Oil & Gas Exploration Waste and Oilfield Legacy
Oil & Gas Exploration Waste and Oilfield Legacy cases require that we address issues on behalf of our clients that include:
- Location of historical oil & gas exploration and production activities on properties
- Defense or prosecution of civil actions by property owners whose properties have been the subject of historical oil & gas exploration and production activities
- Negotiation of settlements related to historical oil & gas exploration and production activities on properties
- Facilitating the remediation of soil, groundwater and abandoned equipment on properties that have been the subject of historical oil and gas exploration and production activities
Those Oil & Gas Exploration Waste and Oilfield Legacy matters in which the firm has or attorneys with the firm have been involved include the following:
- Using proprietary and sophisticated forensic and analytical techniques to locate the areal extent of historical oilfield contamination on properties
- Represented clients in cases involving the remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater oilfield waste activities
- Facilitated the onsite delineation of soil and groundwater contamination caused by disposal pits, abandoned wells, injection wells and abandoned flowlines on client properties
- Interpretation of surface leases and mineral leases for clients with properties upon which historical oil and gas exploration and production activities occurred
Although the oil & gas exploration and production industry (oilfield) currently uses care during the handling and disposal of the produced water and other wastes (oilfield wastes) that are generated as part of its oil and gas exploration and production activities, many historical oilfield activities resulted in soil, surface water and groundwater contamination. Depending on the nature of the local environment and the chemical composition of the oilfield wastes, contaminants associated with such historical releases resulted in significant impairment of soils, vegetation, and water resources for many years. These practices have been documented to occur prior to the 1920’s. Such historical disposal activities resulted in the long-term release of contaminants and have resulted in significant impairment of soils, vegetation, and water resources for decades.
Water produced along with the extraction of crude oil or natural gas typically contains chemical constituents in harmful concentrations. When introduced to the surface environment through unplanned releases, produced water will adversely affect or destroy surface vegetation and is capable of contaminating groundwater supplies.
Historically, common disposal of produced water and other oilfield waste was by placement in unlined disposal pits. Although surface disposal is currently prohibited, produced water still can impact the environment through releases from leaks or breaks in flowlines, tank failures, or from transportation accidents.
Recently, property owners are becoming aware that these historical oil and gas exploration and production activities have caused environmental damage. Over the last 15 years, there have been a growing number of “oilfield legacy” lawsuits filed for the remediation of this environmental damage.