Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Environmental Assessments in the Oil and Gas Industry

  • Published:
Water, Air, & Soil Pollution: Focus

Abstract

The general public, government regulators, and environmental organizations are increasingly demanding industries to reduce their environmental impacts and report progress. This in turn resulted in numerous requirements for reporting environmental data. Environmental assessments are a useful tool in gathering and documenting this data. The assessments also assist decision makers to quantify impacts of their activities and plan for appropriate mitigation measures. There are different types of environmental assessments, each having specific purpose(s) and addressing specific audience(s). This paper gives an overview of common environmental concerns associated with oil and gas industry and shares insights on types of environmental assessments that are widely used. It discusses general methodologies to define the scope, approach, measurement standards, and reporting. Potential challenges encountered in conducting these assessments in an international arena and under a wide variety of regulatory requirements are addressed. Practical approach in execution of these assessments is described here, and strategy in dealing with the challenges is presented.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Petroleum Institute (1993). Environmental design considerations for petroleum refining processing units, API Publication, 311.

  • American Petroleum Institute (2001). Design and hazards analysis for offshore production facilities, API Recommended Practices, 14.

  • American Society for Testing Materials (2005). Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessment: Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment Process, ASTM E1527.

  • Bregman, J. I., & Edell, R. D. (2001). Environmental compliance handbook, Second edn. USA: CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheremisinoff, N. P. (2002). Handbook of air pollution prevention and control, Butterworth Heinemann, 101–104.

  • Epstein, P. R., & Selber, J. (2002). The life cycle of oil: a new report analyzes health and environmental impacts. Energy Journal, 27, 4–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, F. B. (2006). Practical guide to environmental management, 10th ed. USA: Environmental Law Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Government Institutes Research Group (2001). Environmental compliance auditing & management system assessment, Government Institute Publisher.

  • International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (2004). Guidelines on reputational due diligence, Report no. 356, OGP Publication.

  • Koller, G. R. (1999). Risk assessment and decision making in business and industry: a practical guide. USA: CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kulka, M. (2001). What lies beneath? How ESAs (Environmental Site assessments) can dig up the dirt. Journal of Property Management, 66, 61–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liebenthal, A., Michelitsch, R. & Tarazona, E. (2005). Extractive industries and sustainable development: an evaluation of the World Bank group’s experience, World Bank Publication.

  • Piatkowski, S. M. (1997). Beyond compliance: environmental risk assessments at industrial properties. Journal of Property Management, 62, 72–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Speight, J. G. (2002). Handbook of petroleum product analysis, Wiley-Interscience Publisher.

  • United Nation Environmental Programme (2002). Environmental Impact Assessment Manual, 2nd edition, Earthprint Publisher.

  • Wika, D. G. (1997). Using “opportunities” to drive EH&S integration. Integrating environmental, health, and safety into core business process. Washington DC, USA: International Business Communication Conference, September 8–10.

  • World Bank (1995). Environmental assessment challenges and good practices, Environmental Management series paper 18.

  • World Bank (1996). Environmental assessment source book Volume 3: Guideline for environmental assessment of energy and industry projects. World Bank Publication.

  • Zackrisson, M. Bengtsson, G. & Astrand, C. (2004). Measuring your company’s environmental impacts & tools for a complete ISO 14001 initial review, Earthscan publisher.

Download references

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to express their thanks and appreciation to the Arabian Gulf University, and King Fahad University for their support. This paper represents a collaborative effort in the environmental studies between the two universities.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Graduate Studies, Environmental Management Program, Arabian Gulf University, P.O.Box 26671, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain

    L. Mohamed

  2. Chemistry Department, King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals, P.O.Box 157, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia

    A. A. Al-Thukair

Authors
  1. L. Mohamed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. A. Al-Thukair
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to L. Mohamed.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mohamed, L., Al-Thukair, A.A. Environmental Assessments in the Oil and Gas Industry. Water Air Soil Pollut: Focus 9, 99–105 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11267-008-9190-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11267-008-9190-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation