Call Summary

Topic: Tribal Unconventional Oil and Gas Operations and Wastewater Management 

Date: May 29, 2014

Participants: Lisa Biddle, EPA Office of Water (202-566-0350; biddle.lisa@epa.gov)

Jeff Hunt, Department of the Interior, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, Office of 

Indian Energy and Economic Development, Division of Energy and Mineral 

Development (303-842-4538; jeffrey.hunt@bia.gov)

Lisa contacted Jeff Hunt regarding the National Indian Oil and Gas Evaluation Management System 

(NIOGEMS) application, which is offered by the Division of Energy and Mineral Development. 

NIOGEMS provides a computer-based application designed to help Indian Tribes and federal offices 

develop and manage their energy and mineral resources. It is based on IHS Energy data which includes 

fields like well info, formations, whether fractured, production volume, and produced water volume. The 

data does not provide information about how produced water is managed. The data is currently difficult to 

access (requiring an onsite installation of the program) though BIA will soon be making it accessible for 

remote access. Since this database does not include information on wastewater management, EPA 

decided not to pursue access to it at this time. Jeff was, however, able to provide information about well 

development and wastewater management practices as they relate to tribal lands. The following 

summarizes that information. For the purposes of this summary, unconventional oil and gas (UOG) was 

defined by EPA to include shale gas, shale oil, tight gas and tight oil.

• Fort Berthold – This reservation is located in the Bakken Shale Oil Play within the Williston 

Basin and it is the one tribal land area where there is a great deal of UOG development currently 

taking place. Jeff said that in this shale oil play all of the hydraulic facturing flowback and 

produced water (i.e., UOG wastewater) is all disposed of in underground injection control (UIC) 

wells.

• Southern Ute – Regarding the Southern Ute, Jeff pointed out that they are primarily working in 

Coalbed methane (CBM), which doesn’t fall into the scope of EPA’s data collection. He said that 

there is potential for shale development there, but it is not underway yet. Red Willow is an O&G 

operator/company owned by the Southern Ute Tribe. Red Willow operates about 12% of the 

actively producing wells on the Southern Ute Reservation; other oil and gas companies hold 

Tribal leases and operate the majority of the current oil and gas development. 

• Jicarilla Apache – South of the Southern Ute, the Jicarilla Apache have potential for UOG 

development (though it is not underway at this time).

• Navajo Nation – Jeff talked about the Navajo Nation in northwest New Mexico, which is a split 

estate situation (the land ownership is not continuous and the surface and mineral rights are also 

divided throughout the San Juan Basin in northwerstern New Mexico). There is UOG exploration 

occurring within this area currently (with 1-4 rigs) in the Mancos Shale formation which has 

shale oil and gas. However they haven’t moved into a phase of significant production.

• Northern Ute – In northeastern Utah the Northern Ute Tribe has land over plays with potential for 

future horizontal drilling within the Unita Basin, but they are just starting horizontal drilling 

exploration. In that area there is currently quite a bit of produced water generated from 

conventional oil and gas wells which is all disposed of in UIC wells (that are typically not on 

tribal lands).

• Osage – The Osage tribe in Oklahoma is located in the Cherokee Basin which contains the 

Mississippi Lime Play, in which horizontal drilling exploration has just begun. They have been 

producing conventional oil and gas for the past 100 years in that area so they may be good to talk 

to about general practices. UIC wells are used for all produced wastewater disposal in this region.