Oil and Gas Activities

Compliance Alerts

• HOT Oil and Gas Wastewater Discharge Permits – House Bill (HB) 2771 requires TCEQ to submit a request to EPA for the authority to regulate wastewater discharges into water in the state from crude oil and natural gas exploration, development, or production. When EPA grants regulatory authority to TCEQ, the bill will transfer state permitting authority for these discharges from the Railroad Commission of Texas to TCEQ. In anticipation of receiving regulatory authority from EPA, TCEQ is hosting a free online workshop to familiarize regulated entities with our online permitting and reporting tools.
  
  
• HOT Guide to “Find It and Fix It” Initiative – Effective through January 31, 2021, the TCEQ Office of Compliance and Enforcement is implementing a “find it and fix it” initiative to incentivize compliance with air quality rules and regulations at oil and gas operations in the 61 counties comprising the Permian Basin.
  
  
• HOT Oil and Gas Emissions Events – To improve consistency in the evaluation of emissions events (EE) reports from oil and gas operations, TCEQ has developed updated guidelines for operators to determine if an incident is an emissions event or a routine event.
  
  
• HOTSour Gas Handling Compliance – Permitting options and guidance relating to oil and gas sites that handle or produce ‘sour’ gas.

Emissions Events Workshops

• Free Online Workshops on Emissions Events - includes links to the Emissions Events, Air Permitting Options for the Oil and Gas Industry, and The Audit Act and Find It and Fix It Initiative 2020 workshop recordings and slides.
• Oil and Gas Emissions Event Workshop - STEERS Demonstration

General Information

• Common Environmental Requirements for Regulated Oil and Gas Operations (RG-482) – Under revision 2021.
  The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the RRC and the TCEQ provides additional explanation of the agencies’ jurisdictions over various oil and gas activities. The MOU can be found in Title 16 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §3.30 .
• Who Regulates Oil and Gas Activities in Texas? – Under revision 2021. This document will help you determine who regulates various activities related to the oil and gas industry.
• Temporary Housing Facilities for Oil and Gas Workers: Am I Regulated? (RG-527)
• Submit an environmental complaint to the TCEQ.

Water Quality

• Oil and Gas Wastewater Permits - Permits for oil and gas facilities, requirements for each type, and links and information on how to apply.
• NEW Oil and Gas Facilities with Compliance and Enforcement Transferred to TCEQ
• NEWTexas NPDES Oil and Gas Permittees Report DMR Data in NetDMR-Texas TCEQ Instance
  On January 15, 2021, the TCEQ became the authority responsible for NPDES Oil and Gas permits. This change impacts the way O&G permittees submit Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) data.
  
  Beginning June 24, 2021, O&G permittees will no longer use the EPA Region 6 NetDMR instance: NDMR-R6: NetDMR: EPA Region 6 – AR-GM-LA-NM-OK-TX. Instead permittees must begin reporting to the Texas TCEQ instance: NDMR-TX: NetDMR: Texas TCEQ. Use the TCEQ’s step-by-step guide to add the NetDMR - Texas TCEQ Instance to your Central Data Exchange (CDX) account.
  
  You can reach the TCEQ’s NetDMR Helpline at NetDMR@tceq.texas.gov or call us at 512-239-eDMR (3367) if you have questions regarding the Texas TCEQ instance.

Air Quality

• About Air Pollution in Texas
• Permian Basin Geological Area – is a hydrocarbon-producing geological formation located in the Midland-Odessa area of West Texas.
  • RRC Permian Basin Information
• Eagle Ford Shale Geological Area – is a hydrocarbon-producing geological formation stretching from the Mexican border between Laredo and Eagle Pass up through counties east of Temple and Waco.
• Barnett Shale Geological Area – is a hydrocarbon-producing geological formation stretching from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex west and south.
• Flaring at Oil and Natural Gas Production Sites – explains flare operations at oil and gas sites to citizens that observe them near their residence or while traveling across the state.
  • Optimized for printing (GI-457-Print)
  • Optimized for screen-readers (GI-457)
• Emission Event Guidance
  • Oil and Gas Emission Calculation Spreadsheet
  • Instructions for the Reportable Event/Activity Notification/Reporting Form 10360 (emission events are required to be submitted online using the STEERS system)
  • Air Emission Event Report Database for information on previously submitted emission events
  • TCEQ Oil and Gas Emissions Events: Frequently Asked Questions
• Geographical Texas Air Monitoring (GeoTAM)
• Air Quality Forecasts and Current Levels
• Ozone: Warnings, Forecasts, and Current Levels
• Soot, Dust, and Smoke

Compliance Resources

The TCEQ regulates certain aspects of oil and gas operations. You can easily find more information about oil and gas compliance at the following links:

• Air Compliance Information
• Water Compliance Information
• Waste Compliance Information
• Publications and Guidance Documents
• Additional Compliance Information and Resources

The Small Business and Local Government Assistance (SBLGA) program provides confidential technical assistance without the threat of enforcement.

• Call us toll free at (800) 447-2827.
• Find the nearest compliance assistance specialist by reviewing the TCEQ Regional Office Contact Information (M-70).
• Read more about rule changes that impact small businesses and local governments in our electronic newsletter, The Advocate.