Legal Header

ID 2000-04: An Update to the Requirements for the Appropriate Management of Oilfield Wastes

View PDF
(176.42 KB)

Release Date: June 19, 2000

The purpose of this interim directive is to communicate requirements specific to the management of oilfield wastes. Some of the requirements outlined here are a clarification or modification of the requirements detailed in EUB Guide 58: Oilfield Waste Management Requirements for the Upstream Petroleum Industry , while others are new. The Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) believes that these requirements complement EUB Interim Directive (ID) 2000-3: Harmonization of Waste Management and its attached memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the EUB and Alberta Environment (AENV).

To enhance protection of the environment and public safety and to reduce liability through appropriate waste management, the EUB requires oilfield waste generators to comply with all pertinent EUB requirements as referenced in Appendix 1, as well as the following additional requirements:

  • It is prohibited, with the exception of construction and demolition debris, garbage and domestic wastes, and scrap metal, to deposit oilfield wastes into any registered landfill or any landfill currently operating under an Alberta Public Health Permit that will qualify for registration under the Code of Practice for Landfills pursuant to the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA).
  • Oilfield wastes, with the exception of suitable cellulose materials (e.g., trees, and other vegetative material resulting from lease construction, decontamination, or decommissioning), must not be sent to compost facilities or managed by compost components at waste management facilities, including AENV-regulated landfills.
  • Oilfield wastes must not be sent to dedicated land treatment facilities, with the exception of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soils that are suitable for biodegradation, as outlined in Section 16.2 of EUB Guide 58.
  • Dangerous oilfield wastes being sent off site for collection, treatment, disposal, or recycling must only be sent to facilities approved for the management of hazardous wastes, hazardous recyclables, or dangerous oilfield wastes.
  • Provided the above requirements are not contravened, oilfield wastes may be sent to AENV regulated facilities. The oilfield wastes must be
    • similar in characteristics and source to other wastes authorized by AENV,
    • within all waste acceptance limitations specified by AENV, and
    • only managed by activities that AENV has authorized for the facility.
  • For liability management and to complement Alberta's Expanded Orphan Program, only wastes generated within the same production system may be managed as one-time treatment or by an on-site waste management component.
  • Mobile treatment technologies (e.g., incinerators) may be used to manage oilfield wastes on EUB- approved or licensed sites provided that the technology is approved or registered, as required, under EPEA and the notification requirements in Section 17.5 of EUB Guide 58 are followed.

Refer to Appendix 2 for a list of definitions pertaining to waste management.

Currently, Section 6.0, Alternative Disposal Options, of EUB Guide 50: Drilling Waste Management , identifies that when drilling waste is disposed at an approved waste management facility, the generator must meet information requirements specific to the waste management facility.

To ensure a consistent level of tracking for drilling wastes disposed in this manner, effective July 1, 2000, the following additional requirements will be applied:

  • All drilling wastes sent to waste management facilities (EUB or AENV regulated) shall be considered trackable oilfield wastes under EUB Guide 58.
  • The waste codes for drilling sumps (gel chem, hydrocarbon, and KCL) in Table 7.4, Waste Management Table, of EUB Guide 58 shall be used to track the drilling wastes.

The EUB acknowledges that the publication of this interim directive, ID 2000-4, as well as other publications listed in Appendix 1 will necessitate the review and update of EUB Guide 58 . The EUB will undertake the timely completion of this review.

<original signed by>

Brian Bietz
Board Member
Alberta Energy and Utilities Board