Oil and environmental groups are asking Texas regulators to revamp a regulation intended to help the oil and gas sector dispose of its massive wastewater flow.
The state Legislature passed a law last year giving the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality more authority over the oil industry’s stream of salty, chemical-laden waste known as produced water.
The law deals specifically with using the waste on land after it has been cleaned up, including for crop irrigation. TCEQ’s regulation could be finalized in October, as officials seek to open up new paths to address growing concerns about how to handle waste from the oil patch.
The commission’s plan calls for treated produced water from an oil field to be regulated under the same rules that apply to domestic wastewater, such as the treated water discharged from sewage plants. At a hearing last week, speakers said the commission should create rules specifically for oil and gas waste.
