The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed regulations that allow synthetic-based-mud (SBM) -drill-cuttings discharge in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The proposed regulation considered two options: a discharge option and a zero-discharge option. The discharge option was selected because water-quality impacts of appropriately controlled SBM-cuttings discharges are less harmful to the environment than the nonwater-quality environment impacts that would occur if zero cuttings discharge was selected.