New Bills Seek to Rein In Oil Companies’ Pollution of Oklahoma Groundwater
What's the endgame here?
An Oklahoma state senator has introduced legislation to strengthen regulations on how oilfield wastewater is injected underground following an investigation by The Frontier and ProPublica.
For the legislative session beginning Monday, Sen. Mary Boren, a Democrat and a member of the chamber’s Energy Committee, filed four oil and gas bills to curb industrial pollution or create more transparency for landowners.
Laws to increase oversight of oil and gas production, one of the largest industries in the state, often face long odds in Oklahoma, though a few have passed in recent years. The bills would have to win support from leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature and the state’s Republican governor over industry opposition.
But Boren said that the threat to the state’s groundwater is too big to ignore. “My responsibility is to pay attention to things that could solve problems for real Oklahomans,” said Boren, who credited the investigation for calling attention to large-scale pollution from oil and gas injection practices.
The Frontier and ProPublica found over 150 incidents in recent years where oilfield wastewater has gushed from the earth, releasing toxic chemicals — including those that can cause cancer — near homes, onto farmland and into drinking water sources.
Reporting by the news organizations also showed that officials at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the state’s oil and gas regulator, have been aware of the risks for years and identified excessively high injection pressures as a primary cause of the toxic releases known as purges. But regulators have done little to address the problem. A commission spokesperson previously told the news outlets it prefers “to lead with a handshake instead of a hammer” and has not fined any company for purges in the last five years.
The commission previously noted that the state has taken steps to reduce injection pressures on new wells in recent years and is committed to “doing the right thing, holding operators accountable, protecting Oklahoma and its resources, and providing fair and balanced regulation.”
A spokesperson for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission declined to comment on Boren’s legislation.
One of Boren’s bills, SB 1419, would require oil and gas companies to assess whether the pressure at which they are injecting wastewater is cracking rock layers deep below ground, allowing the toxic fluid to travel for miles. In addition, companies would be required to protect drinking water sources by performing tests to ensure that toxic wastewater is not spreading after being injected underground. Test results would be reported to state regulators, who would be required to investigate any problematic injection wells and potentially lower the pressure at which wastewater is sent down.
Another bill from Boren, SB 1474, would create a fee on oilfield wastewater to pay for groundwater testing, land restoration and well cleanup. The proposed fee of $0.01 per barrel of wastewater produced in the state would generate millions of dollars each year, based on estimates of the amount of wastewater produced in Oklahoma annually. This could add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for …
What's the endgame here?
An Oklahoma state senator has introduced legislation to strengthen regulations on how oilfield wastewater is injected underground following an investigation by The Frontier and ProPublica.
For the legislative session beginning Monday, Sen. Mary Boren, a Democrat and a member of the chamber’s Energy Committee, filed four oil and gas bills to curb industrial pollution or create more transparency for landowners.
Laws to increase oversight of oil and gas production, one of the largest industries in the state, often face long odds in Oklahoma, though a few have passed in recent years. The bills would have to win support from leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature and the state’s Republican governor over industry opposition.
But Boren said that the threat to the state’s groundwater is too big to ignore. “My responsibility is to pay attention to things that could solve problems for real Oklahomans,” said Boren, who credited the investigation for calling attention to large-scale pollution from oil and gas injection practices.
The Frontier and ProPublica found over 150 incidents in recent years where oilfield wastewater has gushed from the earth, releasing toxic chemicals — including those that can cause cancer — near homes, onto farmland and into drinking water sources.
Reporting by the news organizations also showed that officials at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the state’s oil and gas regulator, have been aware of the risks for years and identified excessively high injection pressures as a primary cause of the toxic releases known as purges. But regulators have done little to address the problem. A commission spokesperson previously told the news outlets it prefers “to lead with a handshake instead of a hammer” and has not fined any company for purges in the last five years.
The commission previously noted that the state has taken steps to reduce injection pressures on new wells in recent years and is committed to “doing the right thing, holding operators accountable, protecting Oklahoma and its resources, and providing fair and balanced regulation.”
A spokesperson for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission declined to comment on Boren’s legislation.
One of Boren’s bills, SB 1419, would require oil and gas companies to assess whether the pressure at which they are injecting wastewater is cracking rock layers deep below ground, allowing the toxic fluid to travel for miles. In addition, companies would be required to protect drinking water sources by performing tests to ensure that toxic wastewater is not spreading after being injected underground. Test results would be reported to state regulators, who would be required to investigate any problematic injection wells and potentially lower the pressure at which wastewater is sent down.
Another bill from Boren, SB 1474, would create a fee on oilfield wastewater to pay for groundwater testing, land restoration and well cleanup. The proposed fee of $0.01 per barrel of wastewater produced in the state would generate millions of dollars each year, based on estimates of the amount of wastewater produced in Oklahoma annually. This could add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for …
New Bills Seek to Rein In Oil Companies’ Pollution of Oklahoma Groundwater
What's the endgame here?
An Oklahoma state senator has introduced legislation to strengthen regulations on how oilfield wastewater is injected underground following an investigation by The Frontier and ProPublica.
For the legislative session beginning Monday, Sen. Mary Boren, a Democrat and a member of the chamber’s Energy Committee, filed four oil and gas bills to curb industrial pollution or create more transparency for landowners.
Laws to increase oversight of oil and gas production, one of the largest industries in the state, often face long odds in Oklahoma, though a few have passed in recent years. The bills would have to win support from leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature and the state’s Republican governor over industry opposition.
But Boren said that the threat to the state’s groundwater is too big to ignore. “My responsibility is to pay attention to things that could solve problems for real Oklahomans,” said Boren, who credited the investigation for calling attention to large-scale pollution from oil and gas injection practices.
The Frontier and ProPublica found over 150 incidents in recent years where oilfield wastewater has gushed from the earth, releasing toxic chemicals — including those that can cause cancer — near homes, onto farmland and into drinking water sources.
Reporting by the news organizations also showed that officials at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the state’s oil and gas regulator, have been aware of the risks for years and identified excessively high injection pressures as a primary cause of the toxic releases known as purges. But regulators have done little to address the problem. A commission spokesperson previously told the news outlets it prefers “to lead with a handshake instead of a hammer” and has not fined any company for purges in the last five years.
The commission previously noted that the state has taken steps to reduce injection pressures on new wells in recent years and is committed to “doing the right thing, holding operators accountable, protecting Oklahoma and its resources, and providing fair and balanced regulation.”
A spokesperson for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission declined to comment on Boren’s legislation.
One of Boren’s bills, SB 1419, would require oil and gas companies to assess whether the pressure at which they are injecting wastewater is cracking rock layers deep below ground, allowing the toxic fluid to travel for miles. In addition, companies would be required to protect drinking water sources by performing tests to ensure that toxic wastewater is not spreading after being injected underground. Test results would be reported to state regulators, who would be required to investigate any problematic injection wells and potentially lower the pressure at which wastewater is sent down.
Another bill from Boren, SB 1474, would create a fee on oilfield wastewater to pay for groundwater testing, land restoration and well cleanup. The proposed fee of $0.01 per barrel of wastewater produced in the state would generate millions of dollars each year, based on estimates of the amount of wastewater produced in Oklahoma annually. This could add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for …
