ABSTRACT
It was suggested to me that I should briefly describe the regulatory arrangements that we have in Great Britain by which control of drilling wastes is achieved, and also to give some account of our experience of landward or onshore petroleum exploration and production in relation to waste control. It is against this background that some of the points which have emerged from the papers presented at the 1988 International Conference on Drilling Wastes will be discussed. It is useful to maintain some perspective on the overall impact of the petroleum industry. This industry appears to be singled out for somewhat special attention in both Great Britain and in other jurisdictions. This summary will acknowledge the fact that the petroleum industry, although in some senses special, is generally no different from other extractive industries.
