The four-year drought that has gripped California is adding to the pressure on oil and gas producers in the state to find ways to recycle the billions of gallons of wastewater produced from their wells.
The producers generate over 92 billion gallons of produced water, much of which is brackish and contaminated by traces of petrochemicals and chemicals used for hydraulic fracking. Most of the water is pumped back deep underground, into 50,000 disposal wells.
Chevron Corp. said that tests of the recycled oil field wastewater it sells to farmers in Kern County meets water quality standards, and does not contain contaminants an advocacy group claimed it found.
After treating it, Chevron provides 21 million gallons of the wastewater per day to the Cawelo Water District, which distributes it to 90 farms in the area for agricultural irrigation.
Regulations on hydraulic fracturing and other oil and gas well stimulation techniques were issued 
in final form July 1 by DOGGR as required by Senate Bill 4.
The agency also certified a statewide Environmental Impact Report on well stimulation. The EIR concludes that environmental impacts of stimulation techniques can be reduced to the level of “less than significant” if mitigation measures, including use of recycled water and enhanced well cementing, are taken.
[ Click here to download the regulations. ]
Unable to deliver crude to refineries because of a broken pipeline on the Santa Barbara coast, 
Exxon Mobil Corp. temporarily shut down production on three offshore oil platforms.
Company spokesman Richard Keil said the halt to production was the only option after Santa Barbara County rejected the company’s emergency application to allow it to truck its crude oil.
U.S. District Judge Scott Skavdahl issued a temporary halt on new federal rules on hydraulic 
fracturing on public lands. The stay, which expires July 22, had been requested by energy industry groups and several states.
The rules, which had been set to take effect on June 24, would require companies to disclose information on chemicals used in fracking. They would also impose new rules to prevent leaks from oil and gas wells.
Still pending before Judge Skavdahl is a request for a preliminary injunction blocking the rules. A hearing on that request is not expected until mid-August, according to the IPAA.
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) has posted feedback letters submitted by members of the public following workshops held in April on proposed regulation of oil and natural gas methane. The feedback letters are available online.
