RRC Completes Massive Cleanup of Abandoned Oil & Gas Site Near Kilgore The Railroad Commission completed a $14.7 million cleanup of an abandoned oil waste recycling facility at the end of January. The work to remediate Enviropave’s abandoned East Texas Reclamation Plant, which is a few miles southwest of Kilgore, had been ongoing since August 2017. The abandoned site not only had contaminated soils and other products that had to be removed, but there was also a stream which was threatened by the unmanaged waste left behind. The former facility previously had a stationary treatment permit for reclamation and would take wastes contaminated via oil and gas operations, such as drill cuttings and soils, and turn them into usable products, such as road base. The facility failed to uphold the requirements for its permit and had its permit revoked in 2016 by final order after a series of violations were cited during RRC inspections. After the permit was revoked, the company filed for bankruptcy, leaving the mess in the hands of the State Managed Cleanup Program. “The effort was so large that cleanup coordinators from around the state and technical staff from Austin had to travel to Kilgore to help oversee the cleanup,” said Art Correa, RRC State Managed Cleanup Program Team Lead. ENERGY NEWS
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