TX Now Requires Registration Of Oil Waste Pits, But No Need To Line Pits Or Notify Landowners, So Freedumb Survives
Texas regulators have completed the first overhaul of oilfield waste rules in over 40 years.
The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) last month adopted revisions for Chapters 3 and 4 of its rules that govern commercial oilfield waste landfills and on-site disposal at drilling rigs. The new rule—a compendium of numerous new requirements—goes into effect on July 1 and covers waste streams that include drill cuttings, mud that oozes out of wells and the saline wastewater that comes to the surface during drilling. The rule-making generated widespread interest. The commission, which regulates oil and gas drilling and waste, received over 650 public comments on the draft rule from individuals, companies and associations.
The final rule includes new provisions that watchdogs say will better protect property owners and the environment. For the first time companies will have to register the location of earthen waste pits that contain toxic drilling waste, known as reserve pits. But companies holding leases to drill on private property will still be able to bury this waste near the surface without notifying the landowner or, in most cases, lining the pit to prevent groundwater contamination. These pits were the subject of more than 400 public comments.
Some oil and gas companies had submitted comments in favor of easing provisions in the draft rule. Other companies had urged the commissioners to go further in requiring new reserve pit protections to bring Texas regulations in line with other states. In response to public comments on reserve pits, the Railroad Commission technical staff wrote that they attempted to “strike a balance between these interests.”
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One horizontal well generates between 8,000 and 16,000 barrels of waste, equivalent to 336,000 to 672,000 gallons, according to Milestone’s comments on the draft. While drillers used water-based fluids for conventional wells, they now use oil-based and synthetic fluids to drill unconventional wells for fracking. These drilling fluids enter the waste stream when they resurface in the fracking process and can contain benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene and other harmful constituents. However, under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, this waste is deemed non-hazardous—a decision made after heavy industry lobbying. “It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not toxic,” Rio said, noting that the wrong concentrations of oilfield waste stored improperly can be toxic to humans and wildlife.
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https://insideclimatenews.org/news/20012025/texas-regulators-finalize-oilfield-waste-rule/