Oregon Administrative Code

632-010-0156 Spacing Units, Notification (1) Immediately upon the discovery of any pool, or at any time after the effective date of this rule, the board may prescribe spacing units for each pool and specify the size, shape, and location and establish field limits and special rule…

632-010-0157 Exceptions to Special Rules (1) The board may grant exception to special rules after holding a hearing, when necessary, on the basis of geology, productivity, topography, or environmental protection. (2) Before granting an exception for a well proposed within the set…

632-010-0159 Underground Reservoirs for Natural Gas Storage Rules providing for well spacing and proration of gas do not apply to gas storage wells, injection wells, or monitor wells. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 520 Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 520.095 History: DGMI 1-2013,…

632-010-0161 Compulsory Integration Orders (1) Definitions. For purposes of this rule: (a) "Costs" include: (A) "Drilling costs," which means all reasonable costs and expenses of drilling, redrilling, reworking, deepening, plugging back, testing, and completing the well; and (B) …

632-010-0162 Illegal Production No purchaser, producer, operator, permittee, or any other person may produce any crude oil, natural gas, or waste oil from any spacing unit or pool in this state except in accordance with the rules, regulations, and orders of the board. Statutory/O…

632-010-0163 Limitation of Production In the absence of unitization, whenever the board, after notice and hearing, finds that waste as defined in ORS 520.005 is occurring or is imminent in any oil or gas field or pool, and that the production of oil or gas from such field or pool…

632-010-0164 Commingling of Production Prohibited The production from one pool must not be commingled with that from another pool in the same well before delivery to a purchaser, unless otherwise approved by the board. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 520 Statutes/Other Implemented…

632-010-0165 Allocation of Gas Pursuant to Special Pool Rules Whenever the full production from any pool producing natural gas is in excess of the market demand for gas from that pool, any permittee or interest owner, pursuant to ORS 520.115, may petition the board for a hearing …

632-010-0166 Reports by Purchasers and Producers (1) Purchasers: Each purchaser or taker of any oil or gas from any well, lease, or pool must, on or before the last day of each month succeeding the month in which the purchasing or taking occurs, file with the department, on a for…

632-010-0167 Maximum Efficient Rate Hearings A hearing to determine the maximum efficiency rate at which any pool in the state can produce oil and gas without waste may be held by the board on its own motion or at the request of any interested party. Statutory/Other Authority: OR…

632-010-0168 Use of Earthen Reservoirs Oil may not be stored or retained in earthen reservoirs or in open receptacles. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 520 Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 520.095 History: DGMI 1-2013, f. & cert. ef 3-21-13 GMI 1, f. 1-27-54

632-010-0170 Reservoir Surveys The board, by order, may require the permittee of a well producing oil or gas to conduct periodic surveys of the reservoirs in the state that contain oil or gas or both. These surveys must be thorough and complete and conducted under the supervision…

632-010-0172 Operators to Assist in Reservoir Surveys All permittees of oil or gas wells intercepting a reservoir are required to conduct a survey as required under OAR 632-010-0170 and to assist the representatives of the board and the department in making any and all tests, inc…

632-010-0174 Measurement of Potential Open-Flow of Gas Wells The permittee must determine the potential open-flow of a gas well by U.S. Department of Energy back-pressure method unless the department approves in writing the use of an alternative method. Statutory/Other Authority:…

632-010-0176 Supervision of Open-Flow and Pressure Tests All tests made in determining the potential flow and shut-in, well-head, or bottom hole pressure of a gas well must be conducted by the permittee and may be monitored by the department to ensure that: (1) Initial flow to th…

632-010-0178 Duration of Tests The permittee must test for open-flow and pressure of completed gas wells at such intervals and continue for such time as is necessary to effect accurate determination. The permittee must file a report of all tests with the department within 60 days…

632-010-0182 Gas to Be Metered (1) Meters: All gas sold must be metered with a meter of sufficient capacity, provided that gas may be metered from a lease or unitized property as a whole, if it is shown that a ratable taking can be maintained. Meters are not required for gas prod…

632-010-0184 Direct Well Pressure Where gas release to the atmosphere is involved, the use of direct well pressure to operate any machinery is prohibited. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 520 Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 520.095 History: DGMI 1-2013, f. & cert. ef 3-21-13 GMI 2-…

632-010-0186 Gas-Oil Ratio No well is permitted to produce gas in excess of the maximum ratio determined for a pool unless all gas produced in excess is returned to the pool. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 520 Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 520.095 History: DGMI 1-2013, f. & cer…

632-010-0188 Gas-Oil Ratio Surveys and Reports Gas-oil ratios and surveys must be taken in the manner prescribed by the board for individual fields where gas-oil ratio limits have been fixed and in accordance with the rules prescribed for each individual pool. (1) Flowing Wells I…

632-010-0190 Gas Utilization (1) A permittee must not allow hydrocarbon gas to escape to the atmosphere except for short periods outside of normal drilling operations and testing or flowing wells during workovers or repairs when an escape has been preauthorized by the department.…

632-010-0192 Disposal of Brine or Salt Water In addition to the requirements of ORS 520.095(1), and in addition to applicable rules of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Oregon Water Resources Department, the following requirements apply to the disposal of bri…

632-010-0194 Water Injection and Water Flooding of Oil and Gas Properties (1) Application and Approval: The permittee of a well may inject water under pressure into the formation containing oil or gas for the purpose of obtaining oil or gas from the reservoir, upon application to…

632-010-0196 Gas Injection of Oil and Gas Properties In addition to the requirements of ORS 520.095(1), OAR 632-010-0002 through 632-010-0240 and any other applicable statutes, orders, or rules, wells drilled for the purpose of storing natural gas in an underground reservoir must…

632-010-0198 Abandonment, Unlawful Abandonment, Suspension, Well Plugging (1) Proper completion and decommission require adequate protection of the environment and of aesthetic qualities of the surface in the area of operation. (2) A well is properly completed for the purposes of…

632-010-0205 Drilling Surety Bond (1)(a) Every person who engages in the drilling, redrilling, or reworking of any well or disposal well must file and maintain with the department, on a form provided by the department a bond or alternative form of financial security in the sum of…

632-010-0210 Disposal of Solid and Liquid Wastes (1)(a) Permit stipulations by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality regarding disposal of solid and liquid wastes generated by drilling, redrilling, deepening, or reworking operations are deemed to be a requirement of ever…

632-010-0220 Measurement of Oil The volume of production of oil must be computed in terms of barrels of clean oil on the basis of properly calibrated meter measurements or tank measurement of oil level differences made and recorded to the nearest quarter inch, using 100 percent t…

632-010-0225 Spacing Plan (1) For purposes of this section, the Mist Gas Field refers to the following area: (a) Sections 1 through 18, 20 through 29, 32 through 36 of T. 5 N., R. 4 W.; (b) Sections 1, 2, 11, 12, of T. 5 N., R. 5 W.; (c) Sections 3 through 10, 14 through 23, 25 t…

632-010-0230 Location of Wells The completion location of each permitted well to be drilled on any spacing unit is the location of the well at the top of the producing horizon. For gas wells, the completion location of the well may not be located nearer than 250 feet from the uni…

632-010-0235 Exceptions The department may grant exceptions to OAR 632-010-0225 and 632-010-0230 after holding a hearing, based on the geology, productivity, topography, enhancement requirements, or environmental protection. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 520 Statutes/Other Imple…

632-015-0005 Information and Seismic Test Holes These rules provide requirements for seismic and information hole operations, including financial security, groundwater protection, and surface reclamation. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 520 Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 520.095 …

632-015-0010 Definitions The definitions in ORS 520.005 apply to this rule division. In addition, the following definitions apply: (1) "Board" means the Governing Board of the State Department of Geology and Mineral Industries. (2) "Department” means the Oregon Department of Geol…

632-015-0015 Application and Permit to Conduct Seismic and Information Hole Operations (1) A person may not conduct seismic program or information hole operations until that person has applied for and received a permit from the department. A nonrefundable fee, pursuant to ORS 520…

632-015-0020 Seismic Shot Hole Operations Seismic shot hole programs may not be conducted within 1/8 mile of any existing building, water well, flowing spring, stock water pipeline, sewer line, utility tunnel, or water or gas line, unless a written exception is granted by the dep…

632-015-0025 Financial Security Requirements (1) Before a permit may be issued for seismic programs or information hole operations, the applicant must submit a surety bond or other form of financial security acceptable to the department. The department will establish the amount o…

632-015-0030 Compliance with Law The permittee for a seismic program or information hole operation is responsible for conducting all operations in compliance with Oregon statutes, Oregon Administrative Rules, any applicable order of the board or department, and permit conditions,…

632-015-0035 Notices The permittee must give the department a minimum of 24 hours advance notice of plugging operations. For seismic shot hole plugging operations that are not a continuation of the initial drilling of the shot hole or part of the plugging procedures immediately f…

632-015-0040 Plugging Requirements (1) Proper completion and decommission require adequate protection of the environment and of aesthetic qualities of the surface in the area of operation. (2) An information hole or seismic shot hole is properly completed for the purposes of this…

632-015-0045 Conversion to Water Well Permittee may convert the shot or information hole to a water well upon approval from the Oregon Department of Water Resources. The department may not release the permittee from complying with the requirements of ORS 520.005 to 520.991 until …

632-015-0050 Filing of Reports (1) Report on Completion. Within 45 days after the completion of the plugging of an information hole or seismic shot hole, the owner or operator must file a report with the department setting forth in detail the method used in plugging the well or w…

632-015-0055 Reclamation (1) Reclamation of surface lands affected by these operations is intended to return the surface to pre-exploration condition and/or beneficial use that is compatible with the local land use designation for the parcel(s). (2) The operator must provide sump…

632-015-0060 Appeals The applicant or permittee may request a contested case hearing by the board. The request for a contested case hearing must be filed within 30 days. The contested case hearing will be conducted in accordance with OAR 632-001-0005 and ORS Chapter 183. Statutor…

632-020-0005 Jurisdiction and Authority (1) ORS Chapter 522 authorizes the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries to control the drilling, redrilling, and deepening of wells for the discovery and production of geothermal resources so that such wells will be constructed, ope…

632-020-0010 Definitions The definitions in ORS 522.005 apply to this rule division. In addition, the following definitions apply: (1) "Abandonment" means the failure to properly plug and decommission a prospect or geothermal well in accordance with the rules in this division. (2…

632-020-0015 Inspection and Supervision The department will inspect and supervise geothermal operations for the purpose of enforcing compliance with the rules and orders promulgated by the board. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 522 Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 522.305 History: …

632-020-0020 General Rules General rules apply statewide and to all lands within the jurisdiction of the State of Oregon unless otherwise provided or superseded by a special rule. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 522 Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 522.305 History: DGMI 1-2010, f. …

632-020-0025 Supremacy of Special Rules Special rules will be adopted when required and will prevail as against general rules if in conflict therewith. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 522 Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 522.305 History: DGMI 3-2013, f. & cert. ef. 3-21-13 GMI 4, f…

632-020-0028 Permit Required No person may construct, drill, redrill, deepen, operate, maintain, plug, or decommission a geothermal or prospect well without first obtaining a permit from the department. No person may construct, drill, operate, or decommission a geothermal or pros…

632-020-0030 Application for Geothermal or Prospect Well A geothermal or prospect well permit is required from the department. (1) A permit required under OAR 632-020-0028 must be obtained before commencing the construction of access roads, well pads, cellar excavations, setting …