NPDES permit requirements in Gulf Coast exploration and production areas

Conference · Wed Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States)

OSTI ID:7127793

Mundt, W J ^[1]

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1. R.W. Beck and Associates, Denver, CO (United States)

The Federal Government regulates discharges of pollutants into waters of the United States under the Clean Water Act (CWA) through issuance of permits under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Anyone discharging pollutants directly into [open quotes]waters of the United States[close quotes] (almost any body of water, including lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, or offshore waters) from a point source (e.g., oil and gas exploration and production facilities) is a direct discharger. Direct dischargers must have an NPDES permit that specifically allows them to discharge designated pollutants. The permit will normally list the pollutants that the facility may discharge, and limit the discharge of each pollutant on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis. The EPA has developed NPDES requirements for facilities engaged in offshore oil and gas exploration and production. On September 30, 1992, Region 6 of the EPA issued a general NPDES permit for offshore operators within the Gulf of Mexico authorizing discharges in accordance with specific effluent limitations, monitoring requirements, and other conditions of the permit. A general NPDES permit was also formalized by EPA Region 6 in 1991 for onshore oil and gas facilities. This [open quotes]zero discharge[close quotes] NPDES permit (prohibiting any discharge of pollutants into waters of the U.S.) is applicable to most onshore oil and gas facilities within Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Failure to meet the requirements of a general or site-specific NPDES permit violates the law. The EPA and states with delegated permit authority can penalize violators through fines and imprisonment. Permitting authorities are becoming increasingly diligent in their enforcement efforts.

• OSTI ID: 7127793
• Report Number(s): CONF-9310237--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States) Journal Volume: 77:9
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
021000 -- Petroleum-- Legislation & Regulations
03 NATURAL GAS
031000 -- Natural Gas-- Legislation & Regulations
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
294002* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Petroleum
294003 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Natural Gas
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
ATLANTIC OCEAN
CARIBBEAN SEA
CLEAN WATER ACTS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EXPLORATION
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GULF OF MEXICO
INDUSTRY
LAWS
LOUISIANA
MANAGEMENT
MINERAL RESOURCES
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
NATURAL GAS FIELDS
NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY
NEW MEXICO
NORTH AMERICA
OIL FIELDS
OKLAHOMA
PERMITS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
POLLUTANTS
POLLUTION
POLLUTION LAWS
POLLUTION REGULATIONS
POLLUTION SOURCES
REGULATIONS
RESOURCES
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
TEXAS
US EPA
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WATER POLLUTION