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.