Planned regulations in North Dakota in the US could have a major impact on onshore drilling practices.
Dakota oil rig Image: Lindsey Gee |
The proposed legislation is aimed at protecting wild birds by changing the use of 'reserve pits' - open pits which are used by drilling companies to dump drilling lubricants and other associated waste during the drilling process. The state currently produces around 420,000 b/d or 6% of total US output.
Under existing state legislation, nets have to be placed over the pits if they are left open for more than 90 days and the drilling companies are responsible for cleaning up the waste once drilling is completed. The official count is 900 open waste pits currently sited in Dakota.
Now Dakota's Department of Mineral Resources is set to tighten the laws after the discovery, over the summer, of 28 dead migratory birds in pits around the county. Apparently birds are known to mistake the sites for ponds and become coated in hydrocarbon waste once they land.
The proposed legislation changes will require all liquid waste to be stored in steel holding tanks for later disposal or recycling. Open pits can still be used for solid waste, such as rock chips, until they can be safely buried.
The recent bird deaths have resulted in federal charges being brought by North Dakota against seven oil and gas operators in the county under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act between the US and Canada.
A public hearing about the new regulations, which also includes incentives for companies to list fracking fluids, is set for 1 November.