Denbury’s Green Pipeline

• Client

  Denbury

• Division

  Survey & Mapping, Environmental

• Scope

  Topographic Surveys, Pipeline Surveying. Environmental Studies, Regulatory Compliance

Fenstermaker provided Denbury Onshore, LLC, with surveying and environmental services for its high profile Green Pipeline Project. Constructed in 2010, the project resulted in the installation of a 24-inch diameter carbon dioxide (CO2) pipeline from the Mosaic Phosphates Company’s Faustina Plant in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, to the Hasting Oil and Gas Field in Alvin, Texas. Instead of releasing CO2 into the atmosphere, Denbury’s 314-mile Green Pipeline transports the CO2 through enhanced oil recovery operations to produce oil that would otherwise remain underground. This socially and environmentally responsible recycling of CO2 represents a sustainable greenhouse gas that increases the recovery of mature domestic petroleum reserves.

Our comprehensive survey efforts included boundary, centerline, topographic, and hazard surveys for the length of the pipeline. Our teams provided Denbury with right-of-way, alignment, and construction maps tailored by Geographic Information System (GIS) experts to meet specialized project data requirements. Additionally, we performed hydrographic surveys of the rivers and bayous that the Green Pipeline crosses.

Our environmental team also played a critical role in the development of the Green Pipeline Project. Regulatory specialists at Fenstermaker identified the scope of environmental and regulatory compliance work and evaluated the route selection while providing options, alternatives, and insights into each potential pipeline route. Upon selection of the preferred route, the team distinguished jurisdictional boundaries and the regulatory authority of each governmental entity associated with or adjacent to the pipeline route. Environmentalists also conducted detailed studies on wetlands, endangered species, wading bird nest colonies, and cultural resources that the pipeline encountered.

Beyond that, Fenstermaker also provided Denbury advice during the design phase to yield practical yet economical solutions to avoid and minimize impact to natural resources. Following a preliminary ground investigation, a table-top regulatory evaluation was prepared. With this information, pre-application meetings were held with federal, state, and local regulatory agencies to reveal any conflicts or public interest concerns. Finally, Fenstermaker obtained agency-specific data that ultimately secured regulatory approvals.