Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 400-2-1 — General

400 State Oil and Gas Board of Alabama

Ala. Admin. Code r. 400-2-1-.01 Applicability

The following Rules and Regulations shall govern submerged offshore lands operations. These rules apply to oil and gas operations conducted in submerged offshore lands, which include all lands within Baldwin and Mobile counties that are overlain by water and within the territorial jurisdiction of the State of Alabama. For the purpose of administering these rules the Board may classify lands as submerged offshore lands or onshore lands. Wells drilled from surface locations in submerged offshore lands to onshore bottom hole locations shall be permitted, drilled, completed, and plugged pursuant to offshore rules and regulations, but shall be spaced on a spacing unit in accordance with onshore rules and regulations, except for locations under barrier islands and peninsulas which are bounded on at least three (3) sides by offshore tracts, or other landed areas designated by the Board, which areas shall be spaced in accordance with offshore rules. Wells drilled from onshore surface locations to bottom hole locations in submerged offshore lands shall be permitted, drilled, completed, and plugged pursuant to onshore rules, but shall be spaced in accordance with the offshore rules. The Supervisor may require notice and hearing on any permitapplication in which the operator requests approval to drill a well from a surface location in submerged offshore lands to an onshore bottom hole location or from an onshore surface location to a bottom hole location underlying submerged offshore lands.

History

• Author: Marvin Rogers
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§9-17-1, et seq.
• Filed September 30, 1982. Repealed and New Rule: Filed April 11, 2000; effective May 16, 2000. Amended: Filed July 6, 2010; effective August 10, 2010.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 400-2-1-.02 Applicability Of Other Rules

In addition to the rules and regulations governing submerged offshore lands operations set forth in Rule 400-2-1-.01 et seq., the following rules shall apply to submerged offshore lands operations:

(1) Rules and Regulations of the State Oil and Gas Board of Alabama Governing Class II Underground Injection Control Operations, Rule 400-4-1-.01, et seq., and

(2) Rules and Regulations of the State Oil and Gas Board of Alabama Governing Practice and Procedure and Forced Integration or Forced Pooling, Rule 400-7-1-.01, et seq.

History

• Author: State Oil and Gas Board
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§9-17-1, et seq.
• Filed September 30, 1982. New Rule: Filed April 11, 2000; effective May 16, 2000.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 400-2-1-.03 Repealed Rules, Special Field Rules, And Orders

All rules and regulations governing the conservation of oil and gas in Alabama which have been heretofore promulgated by the Board under the authority of Act No. 1, approved May 22, 1945, General Act of Alabama, Regular Session 1945, are hereby repealed, rescinded, and superseded by these rules and regulations; provided, however, no special field rules or other orders of the Board are so repealed, rescinded, or superseded. Special field rules and orders will be issued when required and shall prevail over these rules and regulations, where in conflict therewith.

History

• Author: David E. Bolin
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§9-17-1, et seq.
• Filed September 30, 1982. Amended: Filed January 17, 1989. New Rule: Filed April 11, 2000; effective May 16, 2000.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 400-2-1-.04 Authority

Rules, regulations, special field rules, orders, changes, renewals, or extensions thereof, shall be adopted in accordance with the requirements of Section 9-17-1 et seq. of the Code of Ala. 1975.

History

• Author: State Oil and Gas Board
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§9-17-1, et seq.
• Filed September 30, 1982. Repealed and New Rule: Filed April 11, 2000; effective May 16, 2000.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 400-2-1-.05 Definitions

The words defined hereafter shall have the following meaning when used within these rules:

(1) Abandoned well shall mean, for purposes only of compliance with requirements herein, that a well is to be considered abandoned when it has not been used for six (6) consecutive months, and has not been classified as temporarily abandoned or shut in pursuant to Rule 400-2-4-.14, and cannot be operated, whether because it was drilled as a dry hole or has ceased to produce, or operations have not been conducted thereon, or for some other reason.

(2) Area of exposure shall mean the area within a circle constructed with the point of escape as its center and the radius of exposure as its radius.

(3) Barrel shall mean forty-two (42) U.S. gallons, and when used for liquid hydrocarbon volumes it shall be at a temperature of sixty degrees Fahrenheit (60(cid:176)F), with deductions for the full percent of any basic sediment, water, and other impurities present, ascertained by centrifugal or other recognized and customary tests.

(4) Blow out shall mean any uncontrolled escape of fluids, hydrocarbons, or any other materials from a well.

(5) Blow-out preventer shall mean a heavy casinghead device or devices that helps control or prevent a blow out by closing around the drill string, or work string, or that completely closes the top of the casing if the drill string, tubing, or other pipe is withdrawn.

(6) Board shall mean the State Oil and Gas Board of Alabama.

(7) Bottom-hole pressure shall mean the pressure per square inch (psi) at or near the face of the producing horizonobtained by means of a pressure-recording instrument or other method approved by the Board, with readings corrected to a predetermined plane or datum.

(8) Casing pressure shall mean the pressure at the surface of a well between the casing and tubing or between two (2) strings of casing.

(9) Casinghead gas shall mean any gas or vapor or both, indigenous to an oil pool and produced from such pool with the oil.

(10) Christmas tree (wellhead connection) shall mean an assembly of valves and fittings attached to the head of the casing of a well to control the flow.

(11) Class II injection well shall mean an injection well which is used (1) to inject brine or other fluids which are brought to the surface in connection with natural gas storage operations or oil or natural gas production and which may be commingled with waste waters from plants which are an integral part of production operations, unless those waters are classified as a hazardous waste at the time of injection; (2) for enhanced recovery of oil or natural gas; or (3) for storage of hydrocarbons which are liquid at standard temperature and pressure.

(12) Cleansing shall mean the removal or neutralization of any impurities found in produced oil or natural gas.

(13) Completion shall mean, for purposes only of compliance with requirements herein, that a well is considered completed when drilling operations have ceased or at such other times as the Supervisor may determine.

(14) Condensate shall mean the liquid produced by the condensation of gas or vapor, either after it leaves the reservoir or while still in the reservoir.

(15) Consenting owner shall mean an owner having a working interest in an oil and gas lease or an unleased oil and gas interest in an established or proposed drilling unit, who has reached an agreement in writing with the Board-appointed operator of the unit relative to the terms and conditions which will govern the manner in which his interest shall be developed and operated.

(16) Conservation shall mean the conserving, preserving, guarding, or protecting of oil and gas resources of the State by obtaining the maximum efficiency with minimum wastein the production, transportation, processing, treating, and marketing of the nonrenewable oil and gas resources of the State.

(17) Contingency plan shall mean a written document that shall provide an organized plan of action for alerting and protecting the public within an area of exposure following the accidental release of a potentially hazardous volume of hydrogen sulfide.

(18) Cubic foot of gas shall mean a volume of gas expressed in cubic feet and computed at a base pressure of 14.65 pounds per square inch absolute (psia), and flowing temperature of sixty degrees Fahrenheit (60(cid:176)F); correction to be made for pressure deviation and for specific gravity according to tests made by the Balance Method, or other methods customary to the industry if approved by the Supervisor.

(19) Day shall mean a period of twenty-four (24) consecutive hours from 7:00 a.m. one day to 7:00 a.m. the following day.

(20) Developed area or developed unit shall mean a drainage unit having a well completed thereon which is capable of producing oil or gas in paying quantities; however, in the event it is shown, and the Board finds, that a part of any unit is nonproductive, then the developed part of the unit shall include only that part found to be productive.

(21) Disposer shall mean any person or company who receives wastes for disposal in a disposal facility that is in compliance with existing state and federal regulations.

(22) Drainage or production unit shall mean the area in a pool, which may be drained efficiently and economically by one well. For simplicity, the term “production unit” is used hereinafter from time to time in place of the term “drainage or production unit.”

(23) Drilling unit shall mean the unit temporarily assigned a well for the purpose of exploring, evaluating, or delineating the oil and gas resources underlying an offshore tract or section in submerged offshore lands, or a portion thereof. A drilling unit may be designated as a drainage or production unit after notice and hearing.

(24) Drilling and development unit shall mean the unit temporarily assigned to one or more wells for the purpose of exploring, evaluating, or delineating the oil and gas resources underlying an offshore tract in submerged offshore lands, or aportion thereof. Production of oil and gas from a drilling and development unit is prohibited, except for test production until further action of the Board establishing a production unit or unit operations. Drilling and development units established in accordance with Rule 400-2-2-.02 may consist of an entire offshore tract, or a portion thereof as described below:

(a) One-quarter (1/4) offshore tract unit: a spacing unit comprising one-quarter (1/4) of a regular offshore tract, configured as a square, which has one corner in common with the offshore tract, and contains twelve hundred ninety (1,290) acres, more or less.

(b) One-half (1/2) offshore tract unit: a spacing unit comprising two (2) one-quarter (1/4) offshore tracts that have one offshore tract boundary in common, and containing two thousand five hundred eighty (2,580) acres, more or less.

(c) Three-quarter (3/4) offshore tract unit: a spacing unit comprising three (3) one-quarter (1/4) offshore tracts and containing three thousand eight hundred seventy (3,870) acres, more or less.

(25) Enhanced recovery shall mean the increased recovery from a pool achieved by flooding, pressuring, cycling, or pressure maintenance and which may include the injection into the pool of a substance or a form of energy extrinsic to the pool.

(26) Facility modification shall mean any change in the operation, such as an increase in throughput, in excess of the currently permitted capacity, or any change that would increase the radius of exposure.

(27) Field shall mean the general area which is underlain or appears to be underlain by at least one pool; and field shall include the underground reservoir or reservoirs containing crude oil or natural gas, or both. The words field and pool mean the same thing when only one underground reservoir is involved; however, field, unlike pool, may relate to two or more pools.

(28) Forced integrated unit or forced pooled unit shall mean a spacing unit in which all nonconsenting owners have been ordered by the Board to integrate or pool their tracts and interests and develop them in accordance with law and the rules and regulations of the Board.

(29) Gas shall mean all natural gas, including casinghead gas and all other liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons not defined as oil.

(30) Gas well shall mean a well capable of producing gas from a gas pool or gas pools.

(31) Illegal oil shall mean oil which has been produced within the State of Alabama from any well or wells in excess of the amount allowed by any rule, regulation, or order of the Board, as distinguished from oil produced within the State of Alabama not in excess of the amount so allowed, which is legal oil.

(32) Illegal gas shall mean gas which has been produced within the State of Alabama from any well or wells in excess of the amount allowed by any rule, regulation, or order of the Board, as distinguished from gas produced within the State of Alabama not in excess of the amount so allowed, which is legal gas.

(33) Illegal product shall mean any product of oil or gas, any part of which was processed or derived, in whole or part, from illegal oil or illegal gas or from any product thereof, as distinguished from legal product, which is a product processed or derived to no extent from illegal oil or illegal gas.

(34) Location or site shall mean the area surrounding a well, production facility, processing facility, injection facility, storage facility, plant, or other facility that has been developed for oil and gas operations.

(35) Mode of transportation shall mean any waste transportation method including trucks, rail cars, barges, maritime vessels, aircraft, or any other means of transportation acceptable to the Supervisor.

(36) Month and calendar month shall mean the period or interval of time from 7:00 a.m. on the first (1st) day of any month of the calendar to 7:00 a.m. of the first (1st) day of the next succeeding month of the calendar.

(37) Nonconsenting owner shall mean an owner having a working interest in an oil and gas lease or an unleased oil and gas interest in an established or proposed unit, who has reached no agreement in writing with the Board-appointed operator of the unit relative to the terms and conditions which will govern the manner in which his interest shall be developed and operated.

(38) Offshore plant shall mean any combination of a production facility or a processing facility operated as herein defined and located upon an offshore platform or fixed structure.

(39) Offshore tract shall mean those divisions of submerged offshore lands shown on Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) plats entitled "State of Alabama, Chart of Submerged State Lands, Oil and Gas Lease Tracts," dated May 1984, Project No. 2, 5-L-27, revised October 31, 1990, Mobile and Baldwin Counties, Alabama, and any subsequent revisions thereof.

(40) Oil shall mean crude petroleum oil and other hydrocarbons, regardless of gravity, which are produced at the well in liquid form by ordinary production methods and which are not the result of condensation of gas after it leaves the pool.

(41) Oil well shall mean a well capable of producing oil from an oil pool or oil pools.

(42) Onshore lands shall mean all lands within the territorial jurisdiction of the State of Alabama except those lands in Baldwin and Mobile Counties that are overlain by water.

(43) Operator shall mean any person who, is authorized by the Board to operate an oil, gas, or Class II injection well, or production or processing facility, including the handling and disposal of wastes that may be generated during operation of a well, or production or processing facility. The person named as operator according to the most current records of the Board is charged with complying with the oil and gas statutes and the rules and regulations of the Board.

(44) Owner shall mean the person who has the right to drill into and to produce from any pool and to appropriate the production either for himself or for himself and another, or others.

(45) Person shall mean any natural person, firm, corporation, association, partnership, joint venture, receiver, trustee, guardian, executor, administrator, fiduciary, representative of any kind, or any other group acting as a unit, and the plural as well as the singular number.

(46) Pool shall mean an underground reservoir containing a common accumulation of crude petroleum oil or natural gas or both and each zone of a general structure, which is completely separated from any other zone in the structure. The classification of such pool, as to oil or gas, is determinedafter notice and hearing and is based on the type of hydrocarbons in such pool.

(47) Pressure base shall mean an absolute pressure agreed upon or set as a base for converting the volume of gas metered to a correct volume.

(48) Pressure maintenance shall mean the injection of gas, water, or other fluid into an oil or gas pool to maintain pressure or retard pressure decline in the pool for the purpose of enhanced recovery.

(49) Processing facility shall mean either a cleansing facility or an extraction facility.

(a) Cleansing facility shall mean a facility designed to remove or neutralize any impurities, such as hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide, found in produced oil or natural gas.

(b) Extraction facility shall mean a facility designed to separate or remove substances from the produced hydrocarbons by chemical reactions or physical actions and converting the substances to new products such as natural gas liquids and elemental sulfur.

(50) Product shall mean any commodity made from oil or gas, and shall include refined crude oil, crude tops, topped crude, processed crude petroleum residue from crude petroleum, cracking stock, uncracked fuel oil, fuel oil, treated crude oil, residuum, gas oil, casinghead gasoline, natural gas gasoline, naphtha, distillate, gasoline, kerosene, benzene, wash oil, waste oil, blended gasoline, lubricating oil, blends or mixtures of oil with one or more liquid products or by-products derived or separated from oil or gas, and blends or mixtures of two or more liquid products or by-products derived or separated from oil, gas, or sulfur whether hereinabove enumerated or not.

(51) Production equipment shall mean piping and vessels used in the production, extraction, recovery, lifting, stabilization, separation, initial treating, and storage of produced hydrocarbons.

(52) Production facility shall mean either a separation facility or a treatment facility.

(a) Separation facility shall mean a facility that uses a pressure vessel(s) for the purpose of separating well fluids into gaseous and liquid components.

(b) Treatment facility shall mean a facility that separates well fluids into gaseous and liquid components, with the addition of treatment such as stabilization of liquids from the gaseous phase and the dehydration of the gaseous phase or hydrocarbon liquid knockout.

(53) Production unit is used hereinafter from time to time in place of the term “drainage or production unit.”

(54) Public area shall include but not be limited to a dwelling, place of business, church, school, hospital, school bus stop, government building, a public road, all or any portion of a park, city, town, village, or other similar area that can expect to be populated.

(55) Public infringement shall mean a public area or a public road that has been established within an area of exposure to the degree that such infringement would change the applicable requirements of Rule 400-2-8-.04 to those operations responsible for creating the area of exposure.

(56) Public meeting shall mean a meeting held by the Supervisor to provide general information and receive comments concerning operations in a specific area.

(57) Public road shall mean any federal, state, county, or municipal street or road owned or maintained for public access or use.

(58) Purchaser shall mean any person who acquires title to oil, gas or condensate by purchase from an operator or other person.

(59) Radius of exposure shall mean that radius constructed with the point of escape as its starting point and its length calculated as provided for in Rule 400-2-8-.04.

(60) Recompletion or reworking shall mean any operation that requires a change in the physical construction of a well after its initial completion to secure production when there has been none, or to restore production that has ceased, or to increase production. Such operations include, but are not limited to, any changes in the depths of perforations, method of lift, tubing depths, packer depths, restoring pressure integrity to casing or tubing, etc.

(61) Separator shall mean an apparatus for separating oil, gas, condensate, water, etc., as it is produced.

(62) Shut-in pressure shall mean the pressure in pounds per square inch (psi) at the well head when the well is completely shut in.

(63) Shut-in well shall mean, for purposes only of compliance with requirements herein, a well that is capable of producing hydrocarbons but must remain shut-in until connected to a gathering system, pipeline or processing facility; or for some other reason.

(64) Site. See Location.

(65) Sour gas operations shall mean a facility that handles hydrogen sulfide concentrations in the system equal to one hundred (100) parts per million (ppm) or more.

(66) Spacing unit shall mean a unit established by the Board for each well. A spacing unit may either be (a) a drilling unit or (b) a drainage or production unit.

(67) Special field rules shall mean those rules promulgated for, and which are limited in their application to, individual pools and fields within the State of Alabama.

(68) Spud shall mean, the commencement of the continuous physical operation of drilling a well in which the land surface is penetrated by a drill bit.

(69) State shall mean the State of Alabama.

(70) Storage operator shall mean any company, person, corporation, partnership, limited partnership, association of persons, municipality, association of municipalities, public utility, gas district, or other entity, authorized by the Board pursuant to Section 9-17-152 of the Code to operate any storage facility.

(71) Storage well shall mean any well drilled or converted for use in an Underground Storage Facility.

(72) Submerged offshore lands shall mean all lands within Baldwin and Mobile Counties that are overlain by water and within the territorial jurisdiction of the State.

(73) Sulfide stress cracking shall mean the cracking phenomenon which is the result of corrosive action of hydrogen sulfide on susceptible metals under stress.

(74) Supervisor shall mean the State Oil and Gas Supervisor.

(75) Tank shall mean the receptacle into which the oil, condensate, or produced water is produced either directly from a well or from a well through a separator, gun barrel, or similar equipment.

(76) Temporarily abandoned well shall mean, for purposes only of compliance with the requirements herein, a well that is currently not producing hydrocarbons but that has been approved for future utility by the Supervisor or Board.

(77) Tender shall mean a permit or certificate of clearance, approved and issued or registered under the authority of the Board, for the transportation of oil, gas condensate, or products.

(78) Transporter shall mean and include any person engaged in the transportation of any petroleum hydrocarbons or products thereof within the contemplation of these rules or the laws of the State of Alabama, and in addition, shall mean any person or company who transports wastes by any method other than pipeline.

(79) Turnaround shall mean a scheduled time when an operation is shut down for routine maintenance, inspections, or installation of new equipment.

(80) Underground storage shall mean the storage of gas in an underground reservoir, stratum or formation of the earth.

(81) Underground storage facility shall mean an underground reservoir or an underground solution-mined cavity, the wellbore tubular goods, the wellhead, and related equipment to the last positive shut-off valve before the gathering line that is used or to be used for the underground storage of gas and all surface and subsurface rights and appurtenances necessary or useful in the operation of the facility for the underground storage of gas, including any necessary or reasonable buffer zone as recommended by the storage operator and approved by the Board for the purpose of insuring the safe operation of the storage of gas and to protect the storage facility against pollution, invasion, and escape or migration of gas therefrom, together with any and all subsequent extensions thereof.

(82) Waste, in addition to its ordinary meaning, shall mean “physical waste” as that term is generally understood in the oil and gas industry. Waste shall include:

(a) The inefficient, excessive, or improper use or dissipation of reservoir energy, and the locating, spacing, drilling, equipping, operating, or producing of any oil or gas well or wells in a manner which results or tends to result in reducing the quantity of petroleum hydrocarbons ultimately to be recovered from any pool in this State;

(b) The inefficient storing of oil or condensate and the locating, spacing, drilling, equipping, operating, or producing of any oil or gas well or wells in a manner causing or tending to cause unnecessary or excessive surface loss or destruction of oil, condensate, or gas;

(c) Abuse of the correlative rights and opportunities of each owner of oil and gas in a common reservoir due to non-uniform, disproportionate, and unratable withdrawals, causing undue drainage between tracts of land;

(d) Producing oil or gas in such a manner as to cause unnecessary water channeling or coning;

(e) The operation of any oil well or wells with an inefficient gas-oil ratio;

(f) The drowning with water of any stratum, or part thereof, capable of producing oil or gas, not including the methods necessary for enhanced recovery after approval of the Board;

(g) Underground waste, however caused and whether or not defined;

(h) The creation of fire hazards;

(i) The escape into the open air, from a well producing both oil and gas, of gas in excess of the amount which is necessary in the efficient drilling or operation of the well;

(j) The use of gas, except sour gas, for the manufacture of carbon black;

(k) The escape of gas into the open air, from a well producing gas, in excess of the amount which is necessary for safety reasons or for the efficient drilling, testing, and operation of the well; and

(l) Production of oil, condensate, and gas in excess of reasonable market demand.

(83) Wastes are materials to be disposed of or reclaimed that were generated by drilling, completion, workover, production, storage, treatment, processing, or injection operations associated with oil and gas wells, Class II injection wells, production facilities, processing facilities, offshore plants, or underground storage facilities.

(84) Waters shall mean the water super adjacent to Submerged Offshore Lands.

(85) Well shall mean any oil or gas well, any well drilled or being drilled in search of oil and gas, any well defined as a Class II injection well or any well utilized for underground storage.

All other words used herein shall be given their usual, customary, and accepted meaning. All words of a technical nature, or peculiar to the oil and gas industry, shall be given that meaning which is generally accepted within the oil and gas industry.

History

• Author: Marvin Rogers
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§9-17-1, et seq.
• Filed September 30, 1982. Repealed and New Rule: Filed April 11, 2000; effective May 16, 2000. Amended: Filed July 6, 2010; effective August 10, 2010.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 400-2-1-.06 Forms

(1) The Supervisor may prescribe and require such forms within the rules and regulations of the Board as he reasonably deems advisable. The content of such forms and instructions for their completion may be such as the Supervisor may deem advisable, including the changes of such from time to time. The Supervisor may provide for the electronic filing of forms. Such forms applicable to submerged offshore lands operations shall be known and designated as:

(a) OGB-1 Application for Permit to Drill, Deepen, Convert, or Amend;

(b) OGB-1A Application to Reenter;

(c) OGB-1B Application for Permit to Directionally Drill;

(d) OGB-1C Application for Permit to Inject Fluids;

(e) OGB-1D Application for Permit to Inject Storage Gas;

(f) OGB-1E Application for Change of Operator;

(g) OGB-2 Affidavit of Ownership or Control;

(h) OGB-2C Affidavit of Ownership or Control, Underground Injection Control;

(i) OGB-2D Affidavit of Ownership or Control, Natural Gas Storage Operations;

(j) OGB-3 Bond (Single Well);

(k) OGB 3D Bond for an Underground Storage Facility for a Solution-mined Cavity and Storage Well;

(l) OGB-4 Bond (Blanket);

(m) OGB-5 Organization Report;

(n) OGB-6 Report of Well Treatment;

(o) OGB-7 Well Record and Completion or Recompletion Report;

(p) OGB-8 Electric Log, Sample, and Core Record;

(q) OGB-9 First Production or Retest Report;

(r) OGB-10 Multipoint Back-Pressure Test Report for Gas Wells;

(s) OGB-10A One-Point Back-Pressure Test Report for Gas Wells;

(t) OGB-11 Report of Well Plugging;

(u) OGB-12 Operator's Certificate of Compliance and Authorization to Transport Oil, Gas, or Condensate from Well:

(v) OGB-13 Operator's Certificate of Compliance and Authorization to Transport Products from Plant;

(w) OGB-14 Operator's Monthly Report from Oil Wells;

(x) OGB-15 Operator's Monthly Report from Gas Wells;

(y) OGB-16 Transporter’s and Storer’s Monthly Report;

(z) OGB-17 Monthly Report of Fluids Injected;

(aa) OGB-17D Monthly Report of Gas Injected/Withdrawn for Natural Gas Storage Facilities;

(bb) OGB-18 Monthly Report for Products from Processing, Cleansing, or Extraction Facilities;

(cc) OGB-19 No Form;

(dd) OGB-20 No Form;

(ee) OGB-21 Authorization to Clean Tank;

(ff) OGB-22 Well Capacity Test;

(gg) OGB-23 Unit Reserve Calculation (required only if specified by special field rules);

(hh) OGB-24 Operator’s Certificate of Compliance for Operations Involving Hydrogen Sulfide;

(ii) OGB-25 Transporter’s Certificate of Eligibility to Transport Wastes;

(jj) OGB-26 Wastes Manifest;

(kk) OGB-27 Notification of Fire, Spill, Leak, or Blow out Incident Report; and

(ll) OGB-28 Master Electronic Filing Certification.

(2) Further, such forms, as applicable, shall be filed in a timely manner by the operator or such other person as required by these rules, and such forms shall be properly and fully completed. All forms shall contain true, correct, and accurate information. The Supervisor may allow the filing of certain data electronically in lieu of forms set forth hereinabove, provided Form OGB-28, Master Electronic Filing Certification, has been filed and approved by the Supervisor. The type data, the method of filing, and the format of filing electronic data must have the prior approval of the Supervisor. An operator shall refile a Master Electronic Filing Certification, Form OGB-28, on an annual basis or when the name or address of an operator changes.

History

• Author: State Oil and Gas Board
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§9-17-1, et seq.
• Filed September 30, 1982. Repealed and New Rule: Filed April 11, 2000; effective May 16, 2000. Amended: Published August 30, 2024; effective October 14, 2024.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 400-2-1-.07 Determining And Naming Fields And Pools

When discoveries of oil and gas are made and sufficient geologic, geophysical, engineering, and other data become available, then a petition shall be filed with the Board in accordance with its rules of practice and procedure for establishment of fields and pools. In naming fields, preference shall be given to common usage and geographic names. Each pool within the same field shall preferably be named according to the producing horizon.

History

• Author: State Oil and Gas Board
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§9-17-1, et seq.
• Filed September 30, 1982. Repealed and New Rule: Filed April 11, 2000; effective May 16, 2000.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 400-2-1-.08 Authority Of Supervisor

The Supervisor may appoint an agent or agents under such names as he may desire and may delegate to such agent or agents the authority to perform any acts authorized by these rules and regulations to be performed by the Supervisor. The Supervisor may grant verbal approval for actions requiring Supervisor’s approval if in his opinion it is necessary and justified to do so. Verbal approval so granted does not preclude the necessity of the operator filing all required forms and reports to obtain written approval as soon as possible.

History

• Author: State Oil and Gas Board
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§9-17-1, et seq.
• Filed September 30, 1982. Amended: Filed April 5, 1991. Repealed and New Rule: Filed April 11, 2000; effective May 16, 2000.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 400-2-1-.09 Appeal To Have Access

Any person aggrieved and affected by a decision of the Supervisor, as provided herein by these rules and regulations, may, within thirty (30) days after such decision by the Supervisor, petition the Board for a hearing de novo requesting the Board to consider and rule upon such decision by the Supervisor de novo and the Board shall make a decision upon the same, in the same manner as upon other petitions, and such petition shall set forth such decision by the Supervisor, the pertinent rule or rules and laws, the date of such decision by the Supervisor and the reasons petitioner alleges that such decision was wrongful and such petition shallbe in compliance with the Rules and Regulations Governing Practice and Procedure as set forth in Rule 400-7-1-.01, et seq.

History

• Author: State Oil and Gas Board
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§9-17-1, et seq.
• Filed September 30, 1982. Repealed and New Rule: Filed April 11, 2000; effective May 16, 2000.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 400-2-1-.10 Agents To Have Access

All operators of oil and gas wells, Class II injection wells, drilling or workover rigs, injection facilities, and platforms, and underground storage facilities are required to allow and assist the agents of the Board in making any and all inspections that may be required by the Board. The agents of the Board shall have access to all well, production, injection and transport records and shall be permitted to come upon any property to inspect well records and to inspect and gauge any and all wells, drilling or workover rigs, injection facilities, and platforms, referred to herein at all times.

History

• Author: State Oil and Gas Board
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§9-17-1, et seq.
• Filed September 30, 1982. New Rule: Filed April 11, 2000; effective May 16, 2000.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 400-2-1-.11 Order Closing Down Operations

In addition to the penalties and provisions provided for herein, the Board may order the closing of all or any part of the drilling, production, injection or other operations of any person in this State for the failure of such person, or the agents of such person, to comply with any rule, regulation, or order of the Board or with the laws of the State of Alabama and such operations shall not begin again until authorized by further order of the Board.

History

• Author: State Oil and Gas Board
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§9-17-1, et seq.
• Filed September 30, 1982. New Rule: Filed April 11, 2000; effective May 16, 2000.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 400-2-1-.12 Supervisor’s Order Closing Down Operations

In addition to the penalties and provisions provided for herein, the Board may order the closing of all or any part of the drilling, production, injection or other operations of any person in this State for the failure of such person, or the agents of such person, to comply with any rule, regulation, or order of the Board or with the laws of the State of Alabama and suchoperations shall not begin again until authorized by further order of the Board.

History

• Author: State Oil and Gas Board
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§9-17-1, et seq.
• Filed September 30, 1982. New Rule: Filed April 11, 2000; effective May 16, 2000.

Ala. Admin. Code r. 400-2-1-.13 Exceptions To Rules

The Supervisor may approve exceptions such as the use of new or alternative techniques, procedures, equipment, or activities other than those prescribed in the regulations, if such exceptions afford a degree of protection, safety, or performance either equal to or exceeding that intended to be achieved by the regulations, or when such exceptions are necessary for the proper control of a well, the efficient development and conservation of natural resources, or the protection of life (including fish and other aquatic life), property, or the marine, coastal, or human environment.

History

• Author: State Oil and Gas Board
• Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§9-17-1, et seq.
• Filed September 30, 1982. New Rule: Filed April 11, 2000; effective May 16, 2000.