89R5067 ANG-F
By: Menéndez S.B. No. 3017
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the regulation by the Railroad Commission of Texas of
certain pits used for the storage and disposal of oil and gas waste.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 91, Natural Resources
Code, is amended by adding Section 91.119 to read as follows:
Sec. 91.119. REGULATIONS REGARDING RESERVE AND MUD
CIRCULATION PITS. (a) In this section:
(1) "Mud circulation pit" means a pit used in
conjunction with a drilling rig for the storage of drilling fluid
being used in drilling operations.
(2) "Reserve pit" means a pit used in conjunction with
a drilling rig for collecting:
(A) spent drilling fluids;
(B) cuttings, sand, and silt; or
(C) wash water used for cleaning drill pipe and
other equipment at the well site.
(b) The commission shall adopt rules regarding the use of
reserve pits and mud circulation pits. The rules must establish:
(1) minimum siting standards for reserve pits and mud
circulation pits;
(2) uniform technical, construction, sampling, and
closure standards for reserve pits and mud circulation pits;
(3) minimum and maximum bonding and financial security
requirements for a person using a reserve pit for the permanent
burial of oil and gas waste;
(4) groundwater monitoring standards for reserve pits
and mud circulation pits; and
(5) standards for providing notice to and receiving
permission from a landowner for the permanent burial of the oil and
gas waste, including providing notice to the landowner of the type
and volume of oil and gas waste to be buried in the reserve pit or
mud circulation pit.
(c) The standards established under Subsections (b)(1)-(4)
must be consistent with analogous standards established by the
commission for produced water recycling pits.
(d) Not later than 30 days after the closure of a reserve pit
or mud circulation pit used for the permanent burial of oil and gas
waste, the operator must send a written notice of the burial of the
oil and gas waste to the county clerk of the county in which the pit
is located. The written notice must include a legal description of
the location of the pit and the type and volume of oil and gas waste
in the pit. After receiving notice of the oil and gas waste burial,
the county clerk shall record the notice at no charge in the
official public records of the county.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.