The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set limits on pollutant discharges from oil and gas production facilities along the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska's Cook Inlet.
The final rule, issued under the Clean Water Act, is expected to reduce current discharges of toxic pollutants (including arsenic, cadmium, and lead) by more than 200,000 lb/year, conventional pollutants (such as oil, grease, and solids) by 2.8 million lb/year, and nonconventional pollutants (such as chlorides, ammonia, and aluminum) by about 1.5 billion lb/year.
EPA said produced water, drilling fluids, and drill cuttings are the major waste streams being limited. EPA will conduct bioaccumulation studies on fish tissues and clams in Cook Inlet before considering additional actions against discharges there.
It said, "Coastal waters, often containing wetlands and more complex ecosystems, are highly sensitive to pollutant discharges compared with open offshore areas. Many of the discharged pollutants are toxic to aquatic life as well as humans or are known to cause cancer. Many of these pollutants are persistent in the environmental and accumulate in sediments and aquatic organisms."
The rule also incorporates state-issued zero-discharge standards already in place for oil and gas production facilities along the California, Florida, and Alabama coasts and on the North Slope of Alaska.
EPA said the rule will cost industry $16.2 million/year. It plans to work with federal and state agencies and operators of individual facilities to set schedules for compliance, studies, and interim controls.
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