~~ NORTH DAKOTA ~~ DEPARTMENT of HEALTH 

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SECTION 

Gold Seal Center, 918 E. Divide Ave. 

Bismarck, ND 58501-1947 

701.328.5200 (fax) 

www.ndhealth.gov 

MEMO TO 

FROM 

RE 

DATE 

Oil and Gas Operators 

Terry L. O'Clair, P.E. 4 

Director j) 

Division of Air Quality j {/v 

Bakken Pool Guidance Document 

May 2, 2011 

As an Oil and Gas Operator in the State ofNorth Dakota, you are subject to Chapter 33-15-20 of 

the North Dakota Air Pollution Control Rules (NDAPCR). These rules require the owner or 

operator of any oil or gas well completed or recompleted on or after July 1, 1987, to submit a 

registration and gas analysis for production facilities to the North Dakota Department of Health 

(Department). An emission estimate is an important part of an acceptable registration. 

However, the recent development of the Bakken oil field in North Dakota has revealed unique 

requirements associated with the volatile organic compounds (VOC) emission calculations for 

these wells. 

In cooperation with the Bakken VOC task force, the Department has developed the Bakken Pool 

Oil and Gas Production Facilities Air Pollution Control Permitting and Compliance Guidance 

(Guidance) for the oil and gas industry to address these requirements (found at: 

http://www.ndhealth.gov/AQ/OilAndGasWells.htm). The Guidance will assist with permitting 

and compliance issues related to Bakken VQC emissions including Chapters 33-15-07 and 33-

15-20. The Guidance has been written to provide a greater level of certainty of compliance for 

the operators of these facilities. This Guidance will help operators with emission calculations, 

determining emission control requirements, and maintaining compliance with NDAPCR. In 

summary, for new Bakken wells (where the first date of production occurs on or ~fter June 1, 

2011), the Guidance requires the following: 

1. Tanks are tied to a pit flare (at a minimum) on the first day of production to allow for 

initial operations. 

2. Depending upon emission calculations, within 60 days of the first date of production, 

additional equipment must be installed to control emissions. 

3. A registration packet must be submitted within 90 days of the first date of production. A 

Registration Packet includes a Registration Form, a gas analysis and the first two pages 

ofthe Guidance's workbook. 

Environmental Health 

Section Chief's Office 

701.328.5150 

Division of 

Air Quality 

701.328.5188 

Division of 

Municipal Facilities 

701.328.5211 

Printed on recycled paper. 

Division of 

Waste Management 

701.328.5166 

Division of 

Water Quality 

701.328.5210 
Oil & Gas Operators 2 May 2, 2011 

For existing facilities, (where the first date of production occurs prior to June 1, 2011), each 

operator with Bakken facilities will be mailed a separate letter detailing instructions on 

production facility information submissions, calculations and the controls required to be 

installed. The submittal process for these wells will be streamlined. 

In summary, the Guidance was developed with the assistance of multiple partners from the 

Bakken VOC Task force and with significant feedback from other stakeholders.· Proper 

registration and pollution control is critical to operating production facilities in North Dakota. 

Following the guidance is expected to ensure compliance with NDAPCR. The Department 

expects to take enforcement action in cases of noncompliance. All forms and the Guidance may 

be found on the Department's website at: http://www.ndhealth.gov/AQ/OilAndGasWells.htm . 

If you have any questions, please address them to Todd Peterson (tfpeterson@nd.gov) or Mark 

Dible (mdihle@nd.gov), both are at phone number (701) 328-5188. 

TLO/MD:saj