Though very similar to those of the USEPA, as a state with an authorized hazardous waste program under RCRA, Texas waste regulations – created and enforced by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) – have their own state-specific nuances.  For a person in Texas subject to these regulations, slight differences between state and Federal regulations can make a big difference.  This article will look at one aspect of the waste regulations of the TCEQ in Texas:  What is, and isn’t, a Solid Waste. (more…)

Subscription to The Advocate – either electronic or hardcopy – is a must for any small business or local government agency in Texas.

The Advocate is the TCEQ’s Small Business and Local Government Assistance rules update, printed quarterly, containing information regarding compliance issues and regulatory concerns that affect small businesses and local governments.

From its banner:  For and about small businesses and local governments affected by environmental regulations

Take a look at The Advocate for 3rd Quarter 2014, or access the library of issues going back to Winter of 1997!

You can receive a hard-copy edition in the mail at no charge or you can sign up to receive an e-mail alert when each new issue is available on TCEQ’s web site.  Find out how to subscribe to either electronic or hardcopy.

No matter whether state or Federal, compliance with the regulations begins with knowledge.  I recommend you take advantage of this source of information to increase your knowledge of the regulations of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.  And, be sure to attend my one day Training Seminar in Austin, TX on August 13, 2014.  You’ll come away with an expanded awareness of the TCEQ regulations for the management of Industrial Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, Universal Waste, and Used Oil.

Be sure to contact me with any questions you may have about the Texas regulations for the management of waste.

The Bullet:

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has created a new website to provide data to interested parties on the air emissions at the Eagle Ford Shale Geological Area in southeast Texas.

Who:

The Texas Railroad Commission or Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) and the Texas Commission one Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

What:

The Eagle Ford Shale is a hydrocarbon-producing geological formation extending over 26 Texas counties.

The TCEQ webpage contains near real-time air monitoring data from the agency’s Auto GC monitor, sampling results and health effects evaluations by county and links to the Texas Air Monitoring System (TAMIS).  More information about the monitoring method can be found on the webpage.

Where:

The Eagle Ford Shale Geological Area stretches from the Mexican border between Laredo and Eagle Pass up through counties east of Temple and Waco.

When:

The TCEQ webpage was launched June 6, 2014.

How:

The Texas Railroad Commission has primary responsibility for rail and gas facilities in Texas.  The role of the TCEQ is limited to regulating air emissions and ensuring air quality.

Conclusion:

Refer to the TCEQ webpage: Eagle Ford Shale Geological Area for more information.

Due to the unique arrangement of the TCEQ and the RRC in Texas, the generation of waste during the exploration and production of oil and natural gas is subject to RRC regulations and not those of the TCEQ.  However, this authority changes for wastes that are generated “above the hole” during the transportation and processing of oil and natural gas.  Contact me with any questions you may have about the generation of waste within Texas and the applicability of the regulations of the TCEQ or the RRC to your operations.

By taking an innovative approach to its pigging operations Pioneer Natural Resources earned for itself a 2014 Texas Environmental Excellence Award (TEEA). Using a three-tiered approach, Pioneer was able to reduce its operational emissions by 90 percent.  For its efforts, Pioneer was recognized with other winners’ projects at a banquet held on the last night of the TCEQ Environmental Trade Fair and Conference in Austin, TX.  BTW, I wasn’t able to make the TCEQ conference even though I had already registered and paid.  I highly recommend attendance at the conference in 2015 for anyone who does business in Texas.

So what did Pioneer do?  Well, you can read a short summary below, but much more information about the project and a short video summary is available here:  http://teea.org/winners/2014/pollution-prevention/pioneer-natural-resources

First, Pioneer installed larger barrels for pig launching and receiving.  These larger barrels held more pigs – natch! – resulting in less venting of natural gas to the atmosphere when valves are opened to add or remove them.

Secondly, the pressure in the barrels was reduced from 100 pounds of pressure to 1 pound prior to opening.  The result:  Less venting of natural gas to the atmosphere.

And finally, Pioneer installed suction drain lines to route accumulated natural gas liquids back into production.  This differs from standard industry practice which is to drain the liquids into open-air tubs that evaporate into the air.  Yikes!  Really?  That’s “standard industry practice”?

What is pigging?

Pigging is a standard industry process involving running a spherical ball, called a pig, through a pipeline to sweep out accumulated produced liquids and debris.  Loading and retrieving pigs into and from a pipeline often requires opening several hatches and valves that allow small amounts of natural gas to vent into the atmosphere.

Interested in snagging a TEEA for your company in 2015?  The 2015 Application Cycle will open August 2014. Visit the TEEA site to apply. http://teea.org/texas-environmental-excellence-awards

I’ve been conducting Training Seminars and Onsite training in Texas for several years now on the topics of Hazardous Material transportation and Waste Management.  And though they are more strict and more broad than  those of the USEPA and most other states (California being the exception) the regulations of the TCEQ for the management of hazardous waste, Used Oil, Universal Waste, and Non-Hazardous Industrial Solid Waste can be understood.  It just takes good training.

As a state that operates its own hazardous waste program under the authority of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Texas has its own unique requirements for the regulation of both hazardous and non-hazardous waste.  An essential requirement of compliance with the TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) regulations is the determination of the source of the waste, either industrial or non-industrial.  The purpose of this article is to explain the difference between an industrial solid waste and non-industrial solid waste in regard to the waste regulations of the TCEQ.

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