California Could Lead Way on Drilling Waste Rules

Date: March 25, 2013

Source: News Room

Environmental groups are urging California legislators to adopt strict rules governing releases of methane, and greater disclosure requirements for hydraulic fracturing "fracking" operations which could set a model for other states overseeing booming extraction activities, and guide federal regulations. A recent bill also seeks to regulate "produced" waste water from oil and gas fracking operations as a hazardous waste. The state's Division of Oil, Gas & Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) last December released comprehensive draft regulations for fracking that include notification, well integrity and a host of other provisions. Since the draft rules were unveiled, the debate has intensified over what should be included in the regulations and whether legislation should be sought to require more stringent rules, with several lawmakers recently introducing separate bills that would significantly strengthen requirements.

Adding urgency to the debate is a recent report that estimates that there are 15.4 billion barrels of extractable oil and large volumes of natural gas in the Monterrey Shale region, believed to be the largest such resource in the lower 48.

See also: "California Introduces Bill to Regulate Fracking Water as Hazardous Waste," (www.wasteinfo.com/news/wbj20130305F.htm), March 1, 2013.

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