Potential Use of Highway Rights-of-Way for Oil and Natural Gas Pipelines

Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and horizontal drilling have led to a successful expansion in energy production in Texas. Increased oil and gas extraction has created net economic gains statewide, and job growth has risen accordingly. Projections indicate that fracking will continue to play a large role in the Texas energy industry, especially as natural gas slowly displaces coal in national energy standards. The effects, both positive and negative, of hydrocarbons production will be felt throughout the state for decades to come. An unintended side effect of fracking has been the reliance on trucks to transport water and wastewater from oil and gas production sites to disposal injection wells. Truck traffic related to the energy boom causes billions of dollars per year in damage to both the Texas highway system and to county and municipal roads. Many of these county roads were built in the 1950s and were not designed to handle the weight and frequency of the wastewater trucks. Moreover, as maintenance costs have risen to the point where proper maintenance is unsustainable, road safety has also become a major concern. According to Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) data, traffic fatalities have increased over 10% across the state. In areas such as the Eagle Ford shale, they are up 40%. In order to control maintenance costs and alleviate the need for trucks on the road, TxDOT can support and help fully implement several policy mechanisms. Senate Bill 514 grants right-of-way (ROW) access to saltwater pipelines that could drastically reduce road deterioration if used in place of trucks. This outcome can be achieved both through the use of above- and below-ground pipelines. House Bill 2767 encourages private firms to recycle fracking wastewater used in the production process, further reducing the reliance on trucks. Achieving similar legislation by creating incentives to encourage on-site recycling of water would be even more beneficial for road preservation. By working with both energy firms and regulatory agencies like the Railroad Commission of Texas, TxDOT can take positive steps to lower the prohibitive costs of maintaining state and local highways. Promoting innovative legislation in tandem with private sector cooperation will help TxDOT to preserve both roads and roadway users’ lives.

• Record URL:
  https://library.ctr.utexas.edu/ctr-publications/policy/0-6581_task19-5.pdf
• 
• Summary URL:
  https://library.ctr.utexas.edu/Presto/search/SearchResults.aspx?q=(catalog.ID=(32706))
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Additional title page: Potential Use of Highway Rights-of-Way for Oil and Gas Pipelines
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Texas, Austin

  LBJ School of Public Affairs, 2315 Red River Street
  Austin, TX  United States  78712-1536

  University of Texas, Austin

  Center for Transportation Research, 1616 Guadalupe Street
  Austin, TX  United States  78701-1255

  Texas Department of Transportation

  Research and Technology Implementation Office, P.O. Box 5080
  Austin, TX  United States  78763-5080
• Authors:
  • Boske, Leigh B
  • Harrison, Robert
  • Moriarty, Benjamin
  • McNew, Kyle
• Publication Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 22p
• Serial:
  • Transportation Policy Brief
  • Issue Number: 5
  • Publisher: University of Texas, Austin

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Energy resources; Highway maintenance; Highway safety; Pipelines; Policy, legislation and regulation; Right of way (Land); Truck traffic
• Geographic Terms: Texas
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pipelines; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01531509
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: TxDOT 0-6581-Task 19-5
• Files: TRIS, ATRI, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jul 25 2014 9:44AM