| 1 | 1 | | 89R5067 ANG-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Morales Shaw H.B. No. 4572 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to the regulation by the Railroad Commission of Texas of |
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| 10 | 10 | | certain pits used for the storage and disposal of oil and gas waste. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 91, Natural Resources |
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| 13 | 13 | | Code, is amended by adding Section 91.119 to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | Sec. 91.119. REGULATIONS REGARDING RESERVE AND MUD |
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| 15 | 15 | | CIRCULATION PITS. (a) In this section: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) "Mud circulation pit" means a pit used in |
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| 17 | 17 | | conjunction with a drilling rig for the storage of drilling fluid |
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| 18 | 18 | | being used in drilling operations. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) "Reserve pit" means a pit used in conjunction with |
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| 20 | 20 | | a drilling rig for collecting: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (A) spent drilling fluids; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (B) cuttings, sand, and silt; or |
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| 23 | 23 | | (C) wash water used for cleaning drill pipe and |
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| 24 | 24 | | other equipment at the well site. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (b) The commission shall adopt rules regarding the use of |
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| 26 | 26 | | reserve pits and mud circulation pits. The rules must establish: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (1) minimum siting standards for reserve pits and mud |
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| 28 | 28 | | circulation pits; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (2) uniform technical, construction, sampling, and |
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| 30 | 30 | | closure standards for reserve pits and mud circulation pits; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (3) minimum and maximum bonding and financial security |
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| 32 | 32 | | requirements for a person using a reserve pit for the permanent |
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| 33 | 33 | | burial of oil and gas waste; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (4) groundwater monitoring standards for reserve pits |
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| 35 | 35 | | and mud circulation pits; and |
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| 36 | 36 | | (5) standards for providing notice to and receiving |
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| 37 | 37 | | permission from a landowner for the permanent burial of the oil and |
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| 38 | 38 | | gas waste, including providing notice to the landowner of the type |
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| 39 | 39 | | and volume of oil and gas waste to be buried in the reserve pit or |
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| 40 | 40 | | mud circulation pit. |
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| 41 | 41 | | (c) The standards established under Subsections (b)(1)-(4) |
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| 42 | 42 | | must be consistent with analogous standards established by the |
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| 43 | 43 | | commission for produced water recycling pits. |
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| 44 | 44 | | (d) Not later than 30 days after the closure of a reserve pit |
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| 45 | 45 | | or mud circulation pit used for the permanent burial of oil and gas |
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| 46 | 46 | | waste, the operator must send a written notice of the burial of the |
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| 47 | 47 | | oil and gas waste to the county clerk of the county in which the pit |
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| 48 | 48 | | is located. The written notice must include a legal description of |
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| 49 | 49 | | the location of the pit and the type and volume of oil and gas waste |
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| 50 | 50 | | in the pit. After receiving notice of the oil and gas waste burial, |
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| 51 | 51 | | the county clerk shall record the notice at no charge in the |
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| 52 | 52 | | official public records of the county. |
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| 53 | 53 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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