Full Scale Oil and Gas Development
Barnett Shale project near Benbrook Lake in Texas.
In the Barnett, Devon successfully combined horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing to commercially produce fossil fuels from shales. “The Barnett Shale is one of the country’s most important new sources of clean-burning natural gas, and it represented 26 percent of Devon’s companywide reserve bases at year-end 2006,” according to the annual report. “The Barnett Shale is one of Devon’s most prized assets and it will likely remain so for many years to come.”
Leasing and Federal Unit
Reagan Smith successfully nominated and leased Bureau of Land Management minerals under Benbrook Lake through many BLM auction lease sale process. Once leases were in place Reagan Smith designed and set up the Federal Unit for all the Devon wells drilled around Benbrook Lake. A large communitization agreement was formed in order to all royalties and production from Federal minerals to be reported to the ONRR.
Siting and Permitting
Reagan Smith was instrumental in siting and permitting all of Devon’s federal wells located around Benbrook lake through the Bureau of Land Management. Master Development Plans were prepared and permitted by Reagan Smith to allow for continuous drilling with a walking rig. Multi-well pads were designed to reduce and minimize disturbance. Reagan Smith prepared and performed all required archaeology surveys, environmental assessments, wildlife surveys, onsite and agency meetings.
Project Management
At the time of drilling this was the first time two rigs were drilling simultaneously on the same pad. Reagan Smith ensured compliance with all Bureau of Land Management and Corps of Engineers regulations.