Keep it dark, see the energy

Oil and gas exploration and production take place at some of the most remote sites on earth. E&P are by their nature invasive processes, prompting a variety of mitigation measures addressing soil, water, atmosphere, and even sound. As mitigation techniques advance, so does the oil and gas industry’s ability to keep expanding the boundaries defining environments in which it can work.

A less often invoked environmental concern is light pollution. It’s something any city dweller is acquainted with—good luck seeing anything more than Polaris, Orion’s belt, and the Big Dipper even on a clear night in suburban Houston—and is of growing concern in more remote areas as well.

The University of Texas at Austin’s McDonald Observatory has collaborated with the Permian Basin Petroleum Association (PBPA) and the Texas Oil & Gas Association on its Dark Skies Initiative to reduce light shining into the sky from drilling rigs and related activities in West Texas. The excess light has the potential to drown out the light from stars and galaxies, potentially reducing the effectiveness of the observatory’s research telescopes.

The collaboration’s “Recommended Lighting Practices” document details best lighting practices for drilling rigs and other oil field structures, including what types of lighting work best and how to reduce glare and improve visibility. These practices will increase the amount of light shining down on work sites, increasing safety while decreasing the amount of light pollution. Reducing excess light both helps the observatory and decreases electricity costs for oil and gas producers.

The document specifically targets oil and gas operations in the seven counties with existing outdoor lighting ordinances surrounding the McDonald Observatory: Brewster, Culberson, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Pecos, Presidio and Reeves. The observatory sits atop Mt. Locke at 6,800 ft in the heart of West Texas’ Davis Mountains. It has operated since 1932 at a site chosen for its remote location and extremely dark skies.

The resulting recommendations can be beneficial across the industry. Apache Corp. supported production of a video that helps introduce the recommendations to oil and gas companies. Featuring the observatory’s Bill Wren explaining the importance of dark skies, and how lighting practices can both preserve dark skies and improve safety for oil field workers, the video followed extensive collaboration between Apache and observatory staff and implementation of the recommended practices at Apache’s assets in the area. It is available to watch and share at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnmwnO6CIR4&feature=youtu.be.

“For years, the PBPA and the McDonald Observatory have worked together on educating members of the Permian basin oil and gas community about the Dark Skies Initiative and the possible impact lighting practices can have on the observatory’s work,” said PBPA Pres. Ben Shepperd. “About 2 years ago, the PBPA board of directors agreed to support the creation of lighting recommendations. We decided a great way to educate members of the industry on how they could provide a positive impact on this issue was through utilization of such recommended practices.”

In April, the observatory’s Dark Skies Initiative was named one of six Texan by Nature Conservation Wrangler projects for 2018. Texan by Nature, a Texas-led conservation nonprofit founded by former first lady Laura Bush, brings business and conservation together through select programs that engage Texans in stewardship of land and communities.

Ongoing research

McDonald Observatory’s Harlan J. Smith telescope studies the composition of stars and motions of galaxies as well as searches for planets around other stars in our galaxy. Its larger (11-m mirror, the third biggest in the world) and more modern (dedicated in 1997) Hobby-Eberly telescope (HET) conducts large survey projects using spectroscopy.

HET was upgraded in 2015 to better conduct the Hobby-Eberly Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX), aimed at not only measuring the amount of dark energy in the universe but also determining its evolution. HETDEX observations began December 2017.