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Planning for Environmental Protection 151

Once a list of possible actions has been identified, those actions need
to be evaluated and prioritized and a preferred action selected. Factors to
be considered include cost, practicality, future liability, regulatory status,
availability of resources and facilities, company policy, and local com-
munity concerns. Actions that are unacceptable should also be identi-
fied. This evaluation can include a risk assessment study to optimize
the use of the available funds (Stanley and Johnson, 1993).
A critical aspect of good waste management plans is to develop and
maintain good bookkeeping practices. This bookkeeping must include
a waste tracking program which identifies where the waste was gener-
ated, the date the waste was generated, the type of waste and its
volume, any transportation of the waste, the disposal method and
location, and the contractor employed. A waste management plan must
also identify which personnel are responsible for the proper manage-
ment of all wastes produced at the targeted facilities.
A number of waste management plans have been discussed in the
literature (American Petroleum Institute, 1989; Benoit and Schuh,
1993; Canadian Petroleum Association, 1990; Chandler, 1991; Frampton,
1990; Greer, 1991; Huddleston et al., 1990; Jones and Woodruffe,
1991; Manning and Grannan, 1991; Sarokin et al. 1985; Stilwell, 1991;
Yates, 1990). Waste management plans can also be computerized
(Crump and O'Gorman, 1991; Warner, 1993; Lawrence et al., 1993).
Sensitive habitats like rain forests or arctic regions may require special
operating practices to protect them. These practices are dis-
cussed in Appendix B.

5.3 WASTE MANAGEMENT ACTIONS

In this section, a number of examples of waste management activi-
ties for drilling and production operations are discussed according to
the hierarchy of waste management principles. These activities include
ways to minimize the volume and/or toxicity of wastes generated and
ways to reuse or recycle wastes. Waste treatment and waste disposal
options are discussed in Chapters 6 and 7, respectively.

5.3.1 Waste Minimization

The most effective way to reduce the environmental impact associ-
ated with exploration and production of oil and gas is to minimize the