Washington Administrative Code

There is hereby established a commission public information center to carry out the functions contemplated by the SEPA guidelines, WAC 197-10-830, to be located in the field office of the commission at Seattle, Washington. The commission's public records officer shall have charge…

The commission shall maintain an EIS available register at its SEPA public information center. Said register shall be in the charge of the commission's public records officer, and it shall be available for public inspections and copying in compliance with WAC 342-10-090.[Order 2-…

The commission, being listed as an agency with environmental expertise (WAC 197-10-465), shall comply with those responsibilities of consulting agencies as set forth in WAC 197-10-520 through 197-10-540.[Order 2-76, § 342-10-320, filed 10/19/76.]

When actions are exempted from the requirements of SEPA or the SEPA guidelines because they are actions which must be taken immediately, or within a time too short to allow full compliance with SEPA or the SEPA guidelines to avoid an imminent danger to public or private property,…

When amendments are adopted to the SEPA guidelines, the commission shall adopt all amendments to this chapter within one hundred twenty days to bring this chapter into conformance with the SEPA guidelines as amended.[Order 2-76, § 342-10-340, filed 10/19/76.]

Pursuant to the power and authority delegated to the oil and gas conservation committee by the Oil and Gas Conservation Act, chapter 78.52 RCW, after due notice the oil and gas conservation committee, hereinafter designated as the committee, does hereby make, adopt, and promulgat…

(1) The following rules and regulations have been adopted by the committee as general rules of statewide application; these may be added to or changed, as required or deemed necessary by the committee, in accordance with RCW 78.52.050.(2) Special rules, regulations, and orders wi…

Notice of the intent to and the adoption of rules and regulations and their effective date shall be as provided in chapter 34.04 RCW, and RCW 78.52.050. An oral hearing shall be held for proposed rules and regulations.[Statutory Authority: RCW 78.52.050. WSR 85-03-018 (Order 6, R…

(1) Hearings before the committee shall be open to the public. Hearings may be called by the committee, for the purpose of taking action in respect to any matter within its jurisdiction, upon its own motion or upon the petition of any interested party. Petitions for hearings shal…

(1) In addition to notice as may otherwise be required by law notice of all hearings shall be given by publishing notice thereof not less than twenty days before the date of the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the state.(2) The committee shall maintain a general …

(1) Hearings shall be held in Olympia, Washington unless otherwise ordered by the chairman. After notice of hearing is once given, the hearing may be continued to another day and from day to day and place to place by order of the committee.(2) Except as otherwise provided by law,…

The department of natural resources is the designated agent of the committee for the purpose of carrying out the Oil and Gas Conservation Act. It shall be charged with the duty of administering and enforcing this act consistent with the policies adopted by the committee. It shall…

Unless context otherwise requires, the words defined shall have the meaning set forth in RCW 78.52.010 and in the following definitions when found in these rules and regulations, to wit:(1) "Barrel" means 42 United States gallons of oil at a temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit a…

(1) No exploratory well, or any part of the bore, casing, or drill site, shall be located closer than 500 feet (152 meters) to the external boundary of those lands on which the operator and/or their partners hold a contiguous mineral-interest.(2) Upon written request to the super…

As determined by competent geological, geophysical, engineering, or other scientific testimony, data, and evidence, the committee shall fix development units for the pool:(1) No development unit in pool, deemed by the committee to be an oil reservoir, shall be larger than 160 acr…

(1) A person desiring to drill, redrill, or deepen a well in search of oil or gas shall for each such well:(a) Apply to the supervisor of such intent on Form-1;(b) Submit a completed environmental checklist;(c) Provide information on drill site layout, blowout prevention equipmen…

Each person who succeeds to the rights under a drilling permit shall, within ten days after the rights are acquired, notify the supervisor in writing thereof. Such transfer shall not become effective until the bond requirements of WAC 344-12-063 have been met.[Statutory Authority…

(1) The supervisor, except as hereinafter provided, shall require from the owner before a permit for drilling, redrilling, or deepening will be issued a good and sufficient bond in the sum of not less than $50,000.00 for each well payable to the state of Washington, conditioned o…

(1) A bond or bonds as required by this chapter shall remain in force and effect until:(a) The plugging of said well or wells and reclamation of the well site or sites has been completed and has been approved by the supervisor and all requirements of chapter 78.52 RCW, rules and …

Drilling and produced fluids from seismic shot holes shall be contained at each site. All fluid flows shall be killed immediately and the department shall be given notification of the location and depth from which the flow occurred. Insofar as is possible, disturbance of the soil…

Every person drilling for oil or gas or operating, owning, controlling, or in possession of any well drilled for oil or gas, shall post on the derrick or in a conspicuous place near the well, a sign in reasonably large and clear lettering, showing the name of the person drilling,…

(1) During the drilling, redrilling, or deepening of any well, except seismic, that penetrates into the bedrock below the unconsolidated surficial cover, the owner, operator, contractor, driller, or other person responsible for the conduct of the drilling operations shall keep at…

All wells must be drilled with due diligence to maintain a reasonably vertical well bore unless special circumstances require the bore to deviate from the vertical, in which instance permission to so deviate shall be obtained from the supervisor. The committee shall have the righ…

Before beginning directional drilling, other than sidetracking due to hole conditions, the operator shall file a request for same and obtain approval from the supervisor. Such request shall state name and address of operator, well name and number, drilling permit number, exact su…

(1) All underground sources of drinking water of present or potential future use for domestic, municipal, commercial, stock, or agricultural purposes shall be confined to their respective strata and shall be adequately protected.(2) All oil, gas, and underground sources of drinki…

(1) The owner shall case and cement all wells with a sufficient number of strings of casing in a manner necessary to:(a) Prevent release of fluids from any stratum through the wellbore (directly or indirectly) into any waters of the state;(b) Prevent commingling between separate …

Blowout prevention and related control equipment shall be installed and properly maintained ready for use until drilling operations are completed. The blowout prevention stack and related control equipment shall have a working pressure rating higher than the maximum anticipated w…

Any rubbish or debris that might constitute a fire hazard in the operation of the well, tanks, separator, or other equipment shall be removed to a distance of at least 100 feet (30 meters) from the well location, tanks, and separators.[Statutory Authority: RCW 78.52.050 and chapt…

The properties, use, and testing of drilling fluids and the conduct of related drilling procedures shall be such as are necessary to prevent the blowout of any well. Sufficient drilling fluid materials to insure well control shall be maintained in the field area readily accessibl…

All wells shall be logged with an induction electric log, radiation log, or equivalent from total depth to the shoe of the conductor casing. The supervisor may grant an exception to this rule in field wells when well conditions make it impractical or impossible to meet this requi…

(1) No person shall remove casing or any portion thereof from any well without first obtaining prior written approval from the supervisor. In a request to remove casing, the applicant must describe the condition of the well, the proposed casing to be removed, all casing in the ho…

All operators of oil and gas exploratory and producing wells are required to permit the agents of the supervisor and the committee to witness all tests that may be required by the supervisor on any and all wells. The agents of the supervisor shall have access to all well records,…

(1) An earthen pit, or sump used for the handling, storage, or disposal of any deleterious substance produced, obtained, or used in conjunction with drilling or operation of wells, shall be constructed of, or sealed with, an impervious material, and shall be used and operated at …

(1) The owner or operator shall not permit any well drilled for oil, gas, salt-water disposal, injection or any other purpose in connection with the exploration or production of oil and gas, to remain unplugged, except as otherwise provided in WAC 344-12-140, after such well is n…

Each abandoned well drilled for the discovery of oil or gas or for any other purpose related to the exploration including seismic and core holes or production of oil and gas shall be plugged by or on behalf of the owner, operator, or producer who is in charge of the well or wells…

A well shall be deemed unlawfully abandoned if not plugged and the lands involved are not reclaimed in compliance with the rules and regulations or orders of the supervisor or when operations on or at any well shall have ceased for a period of six months or more. If a determinati…

When the well to be plugged may safely be used as an underground source of drinking water well and such utilization is desired by the landowner and is authorized by the operator, the cement plug normally required at the top of the surface casing may be waived, and the well need n…

The supervisor shall establish guidelines for the reclamation of land impacted by oil and gas drilling and production activities.The owner, operator, or producer of the well or wells shall develop a reclamation plan for the area disturbed in site preparation, drilling, completing…

A permit will be cancelled if drilling operations have not commenced within twelve months of date of issuance of the permit. Such cancellation will take effect thirty days after written notice has been sent to the operator by the supervisor. The supervisor may, for good cause, gr…

Drilling operations in violation of any applicable rules of law, rules or regulations, permit conditions, or any order of the committee shall be subject to suspension by order of the supervisor. A suspension shall remain in effect until the violations are corrected to the satisfa…

Christmas-tree fittings or well-head connections shall have a working pressure in keeping with the expected pressure of the well.[Statutory Authority: RCW 78.52.050 and chapter 78.52 RCW. WSR 82-12-052 (Order 3, Resolution No. 7), § 344-12-200, filed 6/1/82.]

Each flowing well shall be produced through tubing and shall be equipped with a master valve; however, a multiple completion is permissible when the production from each zone is kept separate.[Statutory Authority: RCW 78.52.050. WSR 85-03-018 (Order 6, Resolution No. 10), § 344-1…

When good operating practice so requires, all flowing wells must be produced through suitable oil and gas separators or treaters.[Statutory Authority: RCW 78.52.050 and chapter 78.52 RCW. WSR 82-12-052 (Order 3, Resolution No. 7), § 344-12-210, filed 6/1/82.]

Each flowing well shall be equipped with an adequate choke or bean to control properly the flowing therefrom.[Statutory Authority: RCW 78.52.050 and chapter 78.52 RCW. WSR 82-12-052 (Order 3, Resolution No. 7), § 344-12-215, filed 6/1/82.]

Disposal of salt water or other water containing minerals in such amount as to be unfit for domestic, stock, irrigation, or other general uses must be by means or methods specified and approved by the state department of ecology.[Statutory Authority: RCW 78.52.050 and chapter 78.…

All persons controlling or operating any oil and gas wells, or receiving tanks, storage tanks, or receiving and storage receptacles into which crude oil is produced, received, or stored, shall make all reasonable efforts to immediately notify the supervisor by telephone followed …

No well shall be permitted to produce either oil or gas from different strata through the same string of casing without first receiving written permission from the committee.[Statutory Authority: RCW 78.52.050. WSR 85-03-018 (Order 6, Resolution No. 10), § 344-12-235, filed 1/8/8…

Wells shall be classified as to the pool from which they produce, and pools shall be determined by the committee and named by the supervisor: Provided, That in the event any person is dissatisfied with any such classification or determination, an application may be made to the co…

The producer or operator of each and every well or proration unit in all pools shall each month submit to the supervisor a sworn statement showing the amount of production made by each such well and by each such proration unit upon forms furnished therefor.[Statutory Authority: R…

By special order of the supervisor periodic surveys shall be made of the reservoirs in this state containing oil and gas. The condition of the reservoirs containing oil and gas and the practices and methods employed by the operators shall be investigated. The volume and source of…