gas to breathe.

The Cerf No. 2 well would be about 6 miles from Corsicana in the Powell Smackover formation. The drilling permit was approved on Aug. 7, according to Ramona Nye, with the Texas Railroad Commission.

The company still has to file paperwork with the state explaining the level of danger, if any, and detailing a contingency plan in case of a gas leak, Nye said.

“That must be approved before they drill the well,” Nye said.

The company said this is a new oil well in the area, and not just a shifting of the contested project outside the lake area.

“This is a different well,” said Robert Green, an engineer with O’Ryan Oil and Gas. He said he didn’t know the status of the previous project.

O’Ryan came to the commission earlier in the year, seeking permission for a sour gas oil well. County commissioners asked the company for $3,000 up front, in order to hire a specialist lawyer and engineer to review the issue. The county has hired a lawyer who specializes in this field, but the project has seemingly stalled.

The fact that O’Ryan was seeking a new well was announced Thursday at the Lake Planning and Zoning Commission meeting during the director’s report.

In other business, the lake planning commission approved two gas wells and six oil wells when it met Thursday in regular session.

“These are not targeted to be sour-gas related,” explained Terry Jacobson, chairman of the board. “These are from formations that aren’t sour gas related.”

The two gas wells will be drilled by XTO Energy, and the oil wells belong to Lancelot.

In other business, the commission approved a replatting from two lots into one, gave approval for a manufactured home that had been tabled from the last meeting, and gave approval for a storage shed.

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Janet Jacobs may be reached via e-mail at jacobs@corsicanadailysun.com