The Eagle Ford will become home to a new oil and gas waste dump in the midst of huge community opposition.
Related: Oilfield Waste is Still Big Business
Tuesday morning, the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) granted a permit for the dump to be build on 143 acres in Nordheim, Texas.
Pyote Reclamation System has been trying to get approval for this project for more than three years, but the process has been mired in controversy. Many of the 307 residents of Nordheim have openly opposed the landfill, citing concerns over flooding and that the potentially dangerous site is too close to the city and their school.
Residents have been very proactive, sending in over 200 protest letters and even showing up at RRC meetings. After Tuesday's decision, many said they will continue to fight.
“Does your client understand the social license to operate they have asked for here?” Commissioner Ryan Sitton asked the attorney for the company that wants to build and operate the site. “I’ll be candid. I don’t like the site.”
Once complete, the facility will receive waste products from drilling sites in the Eagle Ford Shale that can include oil-based mud, soil contaminated by oil spills, and drill cuttings.