43 C.F.R. Subpart 3252—Conducting Exploration Operations
Title 43 - Public Lands: Interior
You must: (a) Keep exploration operations under control at all times; (b) Conduct training during your operation which ensures your personnel are capable of performing emergency procedures quickly and effectively; (c) Use properly maintained equipment; and (d) Use operational practices which allow for quick and effective emergency response. (a) You must conduct your exploration operations to: (1) Protect the quality of surface and subsurface waters, air, and other natural resources, including wildlife, soil, vegetation, and natural history; (2) Protect the quality of cultural, scenic and recreational resources; (3) Accommodate other land uses, as we deem necessary; and (4) Protect people and wildlife from unacceptable noise levels. (b) You must remove or, with our permission, properly store all equipment and materials not in use. (c) You must provide and use pits, tanks and sumps of adequate capacity. They must be designed to retain all materials and fluids resulting from drilling temperature gradient wells or other operations, unless we have specified otherwise in writing. When no longer needed, you must properly abandon pits and sumps in accordance with your permit. (d) We may require you to submit a contingency plan describing procedures to protect public health, safety, property and the environment. You may drill a temperature gradient well to any depth we approve in your exploration permit or sundry notice. In all cases, you may not flow test the well or perform injection tests of the well unless you follow the procedures for geothermal drilling operations in 43 CFR subparts 3260 through 3267. BLM may modify your permitted depth at any time before or during drilling, if we determine the bottom hole temperature or other information indicates that drilling to the original permitted depth could directly encounter the geothermal resource or create risks to public health, safety, property, the environment or other resources. You may collect information from your temperature gradient well for as long as we approve. Complete temperature gradient wells in a way that allows for proper abandonment and prevents interzonal migration of fluids. Cap all tubing when not in use. When you no longer need it, or when we require you to. (a) Before abandoning your well, submit a complete and signed sundry notice describing how you plan to abandon wells and reclaim the surface. Do not begin abandoning wells or reclaiming the surface until we approve your sundry notice. (b) You must plug and abandon your well to permanently prevent interzonal migration of fluids and migration of fluids to the surface. You must reclaim your well location to our satisfaction.
Title 43: Public Lands: Interior
PART 3200—GEOTHERMAL RESOURCE LEASING
Subpart 3252—Conducting Exploration Operations
§ 3252.10 What operational standards apply to my exploration operations?
§ 3252.11 What environmental requirements must I meet when conducting exploration operations?
§ 3252.12 How deep may I drill a temperature gradient well?
§ 3252.13 How long may I collect information from my temperature gradient well?
§ 3252.14 How must I complete a temperature gradient well?
§ 3252.15 When must I abandon a temperature gradient well?
§ 3252.16 How must I abandon a temperature gradient well?
