SHALE ENERGY ENGINEERING CONFERENCE

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1 CALL FOR ABSTRACTS SHALE ENERGY ENGINEERING CONFERENCE Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania July, 2014 TECHNICAL CHALLENGES, ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND PUBLIC POLICY Submission Deadline: August 6, 2013 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Visit:

2 ABOUT THE CONFERENCE The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is pleased to announce its upcoming conference Shale Energy Engineering: Technical Challenges, Environmental Issues, and Public Policy In recent years, new technologies that utilize horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques have led to a rapid expansion of the shale oil and gas industry, offering access to new sources of hydrocarbon fuels that hold the promise of energy independence for the United States. At the same time, there has been public concern about the potential environmental effects of these new technologies, with varying environmental regulations being implemented at the state and federal level in response to their rapid deployment. Consequently, some areas of the country are witnessing a rapid growth in the number of wells for exploration, while other areas have delayed this development pending further environmental studies. Moving forwards, the challenge for our society is to develop a holistic approach to shale oil and gas exploitation that does not impede useful economic growth and prosperity, while developing solutions that minimize negative environmental impacts and disturbances to the socio-economic fabric of our communities. Civil and Environmental Engineers have as their core mission the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare. The goal of this conference will be to provide a forum for: (1) discussing the technical challenges associated with shale oil and gas development, (2) exploring the critical environmental issues that exist in this area, and (3) presenting balanced public policy solutions that can be used to safely develop our shale oil and gas resources. The conference will focus on the challenges that lie ahead with developing the means and methods to carefully monitor all aspects of shale oil and gas production, and will encourage and promote the development of technologies that allow for cost effective shale oil and gas exploration, while minimizing the impact on water resources, geological stability of impacted areas, air quality, and infrastructure assets such as roads, pipelines, water, and wastewater networks. Keep up-to-date. Visit

3 FOR TECHNICAL PROGRAM QUESTIONS / Kemal.Niksic@hatchmott.com DEADLINES 2013 August 6 Submission of Paper Abstracts September 11 Notification of Abstract Acceptance November 20 Draft Papers Due 2014 February 19 Review Decision on Draft Papers March 19 Final Papers Due April 2 Authors must register for papers to be included in the conference proceedings CONFERENCE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE Conference Chair Kemal Niksic, Hatch Mott MacDonald Kemal.Niksic@hatchmott.com Conference Co-Chairs Jonathan Tan jontan1966@gmail.com Christopher L. Meehan, University of Delaware cmeehan@udel.edu Technical Program Chair Dan Arthur, ALL Consulting darthur@all-llc.com Technical Publication Committee Chair and Chief Editor Christopher L. Meehan, University of Delaware cmeehan@udel.edu TRACK CHAIRS Water Resources Management Paul Bizier, Pape-Dawson Engineers, Inc. PBizier@Pape-Dawson.com Kathleen Price, San Antonio Water System Kathleen.price@saws.org Geological/Geotechnical Khalid Farrag, Gas Technology Institute khalid.farrag@gastechnology.org ASCE CONFERENCE CONTACT Elaine V. Watson, Manager, Conferences & Meeting Services ewatson@asce.org FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON EXHIBITING Put your company in a booth at the Shale Energy Engineering Conference. Please contact Drew Caracciolo at ASCE Sales: or dcaracciolo@asce.org. Visit the conference website at for more information. Environmental Regulatory/Public Policy Gregory F. Scott, Buchart Horn, Inc. gscott@bh-ba.com Supportive Infrastructure/Technology James H. Anspach, Cardno james.anspach@cardno.com TECHNICAL PROGRAM QUESTIONS Kemal Niksic Kemal.Niksic@hatchmott.com SPONSORING Add your company s name to our list of sponsors. Please contact Drew Caracciolo at ASCE Sales: or dcaracciolo@asce.org. For more information, visit the conference website at Keep up-to-date on the Shale Energy Engineering Conference. Visit

4 CONFERENCE THEMES ASCE s Shale Energy Engineering Conference will highlight the engineering issues related to shale oil and gas production, provide a platform to review the current status of regulatory requirements in this area, and identify and promote the most cost effective and environmentally sound ideas, innovative solutions, and emerging technologies related to water resources management, geological and geotechnical aspects of shale gas development, and broader infrastructure components of the shale oil and gas exploitation cycle. The Conference will be organized into the following four tracks: 1. Water Resources Management in Shale Oil & Gas Development Shale oil and gas well development is dependent on one of our most precious resources, water. This track will deal with the broad array of water resource issues associated with hydrocarbon rich shale development, including water sources and supplies, water quality requirements, alternative sources, and the impacts of these demands on the environment. It will also address issues related to the water that results from hydraulic fracturing and drilling operations, including both flow-back and produced water, and potential means of treatment, disposal, and reuse of these waters. Some topics for possible consideration in this area include: Water Sourcing and Storage for Shale Oil and Gas Operations Development of water resources for shale oil and gas operations (surface and ground water availability) Transport and storage of fresh waters for well development (trucking, pipelines, storage ponds) Alternative water supplies for well development (mine drainage, brackish water) Beneficial water reuse (flowback and produced water reuse) Produced Water Management Produced water storage Treatment technologies for reuse and disposal Produced water disposal options On Site Water Issues Protection of groundwater Prevention of surface discharges Stormwater runoff issues Streams and wetlands protection Lifecycle water management 2. Geological and Geotechnical Aspects of Shale Oil & Gas Well Development This track covers the geological and geotechnical aspects of site characterization, drilling, hydraulic fracturing, stimulation, and cleaning of the wellbore. Papers are invited to present procedures, advancements, case studies, and field data addressing the technologies used in modeling and monitoring the formation of fractures, well integrity, and seismic impact of the disposal of produced water in injection wells. Some topics for possible consideration in this area include: Geotechnical investigation & characterization of shale formations Advancements in drilling and fracturing processes Geomechanics and modeling of hydraulic fracturing Well casing and cementation processes Well integrity monitoring and evaluation Re-fracturing efficiency studies Micro-seismic monitoring of hydraulicallyfractured formations Characterizing and validating the seismic impact of injection wells and hydraulic fracturing Long-term integrity and risk-management of shale oil and gas developed sites Site abandonment procedures

5 CONFERENCE THEMES 3. Environmental, Regulatory, and Public Policy Issues This track will address topics related to current and evolving scientific based environmental impacts of shale oil and gas production and the most cost effective and environmentally sound practices being developed in the industry. This track will seek to explore public policy issues on the subject, and will provide a platform to review the current status of regulatory requirements, including the dynamics between local and federal requirements. Papers are invited in the following areas of interest: Human health assessment and occupational hazards of shale oil and gas production Environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing and mitigation including habitat destruction, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions Best environmental practices in shale oil and gas production Public policy issues related to shale oil and gas production Land use and zoning; use of federal lands Examination of the developing marketplace for oil and natural gas Environmental regulations: local, state, and federal comparisons Air pollution regulations and impact on oil and gas production Greenhouse gas regulations related to shale oil and gas production Regulations related to underground water injection Stormwater regulations for discharges associated with oil and gas production Risk management in shale oil and gas production 4. Supporting Infrastructure Development for Shale Oil & Gas Production This track will address topics related to the impacts to existing infrastructure (roads, bridges, pipelines, etc.) by shale oil and gas development, and to the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of new infrastructure. Topics for consideration include: Transportation network issues related to shale oil and gas exploration (truck traffic effects, utilization of railroad systems) Design of roadway systems to support shale oil and gas development Design, construction and management of surface impoundments for water storage or disposal (pits, ponds, etc.) Drilling pad design and construction Design and construction management for supporting structures needed in the shale oil and gas industry Civil/site development issues Erosion and sediment control Pipeline infrastructure development Long-term gathering and distribution pipeline management (documentation, integrity) Waste management practices Asset management technologies (RFID, etc) Utility and structure damage prevention practices (one-call, utility mapping)

6 CALL FOR ABSTRACTS In order to develop an interesting and exciting conference program, the organizers of this conference are currently seeking abstracts that align with the proposed conference themes above. Submitted abstracts should be words in length, and should be uploaded by August 6, 2013: During abstract submission, authors will be asked to identify their planned type of paper submission (available options are described in more detail below), the technical session that best fits their abstract topic, and whether they would prefer to present their research in a podium or poster session at the conference. After submission, abstracts will be reviewed and organized to form a cohesive conference program. Accepted abstract authors will then be invited to submit a paper for the conference proceedings. Submission and acceptance of a paper for the proceedings is required for both podium and poster session authors, prior to presenting their work at the conference. CONFERENCE PAPER PREPARATION Papers for this conference will be peer-reviewed and produced as proceedings for distribution to registrants, and will be made available to the community at large through ASCE Publications. After publication, all conference papers will be assigned a digital object identifier (DOI), and will be indexed in a wide variety of academic and professional databases (e.g., Scopus, ISI Web of Knowledge, EI, Crossref, and Compendex). For this conference, three types of paper submissions will be considered: research letters, technical papers, and case study papers. Specific guidelines for paper preparation and formatting will be distributed with the abstract acceptance decisions. Research Letters Research letter submissions should be 5-6 pages in length, and should highlight the findings from cutting-edge research projects or particularly innovative practice-oriented projects that can be described in a short paper. The particular goal of this paper category is to entice researchers and practitioners to publish early results from some of their best work that they plan to later publish in more detail in an archival journal. The conference organizers hope that this approach to conference paper publication should allow for early dissemination of particularly innovative ideas without a concern for dual-publication (copyright-related) issues. Technical Papers Technical paper submissions should be 7-10 pages in length, and should describe in significant detail the results from research- or practice-oriented projects that will be of broad interest to the shale energy engineering community.

7 Case Study Papers Case study paper submissions should be pages in length, and should provide more extensive details and information about an individual field case study that will be of broad interest to the shale energy engineering community. The additional five pages that are allowed for papers in this category can be used to present additional pictures, graphics, and discussion needed to properly document the case study for the long-term benefit of all. Technical sessions for this conference will comprise a well-rounded mix of papers from each of the above three categories to appeal to a broad and diverse group of academic and practicing engineers and scientists. Many technical sessions will include both podium and poster presentation components. The organizing committee will work with session leaders to ensure that both podium and poster presentation components of particular sessions involve a suitable mix of both early-career and experienced researchers and practitioners. PAPER DEPOSIT FEE Authors whose abstracts are accepted will be required to register for the conference at the time of the final paper submission, attend the conference, and make their presentation(s) in person. Authors whose abstracts or draft papers are selected will be requested to submit a final paper along with the paper deposit fee of $150 by Wednesday, April 2, Submitting a paper for the conference constitutes agreement that, if their paper is accepted, the author will register for the conference at the appropriate fee, attend the conference, and make their presentation in person. The deposit fee will be credited towards the conference registration for the author submitting the final paper. Upon acceptance of the paper, the registration discount code and instructions will be forwarded to the author. Authors uploading more than one paper will pay only one deposit fee. If an individual uploads a paper but a substitute author will present the paper, please note the deposit fee will not apply to the substitute s registration fee. All paper deposit fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable, and payment of the deposit fee does not guarantee the author a copy of the proceedings. Authors must attend the conference to receive the proceedings. Should an individual pay the deposit fee but fail to register for the conference by the prescribed deadline, the individual s abstract/paper will be removed from the conference program and proceedings, and the deposit will not be refunded. All expenses associated with the preparation, submission, and presentation of abstracts and papers are the responsibility of the authors. Keep up-to-date. Visit

8 The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is pleased to announce its upcoming conference Shale Energy Engineering: Technical Challenges, Environmental Issues, and Public Policy 2 Great Ways to Put Your Name in Front of Attendees: Exhibit at the Conference Contact Drew Caracciolo at ASCE Sales: or dcaracciolo@ asce.org to put your company in the spotlight in our Exhibit Hall. Sponsor the Conference Contact Drew Caracciolo at ASCE Sales: or dcaracciolo@asce.org to lend your financial support to the Conference. American Society of Civil Engineers 1801 Alexander Bell Drive Reston, VA PRESORTED STD US POSTAGE PAID WOODBRIDGE, VA PERMIT NO. 9