While environmentalists say the new rule doesn’t do enough to protect groundwater, oil and gas operators are contesting stricter requirements for waste pits near wells.
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An aerial view of produced water ponds constructed by Martin Water in Lenorah, Texas. Credit: Julian Mancha for The Texas Tribune/Inside Climate News
From the article:
Virginia Palacios saw firsthand the impacts of oilfield waste when the shale boom took off in her hometown of Laredo.
At the Texas Groundwater Summit in San Antonio in August, Palacios, now executive director of Commission Shift, remembered open-top trucks sloshing drilling waste onto the roads in Laredo. She recounted seeing a waste pit at her family’s ranch that had an oily sheen even though the company assured them it contained only water.
Most landowners across Texas do not own the minerals under their land. The oil and gas companies that hold these mineral rights enter surface-use agreements with the landowners. These leases can include provisions for waste pits.
“We can’t rely on mineral owners to just get a good lease every time,” Palacios said at the summit. “We’ve got to have good rules that apply across the board everywhere, so that we can ensure that groundwater is safe.”
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