Environmental Implications of Waste
Associated with Oil and
Gas Exploration and Production
Carol Bowers, William G. Murray
Wastes generated by oil and gas exploration, development, and production
include many environmental contaminants, such as heavy metals, organic
compounds, and inorganic constituents. For various reasons, the 1980 amendments
to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) temporarily exempted
certain categories of wastes from regulation as hazardous wastes. This exemption
included drilling fluids, produced water, and other wastes associated with the
exploration, development, or production of crude oil or natural gas or
geothermal energy. The amendments also required that the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) study these wastes to determine whether they should be
regulated under the hazardous waste
management
provisions of RCRA (Subtitle C),
whether existing federa and state regulations are adequate, or whether other
options should be explored.
The conclusions of EPA's review of these exempt wastes may have significant
implications for oil and gas operators. The impact of more restrictive
regulation of these wastes could significantly increase the costs of waste
management
for the operator and, therefore, increase the cost of producing oil
or gas. The potential cost increases are substantial enough to have implications
for the national economy.
This paper examines waste
management
practices that are currently employed,
with particular focus on operations in the Appalachians. Oil and gas production
in the Appalachian basin tends to be dominated by small operators and is often
on the edge of economic viability. This makes regulatory requirements for
waste
disposal a major issue in this province.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91031©1988 AAPG Eastern Section, Charleston, West Virginia, 13-16 September 1988.