Texas oil and natural gas regulators plan to streamline and modernize how the exploration and production (E&P) industry manages oilfield waste. 

For the first time since 1984, the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) is updating Statewide Rule 8, which regulates oil and natural gas waste pits and disposal methods. The rule “will undergo a substantial overhaul to better reflect modern waste management practices and recent advancements in production methods,” spokesperson Patty Ramon told NGI. 

Currently, most waste permits are managed individually “in commission staff guidance documents or used as best practices, and it is appropriate to incorporate them into the commission’s existing rules,” Ramon said. Produced water and other E&P waste is typically injected into...