Commission Today Adopts New Recycling Rules to Help Enhance Water Conservation By Oil & Gas Operators Back to Blog
AUSTIN– The Railroad Commission today adopted new rules
to encourage Texas operators to continue their efforts at
conserving water used in the hydraulic fracturing process for
oil and gas wells, even though hydraulic fracturing and total
mining use accounts for less than 1 percent of statewide water
use, with irrigation, municipalities and manufacturing making
up state’s top three water consumers.
Major changes adopted to the Commission’s water recycling
rules include eliminating the need for a Commission recycling
permit if operators are recycling fluid on their own leases or
transferring their fluids to another operator’s lease for
recycling. The changes adopted by the Commission today
also clearly identify recycling permit application requirements
and reflect existing standard field conditions for recycling
permits.
Chairman Barry Smitherman said, “By removing regulatory
hurdles, these new amendments will help foster the recycling
efforts by oil and gas operators who continue to examine ways
to reduce freshwater use when hydraulically fracturing well.”
Commissioner David Porter said, “Water use has been a
major concern examined by my Eagle Ford Shale Task Force,
and I commend our staff for working to streamline our rules to
encourage more recycling.”
Commissioner Christi Craddick said, “Just as our operators
have used technology to bring us into this modern day boom
of oil production, they are also using technology to reduce
their fresh water use. The changes adopted today will assist in
those efforts.”
The rule amendment also establishes five categories of
commercial recycling permits to reflect industry practices in
the field:
· On-lease Commercial Solid Oil and Gas Waste
Recycling
· Off-lease or Centralized Commercial Solid Oil and
Gas Waste Recycling
· Stationary Commercial Solid Oil and Gas Waste
Recycling
· Off-lease Commercial Recycling of Fluid; and
· Stationary Commercial Recycling of Fluid
The changes to the rule also establish a tiered approach for
the reuse of treated fluid, including both authorized reuse of
treated fluids in oil and gas operations and provisions for
reusing the fluid for other non-oilfield related uses.