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Introduction to Environmental Control in the Petroleum Industry 11

boiler emissions. This act specifies the types of emissions control
equipment that must be used.
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund) was enacted to identify existing
sites where hazardous wastes may impact human health. It established
cleanup and claims procedures for affected parties. The Superfund
Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) requires that facilities
storing hazardous materials keep a written inventory of those materials
and provide them to local authorities. Crude oil is considered non-
hazardous under this act, while many of the other RCRA exempt
wastes are considered hazardous.
The potential costs of environmental regulations on the exploration
and production of oil have been studied (Godec and Biglarbigi, 1991;
Perkins, 1991). Depending on how these regulations are interpreted
and implemented, the resulting loss of production may be as high as
50% of that without the environmental regulations. If the economic
costs of these regulations in the U.S. is prorated over the existing
production levels, the resulting costs would be a few dollars per barrel
of oil produced.

1.2 A NEW ATTITUDE

We are all environmentalists. We all want a clean place to live. We
all want clean water to drink. We all want clean air to breath. We all
want to live in a world safe from toxic hazards. We all want to live
in a world that is aesthetically pleasing. Yet, we also want the benefits
of inexpensive energy. We want to be able to drive our cars, fly our
planes, have electric lights and appliances in our homes, and keep our
homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer. We want the
medicines and plastics made from hydrocarbons. But often, the desire
for a pristine environment and the benefits of inexpensive energy
conflict. To drive our cars, we must find, produce, and transport crude
oil. To maintain access to the benefits of inexpensive energy, we need
a strong domestic petroleum industry.
There will always be the risk of environmental harm during explora-
tion and production activities. There are risks associated with all
human activities and a balance must be struck between the risks and
benefits of those activities. Fortunately, virtually all activities of the
upstream petroleum industry have effective technical options that can