Regulators in Texas have given Milestone Environmental Services a permit to build its second oilfield waste landfill in the Permian Basin.

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) gave the Houston operator permission to build a 7.8 million cubic yard landfill on a 93-acre site in Upton County, in the southern part of the Permian’s Midland sub-basin. The landfill plans to accept cuttings, contaminated soils and other waste solids exempt from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Resources Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

“The Midland Basin continues to have some of the highest density of drilling, completion, and production activity in the world, and responsible development of this important play requires a world-class oilfield waste management solution,” said CEO Gabriel Rio. The facility “will allow us to accept the entire spectrum of oilfield wastes from customers in the Midland Basin.”

The first landfill in the Permian was permitted in March for an 80-acre site in Reeves County adjacent to the company’s existing Orla slurry injection facility, which serves the Permian Delaware sub-basin. The landfill at Orla also accepts RCRA-exempt oilfield waste streams, including cuttings and contaminated soils.

Milestone operates seven oilfield management sites in the Permian and in the Eagle Ford and Haynesville shales.

In its most recent Drilling Productivity Report, the Energy Information Administration said oil production in the Permian is expected to average 4.18 million b/d this month, up from 4.14 million b/d in March.