**2. Regulatory requirements for oil&gas industry**

The oil&gas sector is characterised by a high complexity in terms of processes, materials and final products. Consequently, activities related to the oil&gas industry need to be effectively controlled to minimize their impact on the environmental matrices (air, water and soil) and to avoid any potential risks for human health.

Environmental issues related to the oil&gas sector are also strictly dependent on the specific activities performed. In particular, petrochemical and refining sectors are involved in the production of waste materials, such as water and toxic sludge, and atmospheric pollutant emissions, including many VOCs potentially harmful both to the environment and to human health. All these environmental issues are considered areas of high human and environmental risk and therefore subject to stringent international and local environmental regulations.

During the last decade the EU has fixed several Thematic Strategies to improve the management and control on Air Pollution, Soil Protection, Prevention and Recycling of Waste as a follow-up to the Sixth Community Environment Action Programme (Council of 22nd July 2002). In particular, the EU set objectives and regulations on the industrial sector to protect human health and the environment, objectives can be met only with further reductions in emissions arising from industrial activities. The final act of this process was the publication, on 24th November 2010, of the new Directive 75/2010 (IED) on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control) which recasts together six directives on industrial emissions (IPPC, LCP, VOC, TiOxide).

Based on the principle of the *polluter pays* and also on the *pollution prevention* one, industrial owners should manage their activities in order to protect the environment as a whole, in compliance to the IPPC integrated approach. Furthermore, in accordance with the Århus Convention on access to information and public participation, operators should both improve and promote tools and procedures, such as adopting environmental management system (ISO 14001), increasing the accountability and transparency of the monitoring and reporting data process and contributing to public awareness of environmental issues, and support for the decisions taken.

In order to ensure the prevention and control of pollution, each installation should operate only if it holds a permit, which should include all the measures necessary to achieve a high level of protection of the environment as a whole, and to ensure that the installation is operated in accordance with the general principles governing the basic obligations of the operator. The permit should also include emission limit values for polluting substances or technical measures and monitoring requirements; all conditions should be set on the basis of Best Available Techniques (BAT)1 applied on each specific installation.

On the other hand, the European Union has issued, in 2008, Directive No 2008/50/EC concerning ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe.

In order to protect human health and mostly urban environment, the directive addresses the following key points:

<sup>1</sup> In the IPPC Directive, BAT are defined as "the most effective technologies available for achieving a high level of environmental protection concerned in an economically feasible and technical view of the costs and benefits". Currently BAT is identified on the basis of an exchange of information organized by the European Commission that occurs between the Member States, industry and non-governmental organisations

The oil&gas sector is characterised by a high complexity in terms of processes, materials and final products. Consequently, activities related to the oil&gas industry need to be effectively controlled to minimize their impact on the environmental matrices (air, water and soil) and

Environmental issues related to the oil&gas sector are also strictly dependent on the specific activities performed. In particular, petrochemical and refining sectors are involved in the production of waste materials, such as water and toxic sludge, and atmospheric pollutant emissions, including many VOCs potentially harmful both to the environment and to human health. All these environmental issues are considered areas of high human and environmental risk and therefore subject to stringent international and local environmental

During the last decade the EU has fixed several Thematic Strategies to improve the management and control on Air Pollution, Soil Protection, Prevention and Recycling of Waste as a follow-up to the Sixth Community Environment Action Programme (Council of 22nd July 2002). In particular, the EU set objectives and regulations on the industrial sector to protect human health and the environment, objectives can be met only with further reductions in emissions arising from industrial activities. The final act of this process was the publication, on 24th November 2010, of the new Directive 75/2010 (IED) on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control) which recasts together six directives

Based on the principle of the *polluter pays* and also on the *pollution prevention* one, industrial owners should manage their activities in order to protect the environment as a whole, in compliance to the IPPC integrated approach. Furthermore, in accordance with the Århus Convention on access to information and public participation, operators should both improve and promote tools and procedures, such as adopting environmental management system (ISO 14001), increasing the accountability and transparency of the monitoring and reporting data process and contributing to public awareness of environmental issues, and

In order to ensure the prevention and control of pollution, each installation should operate only if it holds a permit, which should include all the measures necessary to achieve a high level of protection of the environment as a whole, and to ensure that the installation is operated in accordance with the general principles governing the basic obligations of the operator. The permit should also include emission limit values for polluting substances or technical measures and monitoring requirements; all conditions should be set on the basis of

On the other hand, the European Union has issued, in 2008, Directive No 2008/50/EC

In order to protect human health and mostly urban environment, the directive addresses the

1 In the IPPC Directive, BAT are defined as "the most effective technologies available for achieving a high level of environmental protection concerned in an economically feasible and technical view of the costs and benefits". Currently BAT is identified on the basis of an exchange of information organized by the European Commission that occurs between the Member States, industry and non-governmental

Best Available Techniques (BAT)1 applied on each specific installation.

concerning ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe.

**2. Regulatory requirements for oil&gas industry** 

to avoid any potential risks for human health.

on industrial emissions (IPPC, LCP, VOC, TiOxide).

support for the decisions taken.

following key points:

organisations

regulations.


Alternative measurement methods may provide indicative results that could be less accurate than those made with the reference method. Indicative measurement techniques based on the use of automatic sensors, mobile laboratories, portable analysers and manual methods of measurement, such as diffusive sampling techniques, are very interesting due to the relatively low cost and simplicity of operation compared with instrumental and operative costs of fixed measuring stations.
