The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) issued Petro Waste Environmental LP its first permit to operate a non-hazardous oil and gas waste landfill in Howard County, the company said Nov. 18.

The permit is one of several the company has pending for landfill sites in DeWitt, Frio, McMullen and Pecos counties.

Non-hazardous solid wastes and high-solid-content waste fluids, consisting mostly of high-solids-content frack flowback water and oil-based drilling mud and cuttings, have increased due to technological advances in hydrocarbon extraction. Until recently, large quantities of the wastes had to be trucked long distances to the few facilities that could accept them, Petro Waste said.

Petro Waste has been building state-of-the-art, RRC-permitted waste processing and disposal facilities across the Permian Basin and the Eagle Ford Shale. Petro Waste’s exclusive partnership with Pyote Water Systems (PWS) allows the use of PWS' saltwater disposal facilities. Petro Waste is building some adjacent solid waste disposal units. More waste can be processed near the drilling sites, resulting in fewer trucks on the road, less fuel consumed and a reduced likelihood of in-transport spills.

George Wommack, founder and CEO, said a goal is to have a Petro Waste facility within 30 miles of all Eagle Ford and Permian drilling.

Petro Waste Environmental LP is based in San Antonio.