Environmental Consulting

The high-level and seasoned environmental consultants of the A&A Consulting Team are available to help oil & gas companies and environmental regulators on their most challenging environmental projects.

Why Oil & Gas Companies and Governmental Regulators Select A&A for providing Environmental Consulting Services on their most challenging projects?

Because A&A is uniquely qualified to deliver the best results to its clients due to following reasons:

A&A Consulting Team has ALL qualifications, in-depth knowledge and experience required by its clients for working on their most challenging environmental projects.
The high-level and seasoned environmental consultants of the A&A Consulting Team hold advanced degrees, and are experts in conducting environmental studies, such as described below.

Management of E&P Waste Streams:

> The seasoned environmental consultants of the A&A Consulting Team have provided technical, permitting and regulatory support in disposal and management of exploration and production (E&P) generated wastes to both oil and gas operators, as well as to the US federal and state regulatory agencies.

> A&A environmental consultants’ in-depth knowledge of US federal and state oil & gas regulations is coupled with extensive in-depth knowledge of all aspects of E&P operations that cover the entire well life cycle [that is, through drilling and well construction, production operations, including interventions/workovers, and plug and abandonment (P&A) phases].

> A&A environmental consultants have in-depth knowledge of the US federal and state regulations applicable to all sorts of waste streams (drilling muds/cuttings, produced water, and other E&P generated waste streams).

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA Exemptions)
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) which includes the Underground Injection Control (UIC) regulations that are applicable to subsurface injection of all types of fluids, as per the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) well types/classes:

> Class I Wells: For hazardous and non-hazardous fluids

> Class II Wells: For oil and gas and CO2-EOR project related fluids

> Class III Wells: For mining related fluids

> Class V Wells: For geothermal fluids

> Class VI Wells: For CO2 storage (CCS/CCUS) projects

Clean Water Act (CWA) and NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System). NPDES is a permit program under CWA that regulates the discharge of pollutants into US waters from "point sources," such as pipes or outfalls, and is applicable to all surface facilities related to oil and gas facilities and operations
NORM(Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material): Naturally Occurring Radioactive Wastes associated with E&P operations
US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)regulations for offshore operations
Life Cycle Well Integrity regulations: NORSOK D-10, ISO 16530-1, and API Recommended Practices and Standards

> Industry Best Practices and Standards for drilling, production operations, and P&A activities – to minimize environmental impacts and ensure safety

Types of Facilities

The seasoned environmental consultants of the A&A Consulting Team have provided support to oil and gas operators, and the US federal and state regulatory agencies on the following types of facilities:

Injection/disposal wells located in major oil and gas producing regions in the U.S.A., and in Saudi Arabia: A&A environmental consultants’ extensive experience includes, but is not limited to well design and construction, operations and workovers, and plugging and abandonment (P&A), both onshore and offshore, coupled with in-depth regulatory knowledge of permitting and compliance with applicable SDWA/UIC and other applicable regulations (both onshore and offshore).
CO2-EOR (Class II) and CO2 Storage (Class VI) Wells: The seasoned environmental consultants of the A&A Consulting Team have in-depth knowledge and extensive experience working on all aspects of such wells, including, but not limited to well design and construction, operations (including workovers), plugging and abandonment (P&A), post-closure care, and permitting, operations, monitoring and verification of CO2 plume, well integrity, as well as in-depth knowledge of regulatory requirements, both onshore and offshore.
Natural Gas Storage Facilities/Wells: The seasoned environmental consultants of the A&A Consulting Team have in-depth knowledge and experience in natural gas storage operations in the U.S., including, but not limited to well construction, operations (cyclic injection and withdrawal) in both conventional reservoirs and in cavern storage, as well as in applicable US federal and state regulations, and API Standards.
Reserve/Production Pits: The seasoned environmental consultants of the A&A Consulting Team have in-depth knowledge and experience in land disposal of drilling muds/fluids in conjunction with drilling operations, including Slurry Fracture Injection – SFI of drill cuttings/muds on the North Slope of Alaska and offshore operations, including Annular Injection allowed in certain situations, as well as allowable land spreading in certain jurisdictions in compliance with regulations, including road application for de-icing purposes.
Plugging and Abandonment (P&A) of oil and gas wells: The seasoned environmental consultants of the A&A Consulting Team have in-depth knowledge and extensive experience in P&A procedures and applicable regulations to ensure that the wells are safely and securely P&A’d and the sites are restored as per regulations, both onshore and offshore.
Area of Review (AoR) Requirements for all injectors (which varies between ¼ mile radius to 2.5 miles (or larger) radius for CO2 Storage wells): The seasoned environmental consultants of the A&A Consulting Team have in-depth knowledge and extensive experience in AoR requirements to ensure that all abandoned and P&A’d wells within the AoR are properly P&A’d, and will not provide a conduit for migration into overlying fresh water/Underground Sources of Drinking Water (USDW).
Life Cycle Well Integrity: The seasoned environmental consultants of the A&A Consulting Team have in-depth knowledge and extensive experience in ensuring that all wells maintain their integrity throughout their life cycle, so that there is no fluid release to the environment, or impact to human health and safety [with the worst case scenario being a blow-out at the surface with catastrophic consequences (as occurred in case of Macondo, 2010 incident, and Aliso Canyon, 2015 incident)]. Every operator must also ensure that no harm to its reputation occurs with resulting economic damage and the potential to losing its social license to operate in a certain location.