Merit Energy - Greenwood Booster #4 Station (Air) - Oil Extraction Facility in Richfield, Kansas

Merit Energy - Greenwood Booster #4 Station (Air) is an operational oil extraction facility located in Richfield, Morton County, Kansas, United States. The facility is part of Merit Energy's infrastructure in the Hugoton Embayment region, a historically productive area for natural gas and oil. As a booster station, it plays a role in maintaining pressure and flow in the local gathering system. The facility operates under U.S. federal and state regulations, including the Clean Air Act (CAA) and Kansas Corporation Commission rules for oil and gas production. Booster stations typically use compressors or pumps to move hydrocarbons through pipelines, and this station is designated as an air-based system, likely referring to pneumatic controls or air-driven equipment. The NAICS codes (211111, 211120, 211130) indicate involvement in crude petroleum extraction, natural gas extraction, and natural gas liquid extraction. Environmental considerations for booster stations include potential emissions from compressors and fugitive methane releases. The facility's location in rural southwestern Kansas, an area with low population density, reduces direct community exposure. However, regional air quality and groundwater protection are managed through state permits and federal EPA oversight under the Clean Air Act and Safe Drinking Water Act.

The facility is situated in the High Plains region of southwestern Kansas, a semi-arid area underlain by the Ogallala Aquifer. Oil extraction activities here must manage risks of groundwater contamination from spills or leaks, as well as air emissions from equipment. The region's low rainfall and high evaporation rates reduce surface water impacts, but fugitive methane emissions are a concern for greenhouse gas inventories. State regulations require spill prevention plans and air permits for larger sources.