Doing Right – Just Because It’s Right

We need to be good stewards of our western arid lands because that’s the right thing to do. 

·     Not because the government forces us

·     Not because we’d get backlash from an advocacy group

·     Not because we want to manage our image and public relations

·     Not even if we think we’ll make more money that way

Let’s take care of our land because it’s right to do.

The late preacher D.L. Moody said that your character is who you are when no one is looking. 

Let’s collectively be the kind of company, government agency, and advocacy group that has good character. 

Let’s make doing what’s best for the land become our own personal and corporate best. 

Hat Tip to the Wyoming DEQ

Like most things worth doing, it has taken a good bit of time and effort. We have now made significant progress in getting a regulatory pathway to take oilfield by-product water, clean it, and put it on the land -- starting a chain reaction of better soil, new vegetation, cleaner air, and conservation goals that we never thought possible.

The vision has been there. I mean, for a couple of years we’ve been telling everyone what can be achieved. But change is hard; we get that. It’s taken a while for all the stakeholders to get their heads around something new. 

We emerged from a meeting this past week with an actionable plan to now work out the details of this vision. We appreciate the Wyoming DEQ for this progress. If this path continues Wyoming will be the leader in how to steward our arid lands. 

There’s much more to be done and it’s not over yet. But we’ve turned a corner and it’s always good to take a moment and reflect.

Not sure what we’re talking about? Check out this link:

www.encoregreenenvironmental.com/cbd

Stop Playing Whack-A-MoleWith Our Environment!

Ever play Whack-A-Mole at a carnival? You know, a fake mole pops out of different holes and each time it pops out, you try to whack it. You stay real busy whacking thismole and then thatmole. Every time you think you’ve got it solved, another mole pops back.

That’s like us saying we have to solve our produced water disposalproblem, we have to solve our airqualityproblem, we have to solve our soilhealth problem, we have to solve our arid land water scarcityproblem, we have to solve . . . well, you get the idea. We keep whacking our problems with one-off solutions (and it’s not working…).

Instead – it’s time for a total ecological solution! 

The solution is to Just Add Water!

Oil companies are trying to figure out how to deal with their hundreds of millions of gallons of produced water. They whack the mole by sticking this by-product water in the ground, effectively tossing it away. The mole is whacked, but the problem still remains. They’ve just moved the by-product water to a different place. Oops, there’s that mole again. 

We’re trying to remove carbon out of the air and get more oxygen into the air. We all like to breath O much better than C. So, we try whacking the mole by calling for an end of fossil fuels. But if today, we shut off the gas pumps, the world literally comes to a standstill. Some say that’s a solution, but it doesn’t solve our problem today. Dang, that mole’s back!

 We need to use precious water from the aquifer sometimes to irrigate our land for ag or conservation. So, we whack the mole repeatedly, draining the aquifer, but then we get a little thirsty. Pesky mole!

 Our soil in the arid west is dead – nothing grows because there’s no water. This time, we don’t even try to whack the mole because no one has a solution – good or bad -- because arid land needs (wait for it) water. But where’s a new source of water?

Instead, let’s do this: Repurpose that by-product water – stop throwing it away! Clean it up and put it on the nearby arid land that’s only growing more dust. Soon, you have better, healthy soil. With soil and water, you get vegetation that helps stop soil erosion and creates that thing you learned about in school – photosynthesis. If you have photosynthesis, what happens, class? Well, the vegetation pulls the carbon out of the air and secures it in its roots and surrounding soil. Then, the vegetation releases an abundance of oxygen into the air.

·     Produced water problem solved.

·     Soil health problem solved.

·     Aquifer problem solved.

·     Air quality problem solved, along with mitigating climate disruption.

And it’s all because we decide not to whack another mole. And instead, JUST ADD WATER.

Let’s talk about it.  CLICK HERE

Oh, and just so you know, no moles were harmed in the writing of this article.

We’re In the News Again . . . And Again!

We’re grateful that the vision to “Just Add Water” to transform our arid lands is taking hold. Here’s two links from today’s Albuquerque Journal:

“Planning to Irrigate Arid Lands with Produced Water”

https://www.abqjournal.com/1317773/finding-a-new-use-for-produced-water.html

“Opening the Floodgates for ‘Produced Water’”

https://www.abqjournal.com/1317772/for-6.html?utm_source=abqjournal.com&utm_medium=abqjournal%20oembed%7C1317772&utm_campaign=abqjournal%20oembed

And if you missed it, this link from KGWN in Cheyenne about our new software:

“Encore Green is Developing a New Software to Help See Less By-Product Water Go to Waste”

https://www.wyomingnewsnow.tv/content/news/Encore-Green-is-developing-a-new-software-to-help-see-less-by-product-water-go-to-waste-510026761.html

We’re In The News Again!

We’re grateful for @Gracie_Foulk from KGWN for a great write up on our new software that is the heart of our Conservation By-Design™ process to repurpose by-product water for conservation, ag, mitigation, and better soil!

Read all about it HERE!

Meet the Experts - Agronomist Neal Fehringer

Encore Green Environmental wants you to know all there is to know about increasing all the benefits that come from applying cleaned industry by-product water to the arid land. 

So – we want you to meet our team of experts that are aligned with us 

Today, we hear from Encore Green Environmental’s agronomist, Neal Fehringer.

EGE

Thanks, Neal, for chatting with us. Briefly tell us a little about your background. 

NEAL

I’m a Certified Professional Agronomist and Certified Crop Advisor (CCA), both certifications through the American Society of Agronomy (ASA). I have been an ASA member for 41 years. I have been an agronomist for 40 years, graduating from Colorado State University in 1979 with an agronomy degree. I worked for two years as a staff agronomist for a farming company. I was their first agronomist, so I developed the program. In 1979, we had about 60,000 acres farmed. By 1981, we farmed 130,000 acres in two states. In addition to being the agronomist, I managed two smaller farms.

In May 1981, I had the opportunity to start my agronomic consulting company, Fehringer Agricultural Consulting, which I still operate.

EGE

Tell us about your role in general terms, so us non-scientists can understand.

NEAL

I work with farmers on their crop production. I do not sell any products, just services. I take soil and plant samples; monitor fields for weeds, insects, diseases, stands, plant growth, and soil moisture; make fertilizer recommendations; pest control recommendations; and calibrate farm application equipment. In addition, we do third-party contract research for agricultural companies. Write nutrient management plans for feedlots to deal with manure waste. Provide expert witness services on legal matters and for insurance companies. Worked for 10 years with natural gas production companies in dealing with sodium bicarbonate by-product water being applied via sprinkler irrigation to hay fields. 

Currently, I am Director of Agronomy for Encore Green Environment, a mid-stream agricultural company that is re-purposing oilfield and coalbed methane by-product waters so that they can be used as beneficial water to be applied to grasslands, providing a consistent water supply in the arid Western United States. In doing so, more grass will be produced, soil health will increase, and more carbon will be sequestered. This will be accomplished by substantially reducing the amount of water needing to be disposed and without need of soil amendments.

EGE

What has drawn you to your field of expertise? That is, what’s your motivation for your work day in and day out?

NEAL

I was raised on a farm in northeast Colorado. I love the science of crop production  and working with people in agriculture. It is rewarding to watch crops develop and help grow food to feed the nation and world. As an agronomist, I need to leave the earth’s natural resources that I work with in better condition than when I started. I help farmers produce nutritious food as efficiently as possibly while protecting the environment.

EGE

What’s been one professional success you’re proud of?

NEAL

Most of clients have been with me for over 25 years because they can trust me and I have made their farms more efficient.

EGE

So, tell us, what’s a little-known fact about you? 

NEAL

I grew up near a town of 200. I had 15 in my graduating class, of which 9 were girls and 6 boys. Of the 9 girls, 4 were my cousins!!! I had to go out of town to get a date.

EGE

What’s your perspective on the ‘Just Add Water’ Initiative? 

NEAL

This initiative is a win-win for everyone, even urban folks as this waste volume is greatly reduced. We will take an industrial waste and turn it into a resource for the usual moisture- deficient Great Plains. More grass will be produced, especially on drought years, so that ranchers do not have to liquidate some or all or their herd and/or buy expensive hay. This will provide more stability to ranching operations. There will be a fraction of the water needing to be disposed, thus reducing the risk of groundwater contamination, brine water spill soil contamination, and trucking. By just adding water, soil health will improve, soil erosion will decrease, and increased carbon sequestration with increased grass growth.

EGE

From your point of view and expertise, what’s the benefit of increasing soil health?

NEAL

Increasing soil health will also improve water infiltration, leaving less to run-off, thus reducing erosion.

EGE

Thanks, Neal. One last thing, can you tell us one thing that excites you about the potential of adding a new source of water to the arid western state? 

NEAL

Water is king in the west. People have been shot over water. I am excited to turn a one industry’s waste into another’s resource.

When You’re Tired of ‘Someday’ – Give Us A Call

Yeah, we know, there’s a lot going on. We’re so busy just getting today’s list of things shouting to be done, that we can’t think about adding “put the produced/by-product water to good use” on that list. 

But we can help you. At least add giving us a call or sending us an email to your list. We have a method ready to go. You’ll have LESS to do later, if you do this today.

Someday is here. Let’s do good for our lands. 

We’ll be talking to you soon. 818.470.0285

Going Green – What Are You For, Not Against?

We’ve been talking about going green for decades and decades and decades. We used to call it “ecology” – anyone old enough to remember that?

At some point, “green” became the way to express stewardship of our planet, environment, and land. And I think we all can agree that going green is better than ruining our lands.

We’re here to say that at Encore GREEN Environmental, we want to focus our energy and thoughts on two things:

1.    What we’re for.

2.    What we can do today, next week, next month.

Let’s take them one at a time.

FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU’RE FOR

Often, going green is defined as being what we’re against, such as being against fossil fuel as a source of energy. But we want to focus on what we’re for – at Encore Green Environmental, we’re FOR stewarding the land and have come up with Conservation By-Design™, which transforms industrial by-product water (produced) and gives it a beneficial-use purpose. This grows grassland, enriches the soil, and creates carbon sequestration, which is removing unwanted carbon from the air. 

We’re for doing all that. What are you for?

FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW

Often in our zeal to go green, we imagine ideal scenarios where vehicles run on renewable energy and there is no need for fossil fuel. That’s a goal. But it’s one that will require a transition of an entire planet’s way of using energy. So, goals are good. But we need solutions we can act on today.

If you’re ready to be for conservation today, give us a call. Let’s go green now. 81.470.0285.

How’s That Water Scarcity Working Out For You?

Over 40% of the United States is considered arid land. If you live in a non-arid land, then water is always right there when you turn on the kitchen tap. You might even hear that people “somewhere else” experience year-round aridity and frequent droughts. 

But if you live in the western US, then you know how valuable every little drop of water is. You know that there just isn’t enough water to take care of homes, businesses, ranches, and farms. And providing water to land for conservation sounds like a luxury we simply can’t afford when our most valuable currency is water.

But not anymore.

Encore Green Environmental, along with partners, has announced the ‘Just Add Water’ Initiative which turn arid states into non-arid states. Yep, just like that, we just add water and change our very existence.  Read about it by clicking the button.

You see, the arid states happen to overlap with the major oil producing states. And that’s the opportunity. These oil producers are pulling up hundreds of millions (yes, hundreds of millions) of gallons of water a year. The water comes out as part of the process of getting the oil out of the ground. And do we use that water to solve our aridity problems?

No, we throw away that water down an injection well.

In the 1930’s when injection wells first started, it was maybe a good idea. But now we have better technologies to clean the by-product water and a one-of-a-kind method called Conservation By-Design™. Together, we can take this massive volume of water in the arid states and put it on the ground for conservation and ag — and if they are using this cleaned ‘beneficial-use’ water, then they aren’t draining water from the aquifer. And if that’s not all, added vegetation growth like grassland releases more oxygen and pulls the undesirable carbon out of the air. 

So, what’s stopping us? Tradition? A reluctance to do the hard work to figure it all out? Maybe even a concern over one’s job if things change?

At Encore Green Environmental, our tradition is doing what’s right and best for the land. And, we’ve done the hard work to figure it out. So, we’ve solved your problems. Give us a call – ask us a question. We’ll talk about it. 818.470.0285

Waste is Such a Waste

You know what some people call industrial by-product water? They call it ‘wastewater.’ 

As if any water (yes, even that nasty water you’re imagining) should be wasted. You know that even the sewers and septic tank water gets cleaned up and put to a beneficial use. So, why do we call the oil field water that’s produced as part of pumping crude oil “waste”?

Well, at Encore Green Environmental, we don’t call it that. We call it “by-product water” because it’s a by-product of oil production. We kind like to keep things simple . . .  

Some like to call it “produced water” and that makes a little more sense. However, the oil company did NOT get a permit to pump or produce water. They are permitted to do their main business of getting the crude oil out of the ground. Water is just a headache for them; that’s why it’s easier to just waste it down an injection well or evaporate it in a pond. 

No, water is NOT to be wasted. We customize solutions using our patent-pending method of Conservation By-Design™ to clean the water and then apply it to the ground to grow things like grassland. And if you grow things, the soil gets better, and the air quality gets better. It all gets better because we don’t waste the by-product water.

So, let’s stop tossing it away. It’s a waste we can’t afford.

Give us a call. Let’s talk about it. 

818.470.0285