The feasibility of effluent trading in the oil and gas industry

Conference · Mon Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1997

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/565318· OSTI ID:555278

Veil, J A

In January 1996, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a policy statement endorsing wastewater effluent trading in watersheds, hoping to promote additional interest in the subject. The policy describes five types of effluent trades - point source/point source, point source/nonpoint source, pretreatment, intraplant, and nonpoint source/nonpoint source. This paper evaluates the feasibility of effluent trading for facilities in the oil and gas industry. The evaluation leads to the conclusion that potential for effluent trading is very low in the exploration and production and distribution and marketing sectors; trading potential is moderate for the refining sector except for intraplant trades, for which the potential is high. Good potential also exists for other types of water-related trades that do not directly involve effluents (e.g., wetlands mitigation banking). The potential for effluent trading in the energy industries and in other sectors would be enhanced if Congress amended the Clean Water Act (CWA) to formally authorize such trading.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning and Program Evaluation, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 555278
• Report Number(s): ANL/EA/CP--92670; CONF-970990--; ON: DE97053950
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
03 NATURAL GAS
MITIGATION
NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY
PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
POINT SOURCES
POLLUTION
REFINING
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE WATER
WATERSHEDS
WETLANDS