Environmental Bureau
The Environmental Bureau develops and enforces all of the environmental regulations and programs in the oil and gas industry for the prevention of ground water contamination. The bureau uses an environmental permitting process that addresses all aspects of waste disposal. To assist in the permitting process, rules and regulations are contained under publications. For inquiry, permits contain a comprehensive listing of all facilities currently permitted or in the process of being permitted, and data contains a comprehensive listing of all spills and ground remediations. The bureau provides a forum for the public to receive and share information and viewpoints regarding current environmental issues.
Staff Listing
Environmental Engineers:
Carl Chavez (505) 476-3490
- Discharge Permits, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES); Point-of-Contact; Refineries; and Underground Injection Control Program QA/QC Officer
Jim Griswold (505) 476-3465
- Hydrologist and Groundwater Remediations
Edward J. Hansen (505) 476-3489
- Hydrologist; Groundwater Remediations; and Risk-Based Data Management System (RBDMS)
Brad Jones (505) 476-3487
- Hydrostatic Testing; Pits/Ponds; Produced Water; and Surface Waste Management Facilities
Leonard Lowe (505) 476-3492
- Discharge Permits and Facility Inspections
Glenn von Gonten (505) 476-3488
- Hydrologist and Groundwater Remediations
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See C-133 Water Hauler List on our Statistics page
See Commercial Surface Waste Management Facilities here
Surface Waste Management Web Links and Revised Forms C-137, C-137-EZ and C-138
GUIDANCE (MOST RECENT):
Guidelines for Hydrostatic Tests
MISCELLANEOUS:
See Miscellaneous Environmental Presentations and Postings here
Analytical Results of OCD's Pit Sampling Program (7/2/2007)
During the four public outreach sessions that OCD held in December 2006 and January 2007 to gain input on OCD's proposed pit rulemaking, OCD heard many individuals ask for information on the contents of various oil and gas pits. From May 22 to June 1, 2007, OCD staff collected aqueous and non-aqueous samples from 21 drilling/reserve pits, 2 production pits, and 2 closed-loop tanks, including blind duplicate samples, to answer the questions raised during the pit rulemaking outreach meetings. Twelve samples were taken from the northwest and 25 samples were taken from the southeast. The samples were analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile compounds (SVOs), gasoline-range and diesel-range organics (GRO-DRO), polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), total extractable petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), total metals, and general chemistry cations and anions (Gen Chem). OCD has generated 25 separate reports; each report includes photos depicting the general pit conditions encountered in the field and a summary of the analytical results.
“To protect human health and the environment from the effects of development of the state’s oil, gas and geothermal resources.” (Source: OCD Strategic Plan- June 28, 2007)
EPA Organizational Guide to Pollution Prevention
EPA Oil & Gas Extraction & Petroleum Refining Sector Notebook
EPA Pollution Prevention Case Studies
Best Management Practices for Oil & Gas Development:
The Natural Resources Law Center and its partners welcome you to this free-access website of Best Management Practices for oil and gas development in the Intermountain West (Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming). *** Please be advised that some Best Management Practices may not be in compliance with applicable federal, state, or local laws and/or regulations. Persons using Best Management Practices should use due diligence as they are responsible should their operations fail to adequately contain or prevent contamination that poses a threat to surface water, ground water, human health and the environment.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
See Applications, Draft Permits, Public Notices and Interested Parties Notification List here...
Questions? Contact person responsible for this page