Opinion ID: 705105
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Volume of Waste and Landfill Capacity in Gulf

Text: 67 NRDC contends (1) that EPA overestimated the volume of waste that would be generated by platforms outside the three-mile limit, and (2) underestimated land disposal capacity. According to NRDC, correcting these errors clears the way for a zero discharge requirement for drilling fluids and drill cuttings from all oil and gas rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. 68 EPA estimated the landfill capacity in the Gulf region over the next 15 years and determined that 8.5 million barrels of waste could be disposed each year. Because the landfills in that area are already receiving 3 million barrels of waste each year from other sources, EPA calculated that only an additional 5.5 million barrels of waste from offshore sources could be accommodated. EPA then examined the amount of waste that would be generated offshore if a zero discharge limitation were in place for all platforms. It was estimated that offshore platforms would generate 6.6 million barrels/year. In addition to the 1.1 million barrels/year already being produced by coastal drilling operations, the total amount of drilling wastes generated totals 7.7 million barrels of waste per year. Because EPA estimated landfill capacity at only 5.5 million barrels each year, EPA devised its three-mile mark, beyond which platforms are not required to comply with zero discharge. 69 NRDC first contends that EPA overestimated the amount of waste that would require disposal by use of the zero discharge limit. NRDC claims that EPA used poor solids control technology in its calculations. Solids control technology removes drill cuttings from the drilling fluid system and reduces the total amount of drilling wastes that cannot be reused. As EPA points out, however, improved solids control technology only increases the volume of drill cuttings separated from reusable drilling fluid. Consequently, EPA found that the additional waste reduction that might be achieved is minimal. NRDC also raised the oil-based muds issue, contending that such muds are reused and that EPA did not take this into consideration. EPA maintains that reconditioning oil-based muds cannot eliminate all drilling fluids from the waste stream and that, therefore, any reuse does not drastically change its calculations. 70 NRDC also contends that EPA underestimated the landfill capacity of the Gulf region. NRDC believes that EPA ruled out acceptable landfills for insufficient reasons. For example, in its estimation of landfill capacity, EPA did not include landfills that are not now in operation. NRDC contends that those landfills currently are not operating because of a lack of demand. If it were more economically productive for those landfills to operate, NRDC presumes that more space would open up for drilling wastes. Nor did EPA consider landfills whose licenses are currently suspended. NRDC asserts that those sites might regain their licenses. Despite NRDC's contentions, however, this Court would have to engage in pure speculation to determine whether landfill operators would reopen or regain their licenses. Furthermore, the confusion cited by NRDC over the names of several of the landfills in the EPA estimate is adequately explained by the fact that several landfills are known by more than one name. 71 Finally, NRDC criticizes EPA for failing to include in its estimate of landfill capacity any sites equipped to accept hazardous wastes. However, EPA purposely omitted hazardous landfill sites due to the high demand for such hazardous sites. According to EPA, the decision to exclude hazardous sites from its estimation of total landfill capacity is consistent with its 1988 decision not to regulate oil and gas under the hazardous waste portion of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), 42 U.S.C. Secs. 6901-6987. It is EPA's position that hazardous waste sites must be reserved for disposing of those substances that are more hazardous and dangerous than drilling fluids and drill cuttings. 72 This Court believes that EPA has both the discretion and the expertise to make the decisions and value judgments behind its rejection of the zero discharge option beyond three miles off the shore of the Gulf of Mexico. Furthermore, EPA continuously reevaluated data and collected comments on the estimated volume of drilling fluids and cuttings, revising its information as recently as 1993. It is clear from the record that EPA made the decisions NRDC challenges after considering all of the options raised by the NRDC and after weighing the benefits and drawbacks of those options. We find that EPA's decisions are not arbitrary or capricious, nor are they the result of an abuse of the agency's discretion. 73