Oil and fuel liners are a major safety component to consider for the hydraulic fracturing process. It is extremely important to choose the best oil and fuel liners for the project. The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, has a multitude of requirements in place in for the gas, oil, and mining industries.
The advent of hydraulic fracturing has brought rapid economic growth, and the previously impossible promise, of energy independence for the United States. It has also completely changed the way storage and transport of crude oil is approached.
In this article, our team of top containment experts share what to watch out for when selecting your liners, how to meet the EPA’s requirements, and how you can choose the best oil and fuel liners.
Understanding EPA Requirements
Providing Protection Against Known Risks
While many U.S. states differ in their specific laws around hydraulic fracturing and containment, many share essential requirements—especially around the environment.
When managed improperly, natural gas and shale gas extraction operations could negatively impact the environment in the following ways:
● Contamination of surface water; from spills, faulty well construction, or other means
● Contamination of underground sources of drinking water
● Stress on surface water and groundwater supplies; from the withdrawal of water used in drilling and hydraulic fracturing
● Air pollution; from the release of volatile organic compounds, or hazardous air pollutants
● Adverse impacts from disposal into underground injection wells or discharges into surface waters
Waste Management
The EPA works to ensure the safe management of wastewater and other wastes relating to hydraulic fracturing.
Waste generated from crude oil and natural gas exploration and production is subject to regulation under Subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (or the RCRA) in addition to state regulations. In fact, many state governments have specific regulations and guidance for fracking-related wastes.
Some states are currently developing additional legislation and regulations in response to the increase in the use of fracking, especially requirements related to waste management.
What is Flowback, and Why Does it Matter?
Once a fracking well is drilled, you need containment for the flowback, typically water with sand and chemical additives, used in hydraulic fracturing.
Flowback is usually stored in a reservoir or frac pit after being used and extracted. As such, reservoirs and frac pits depend on liners for safe containment of flowback. Liners can be used to secure flowback and keep it safely contained.
