43 C.F.R. Subpart 3261—Drilling Operations: Getting a Permit
Title 43 - Public Lands: Interior
(a) If you do not have an approved geothermal drilling permit, form 3260–2, apply using a complete and signed sundry notice, form 3260–3, to build well pads and access roads. Send us a complete operations plan (see 43 CFR 3261.12) and an acceptable bond with your sundry notice. You may start well pad construction once we approve your sundry notice. (b) If you already have an approved drilling permit and you have provided an acceptable bond, you do not need any further permission from BLM to start well pad construction unless you intend to change something from the approved permit. Send us a complete and signed sundry notice so we may review your proposed change. Do not proceed with the change until we approve your sundry notice. (a) Send us: (1) A completed and signed drilling permit application; (2) A complete operations plan (43 CFR 3261.12); (3) A complete drilling program (43 CFR 3261.13); and (4) An acceptable bond (43 CFR 3261.18). (b) Do not start any drilling operations until we have approved the permit. An operations plan describes how you will drill for and test the geothermal resources covered by your lease. Your plan must tell BLM enough about your proposal to allow us to assess the environmental impacts of your operations. This information should generally include: (a) Well pad layout and design; (b) A description of existing and planned access roads; (c) A description of any ancillary facilities; (d) The source of drill pad and road building material; (e) The water source; (f) A statement describing surface ownership; (g) Plans for surface reclamation; (h) A description of procedures to protect the environment and other resources; and (i) Any other information we may require. A drilling program describes all the operational aspects of your proposal to drill, complete and test a well. Send us: (a) A detailed description of the equipment, materials, and procedures you will use; (b) The proposed/anticipated depth of the well; (c) If you plan to directionally drill your well, also send us: (1) The proposed bottom hole location and distances from the nearest section or tract lines; (2) The kick-off point; (3) The direction of deviation; (4) The angle of build-up and maximum angle; and (5) Plan and cross section maps indicating the surface and bottom hole locations; (d) The casing and cementing program; (e) The circulation media (mud, air, foam, etc.); (f) A description of the logs that you will run; (g) A description and diagram of the blowout prevention equipment you will use during each phase of drilling; (h) The expected depth and thickness of fresh water zones; (i) Anticipated lost circulation zones; (j) Anticipated reservoir temperature and pressure; (k) Anticipated temperature gradient in the area; (l) A plat certified by a licensed surveyor showing the surveyed surface location and distances from the nearest section or tract lines; (m) Procedures and durations of well testing; and (n) Any other information we may require. Send us a complete operations plan before you begin any surface disturbance on a lease. You do not need to submit an operations plan for subsequent well operations or altering existing production equipment, unless these activities will cause more surface disturbance or we notify you that you must submit an operations plan. Do not start any activities which will result in surface disturbance until we approve your permit or sundry notice. No, you may submit your complete and signed drilling permit application and complete drilling program and operations plan either together or separately. (a) If you submit them together and we approve your drilling permit, the approved drilling permit will authorize both the pad construction and the drilling and testing of the well. (b) If you submit the operations plan separately from the drilling permit and program, you must: (1) Submit the operations plan before the drilling permit application and drilling program to allow BLM time to comply with NEPA; and (2) Submit a complete and signed sundry notice for well pad and access road construction. Do not begin construction until we approve your sundry notice. Your operations plan and drilling program can sometimes be combined to cover several wells, but your drilling permit cannot. To combine your operations plan, give us adequate information for all well sites, and we will combine your plan to cover those well sites that are in areas of similar geology and environment. Your drilling program may also apply to more than one well, provided you will drill the wells in the same manner, and you expect to encounter similar geologic and reservoir conditions. You must submit a separate geothermal drilling permit application for each well. If BLM has not yet approved your operations plan or drilling permit, send us your amended plan and complete and signed permit application. To amend an approved operations plan or drilling permit, submit a complete and signed sundry notice describing your proposed change. Do not start any amended operations until we have approved your drilling permit or sundry notice. Yes, before starting any operation, you must: (a) Send us either a surety or personal bond in the following minimum amount: (1) $10,000 for a single lease; (2) $50,000 for all of your operations within a state; or (3) $150,000 for all of your operations nationwide. (b) Get our approval of your surety or personal bond; and (c) To cover any drilling operations on all leases committed a unit, either submit a bond for that unit in an amount we specify, or provide a rider to a statewide or nationwide bond which specifically covers the unit in an amount we specify. (d) See subparts 3214 and 3215 for additional details on bonding procedures. [63 FR 52364, Sept. 30, 1998; 66 FR 27040, May 16, 2001] We will release your bond after you request it and we determine that you have: (a) Plugged and abandoned all wells; (b) Reclaimed the surface and other resources; and (c) Met all the requirements of 43 CFR 3200.4. (a) When we receive your operations plan, we will make sure it is complete and review it for compliance with the requirements of 43 CFR 3200.4. (b) If another Federal agency manages the surface of your lease, we will consult with them before we approve your drilling permit. (c) We will review your drilling permit and drilling program or your sundry notice for well pad construction, to make sure they conform with your operations plan and any mitigation measures we developed while reviewing your plan. (d) We will check your drilling permit and drilling program for technical adequacy and we may require additional procedures. (e) We will check your drilling permit for compliance with the requirements of 43 CFR 3200.4. (f) If we need any further information to complete our review, we will contact you in writing and suspend our review until we receive the information. (g) After our review, we will notify you whether your permit has been approved or denied, as well as any conditions we require for conducting operations. (a) Send us a sundry notice, form 3260–3, describing the proposed changes. Do not proceed with the changes until we have approved them in writing, except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section. If your operations such as redrilling, deepening, drilling a new directional leg, or plugging back a well would significantly change your approved permit, BLM may require you to send us a new drilling permit (see 43 CFR 3261.13). A significant change would be, for example, redrilling the well to a completely different target, especially a target in an unknown area. (b) If your changed drilling operation would cause additional surface disturbance, we may also require you to submit an amended operations plan. (c) If immediate action is required to properly continue drilling operations, or to protect public health, safety, property or the environment, you only need BLM's verbal approval to change an approved drilling operation. However, you must submit a written sundry notice within 48 hours after we verbally approve your change. Send us a sundry notice describing your proposed operation. For some routine work, such as cleanouts, surveys, or general maintenance (see 43 CFR 3264.11(b)), we may waive the sundry notice requirement. Contact your local BLM office to ask about waivers. Unless you receive a waiver, you must submit a sundry notice. Do not start your operations until we grant a waiver or approve the sundry notice.
Title 43: Public Lands: Interior
PART 3200—GEOTHERMAL RESOURCE LEASING
Subpart 3261—Drilling Operations: Getting a Permit
§ 3261.10 How do I get approval to begin well pad construction?
§ 3261.11 How do I get approval for drilling operations and well pad construction?
§ 3261.12 What is an operations plan?
§ 3261.13 What is a drilling program?
§ 3261.14 When must I give BLM my operations plan?
§ 3261.15 Must I give BLM my drilling permit application, drilling program and operations plan at the same time?
§ 3261.16 Can my operations plan, drilling permit and drilling program apply to more than one well?
§ 3261.17 How do I amend my operations plan or drilling permit?
§ 3261.18 Do I need a bond before I build a well pad or drill a well?
§ 3261.19 When will BLM release my bond?
§ 3261.20 How will BLM review my application documents and notify me of their decision?
§ 3261.21 How do I get approval to change an approved drilling operation?
§ 3261.22 How do I get approval for subsequent well operations?
