What are the regulatory limits for disposal of treated oil based mud cuttings?

Answer 1

Petroleum exploration activities are typically regulated by your state Oil and Gas board. They will have looser standards than what may be applied if the industry were regulated by the State Department of Environmental Quality.

Each state will set it's own standards, so you will need to contact your state agency for specific numbers.

Answer 2

Your question raises many additional questions that need to be answered to be able to answer your question. Regulatory limits are set by regulatory agencies, and different regulatory agencies regulate such matters in different jurisdictions. So, if you are referring to regulatory limits under the jurisdiction of a particular nation, that nation would have to be specified. Moreover, limits can take several forms. For example, limits may pertain to the quantities and/or qualities (i.e., degree of treatment) of the treated mud cuttings. Furthermore, the term "treated" can mean a variety of things depending on the treatment technique(s) used. The generally preferred way of treating oil based mud cuttings is to remove as much oil as practical from them. Such treatment can be performed by a variety of methods. However, even after such treatment, the quality and quantity of treated mud cuttings, as well as by-products of the treatment process, must be considered. Thus, it is exceedingly difficult to give a more specific answer to your question without additional details.