Best Management Practices (BMP) in energy production
Best Management Practices (BMP) in energy production refer to recommended techniques and procedures designed to minimize environmental impact while optimizing operational efficiency. Initially developed to address water quality and pollution control, BMPs have evolved to encompass a broader range of applications, including oil and gas drilling, where they focus on reducing ecological disturbances. For example, BMPs guide the construction of roads and facilities to minimize the disruption of natural habitats and advocate for practices such as using centralized locations for industrial activities to limit road encroachment on wildlife areas.
In addition to energy production, BMPs are employed across various industries, including hospitality and retail, to promote sustainability through pollution prevention strategies. These practices often involve source reduction and recycling initiatives tailored to each sector's specific needs. For instance, hotels might implement measures to conserve water and energy, such as offering linen reuse options and installing energy-efficient lighting. Overall, BMPs serve as essential tools for organizations seeking to balance operational demands with environmental stewardship, ultimately contributing to better resource management and ecological preservation.
Best Management Practices (BMP) in energy production
Summary: Best management practice is a term used in many contexts, from business to government. It was first used to describe recommended practices to improve water quality and control or eliminate water pollution.
Government Agency BMPs
The term best management practice (BMP) refers to recommended practices for managing projects and procedures. Although it began as a term used in the field of water quality and control, it has been applied to other fields as well—for instance, in specifying measures to be used in oil and gas drilling projects to reduce negative impacts on the environment. More broadly, the term has also been applied to industrial and service businesses, such as bakeries, hotels, and retail stores, specifying methods and practices such businesses can use to reduce their environmental impact. BMPs may be thought of as a collection of techniques and procedures on which managers and others can draw to prevent environmental damage.
Government Agency BMPs
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) specifies BMPs for storm-water management in six categories: public education, public involvement, illicit discharge, construction, postconstruction, and pollution prevention/good housekeeping. Each of these categories includes many different approaches and activities intended to further the goal of improving and maintaining water quality. Resource materials to aid in implementing these BMPs are available on the EPA’s Website. Education BMPs include developing effective outreach strategies for students, businesses, home owners, and other constituencies, addressing topics such as pest control, trash and debris management, vehicle maintenance, and water conservation. In the category of public involvement, BMPs include methods for engaging stakeholders, implementing a volunteer monitoring program, and soliciting public opinion through methods such as surveys and stakeholder meetings.
In the area of illicit discharge detection and elimination, BMPs include methods to reduce sanitary sewage overflows, develop an oil recycling program, control illegal dumping, prevent septic system failure, and encourage public reporting. BMPs relevant to construction site runoff control include recommendations for contractor training and certification, local ordinances for runoff control, inspection programs, land grading, preserving natural vegetation, methods for erosion control (such as mulching, sodding, or use of a compost blanket), methods for runoff control, and methods for sediment control. Postconstruction storm-water management BMPs address topics including ordinances, inspection, plan reviews, zoning, innovative construction designs and techniques (such as green roofs, open space design, and green parking), infiltration, filtration, and retention. In the area of pollution prevention and good housekeeping, BMPs address issues such as education, municipal activities (such as landscaping, vehicle fueling, and use of road salt), and municipal facilities (such as hazardous materials storage and spill response and prevention).
The US Bureau of Land Management has issued a number of BMPs intended to facilitate the development of oil and gas production on public lands while lessening the environmental impact of that development. For instance, the visual footprint of a development should be lessened by disturbing the least amount of natural vegetation possible and choosing colors for oil and gas equipment that are able to blend into the natural environment. In the case of road building, a two-track road is often preferable to a conventional road, because it requires less disturbance of the natural environment while allowing vehicle access to the oil or gas development site. Placing industrial structures so they cause the least possible disturbance to wildlife and using centralized locations to minimize the encroachment of roads and truck traffic on the natural environment are recommended. Restoration and reclamation of mined or drilled areas are also specified by BMPs; when a well is no longer in use, for example, it should be sealed and the area affected should be reshaped, covered with topsoil, and seeded with native vegetation so that eventually there will be no sign that the drilling operation took place on that site.
BMPs in Business
A series of BMPs have been developed for different small businesses. As of 2024, BMP guidelines were available for bakeries, the food service industry, furniture finishing, health care, hotel operation, landscaping, machine shops, marinas, retail stores, and service stations. These BMPs are tailored to each sector but share a common approach to pollution prevention, combining source reduction (reducing or eliminating waste generation) and recycling (finding ways to use materials more than once). For instance, the BMPs for hotels address issues of water use, solid waste, energy usage, and more general concerns. Within the category of water use, BMPs include giving guests the option to reuse towels and linens, planting ground cover that requires a minimum of watering, limiting the use of garbage disposals, and installing toilet tank diverters.
In the area of solid waste, BMPs include placing recycling bins in guest rooms or near vending machines, using refillable containers for amenities such as soap and shampoo, and distributing newspapers from central locations. BMPs for energy usage include using compact fluorescent rather than incandescent lamps, installing occupancy sensors in conference rooms, and keeping draperies closed to increase room insulation. General BMPs include staff education on the hotel’s environmental commitment, use of recycled content products, purchasing products locally, and using environmentally preferable cleaning products (such as nonphosphate, biodegradable detergents).
Bibliography
"Best Management Practices." Environmental Protection Agency, 7 Mar. 2024, www.epa.gov/watersense/best-management-practices. Accessed 30 July 2024.
Jacobs, John, Thomas A. Kerestes, and W. F. Riddle. Best Practices for Energy Management. Denver, CO: Awwa Research Foundation and American Water Works Association, 2003.
Muthukrishnan, Swarna, Bethany Madge, Ari Selvakumar, Richard Field, and Daniel Sullivan. “The Use of Best Management Practices (BMPs) in Urban Watersheds.” US Environmental Protection Agency, September 2004, https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si‗public‗record‗report.cfm?Lab=NRMRL&dirEntryId=99732. Accessed 30 July 2024.
“Best Management Practices for Water Efficiency.” U.S. Department of Energy, www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/program/waterefficiency‗bmp.html. Accessed 30 July 2024.