30 C.F.R. § 250.1105 Flaring or venting gas and burning liquid hydrocarbons.
Title 30 - Mineral Resources
(a) Lessees may flare or vent oil-well gas or gas-well gas without receiving prior approval from the Regional Supervisor only in the following situations: (1) When gas vapors are flared or vented in small volumes from storage vessels or other low-pressure production vessels and cannot be economically recovered. (2) During an equipment failure or to relieve system pressures. The lessee must comply with the following conditions: (i) Lessees must not flare or vent oil-well gas for more than 48 continuous hours unless the Regional Supervisor approves. The Regional Supervisor may specify a limit of less than 48 hours to prevent air quality degradation. (ii) Lessees must not flare or vent gas from a facility for more than 144 cumulative hours during any calendar month unless the Regional Supervisor approves. (iii) Lessees must not flare or vent gas-well gas beyond the time required to eliminate an emergency unless the Regional Supervisor approves. (3) During the unloading or cleaning of a well, drill-stem testing, production testing, or other well-evaluation testing. Flaring or venting must not exceed 48 cumulative hours per testing operation on a single completion. The Regional Supervisor may allow less time to prevent air quality degradation or more time if lessees need additional time to evaluate reservoir parameters. (b) Lessees may flare or vent oil-well gas for up to 1 year when the Regional Supervisor approves the request for one of the following reasons: (1) The lessee initiated an action which, when completed, will eliminate flaring and venting; or (2) The lessee submitted an evaluation supported by engineering, geologic, and economic data indicating that either: (i) The oil and gas produced from the well(s) will not economically support the facilities necessary to save and/or sell the gas; or (ii) There is not enough gas to market. (c) Lessees may burn produced liquid hydrocarbons only if the Regional Supervisor approves. To burn produced liquid hydrocarbons, the lessee must demonstrate that the amounts to burn would be minimal, or that the alternatives are infeasible or pose a significant risk that may harm offshore personnel or the environment. Alternatives to burning liquid hydrocarbons include transporting the liquids or storing and re-injecting them into a producible zone. (d) Lessees must prepare records detailing gas flaring or venting and liquid hydrocarbon burning for each facility. The records must include, at a minimum: (1) Daily volumes of gas flared or vented and liquid hydrocarbons burned; (2) Number of hours of flaring, venting, or burning on a daily basis; (3) Reasons for flaring, venting, or burning; and (4) A list of the wells contributing to flaring, venting, or burning, along with the gas-oil ratio data. (e) Lessees must keep these records for at least 2 years. Lessees must allow Minerals Management Service representatives to inspect the records at the lessees' field office that is nearest the Outer Continental Shelf facility, or at another location agreed to by the Regional Supervisor. If the Regional Supervisor requests to see the records, lessees must provide a copy. (f) Requirements for flaring and venting of gas containing H2S—(1) Flaring of gas containing H2S. (i) The Regional Supervisor may, for safety or air pollution prevention purposes, further restrict the flaring of gas containing H2S. The Regional Supervisor will use information provided in the lessee's H2S Contingency Plan (§250.490(f)), Exploration Plan or Development and Production Plan, and associated documents in determining the need for such restrictions. (ii) If the Regional Supervisor determines that flaring at a facility or group of facilities may significantly affect the air quality of an onshore area, the Regional Supervisor may require the operator(s) to conduct an air quality modeling analysis to determine the potential effect of facility emissions on onshore ambient concentrations of SO2. The Regional Supervisor may require monitoring and reporting or may restrict or prohibit flaring pursuant to §§250.303 and 250.304. (2) Venting of gas containing H2S. You must not vent gas containing H2S except for minor releases during maintenance and repair activities that do not result in a 15-minute time weighted average atmospheric concentration of H2S of 20 ppm or higher anywhere on the platform. (3) Reporting flared gas containing H2S. In addition to the recordkeeping requirements of paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section, when required by the Regional Supervisor, the operator must submit to the Regional Supervisor a monthly report of flared and vented gas containing H2S. The report must contain the following information: (i) On a daily basis, the volume and duration of each flaring episode; (ii) H2S concentration in the flared gas; and (iii) Calculated amount of SO2 emitted. [61 FR 25148, May 20, 1996, as amended at 62 FR 3800, Jan. 27, 1997. Redesignated and amended at 63 FR 29479, 29486, May 29, 1998; 68 FR 8435, Feb. 20, 2003]
Title 30: Mineral Resources
PART 250—OIL AND GAS AND SULPHUR OPERATIONS IN THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF
Subpart K—Oil and Gas Production Rates
§ 250.1105 Flaring or venting gas and burning liquid hydrocarbons.
