Page 159 - Environmental Control in Petroleum Engineering

146 Environmental Control in Petroleum Engineering

1. Determine compliance with applicable regulations.
2. Identify activities where improvements in operations are needed
to minimize risk, liability, and potential environmental impacts
or to lower operating costs.
3. Improve decision-making ability of facility personnel regarding
environmental issues.
4. Provide an early warning device for impending problems and
reduce "surprises" or repeated patterns of shortcomings in
environmental performance.
5. Increase awareness among supervisors and operators of the
regulatory requirements.
6. Reinforce top management's commitment to environmental
protection.
7. Identify areas where environmental training is needed.
8. Establish and quantify measures for risk reduction.
9. Confirm effective communications between environmental staff
and field personnel.
10. Increase confidence of management that environmental activi-
ties are a sound investment.
11. Determine how knowledgeable employees are about company
policies regarding environmental issues.
12. Improve relationship with regulatory agencies and the public
in regard to activities conducted by the company.

Normally, the first steps in conducting an environmental audit are
to review records of the site, to interview knowledgeable people about
the site and its activities, and to conduct a physical inspection of the
site. If obvious problems exist or if insufficient information to evaluate
the potential for future liability of the property is available, then a
more detailed study involving sampling and detailed engineering
analysis may be required (Curtis and Kirchof, 1993). The information
that can be obtained during an audit includes records of all materials
entering the area, including those produced from the wells, created in
surface facilities, and brought into the area by service companies.
These materials include all solids, sludges, liquids, gases, and mixtures.
The volume of each of these materials and their ultimate disposition
must be identified. Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM)
generated during production must also be considered.