American Oil and Gas Reporter - May 2015 - 18

IndustryDigest
hearing on the matter.
* When a well is within 1,000 feet
of a platted subdivision or within the
limits of an incorporated municipality,
the requirements remain largely the
same, although operators must inform
the county clerk, who is responsible for
informing the county commission of the
meetings it is required to hold.
* Communication obligations
require operators to detail the best
management practices they will employ
to mitigate impacts on matters such as
noise, light, dust, drilling pad
orientation, and traffic. The 30- to 180day timeline for educating owners of
occupied structures within 1,000 feet
remains the same, as do the information
requirements.
Furthermore, Robitaille says, within
15 days of constructing a pad, operators
must file a report with the WOGCC that
details their actions to communicate
with owners of occupied structures and
list any feedback they have received
with regard to BMPs and mitigation
measures. The supervisor retains the
ability to require additional measures.
PAW applauds the WOGCC's
evenhandedness in crafting the final
rule, Robitaille indicates. "I think the
commission did a good job in hearing
and addressing concerns," he assesses.
"Landowner concerns are addressed in
the mitigation measures. The mineral
owner's concern is addressed in the
distance requirements. The producer's

concern about the ability to continue to
produce is addressed. The WOGCC did
a good job of taking a tremendous
amount of information into account."
Although the new rule expands
Wyoming's previous 350-foot setback
requirement, media accounts note that
some landowner groups sought buffers
as great as a quarter-mile. Fully aware
of that position, Robitaille says he does
not expect its advocates to quit agitating
for greater setbacks. "I am not sure it is
really over," he reflects. "I don't know
what steps some of the groups that feel
slighted will take. It is something we
will continue to watch." Ì

BSEE Releases Rule
On OCS Well Control

WASHINGTON-The U.S.
Department of Interior has proposed
regulations to strengthen design
requirements and operational
procedures for offshore well control
equipment.
"This rule builds on enhanced
industry standards for blowout
preventers to comprehensively address
well design and control, and overall
drilling safety," stated Secretary Sally
Jewell in announcing the proposed rule
on April 13.
According to DOI's Bureau of
Safety and Environmental Enforcement,
the proposed rule addresses systems and

CLARIFICATION

The photo appearing on the Refrac Facts special report in the April AOGR (pg. 62), was
taken by Sam Pittman, courtesy of Apache Corporation.

18 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

technologies ranging from blowout
preventers to reforms in well design,
well control, casing, cementing, realtime well monitoring and subsea
containment.
For example, one published report
says the 264-page rule would make
mandatory the American Petroleum
Institute's recommendation that drillers
use BOPs fitted with double sets of
shear rams.
BSEE says it analyzed 370 specific
recommendations from various
investigations and reports into the
Deepwater Horizon accident from such
organizations as the Bureau of Ocean
Energy Management, U.S. Coast Guard,
National Academy of Engineering,
National Oil Spill Commission, Ocean
Energy Safety Advisory Committee,
and Government Accountability Office.
"We worked to collect the best ideas
on preventing well control incidents and
blowouts," states Assistant Secretary for
Land and Minerals Management Janice
Schneider, adding the proposed rule
includes both prescriptive and
performance-based standards.
In addition to design requirements,
BSEE Director Brian Salerno says the
proposed rule requires improved
controls of all repair and maintenance
activities through the life cycles of the
BOP and well control equipment
through such things as third-party
verification, real-time monitoring, and
engineering best standards. According
to published reports, these include
annual third-party reviews of repairs
and maintenance records, full
inspections once every five years, and
real-time onshore monitoring of
deepwater and high-pressure/hightemperature wells.
Upstream Group Director Erik
Milito says API was reviewing the rule
and hopes it will complement industry's
own efforts to enhance safety.
National Ocean Industries
Association President Randall Luthi
says his group is "keenly interested in
the proposed design and function
changes for BOPs, requirements for
dual shear rams, real-time monitoring,
testing schedules for exploration,
workover and decommissioning
operations, and the hot slab
requirements."
"We are concerned that reasonable
and necessary time is allowed for
proposed design and manufacturing
American Oil and Gas Reporter - May 2015

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