[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 241 (Friday, December 15, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64435-64436]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-30556]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5346-5]


Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation; Underground Injection 
Control; Primacy Application

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of public comment period and of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to announce that the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has received an application from 
the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation requesting primary 
responsibility for administration and enforcement of the Underground 
Injection Control (UIC) Program for Class II injection wells, that EPA 
has determined the application contains all the required elements, and 
that EPA is rescheduling the public hearing originally scheduled for 
November 14, 1995. Montana's application for primacy is available for 
inspection and copying at the addresses appearing below, and public 
comments are requested. The November 14 hearing was canceled due to 
budgetary circumstances that resulted in a temporary shutdown of EPA.
    Section 1422 (b) (4) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requires 
that prior to approving, disapproving, or approving in part, a State's 
UIC program, the Administrator provide opportunity for a public 
hearing. This notification advises the public of the date, time and 
location of this required public hearing.
    The public comment period and public hearing is intended to help 
provide EPA the breadth of information and public opinion necessary to 
approve, disapprove, or approve in part the application from the 
Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation to regulate Class II 
injection wells under provisions of Section 1425 of the SDWA.

DATES: Requests to present oral testimony must be received by 
Wednesday, January 10, 1996; the public hearing will be held on 
Thursday, January 18, 1996, at 7:00 p.m. (MST). The hearing will be 
held in the Galletin meeting room in the Holiday Inn, 5500 Midland 
Road, Billings, Montana. All written comments must be received by 
Friday, January 26, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and requests to testify should be mailed to 
Dan Jackson, Ground Water Unit (8P2-W-GW), Environmental Protection 
Agency, Region VIII, 999 18th Street, Suite 500, Denver, Colorado, 
80202-2466. Copies of the application and related materials are 
available between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday at the 
following locations:

 Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII, Ground Water Unit, 4th 
Floor Terrace, 999 18th Street, Denver, CO 80202-2466, PHN: (303) 312-
6125
Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation, 2535 St. Johns Avenue, 
Billings, MT 59102, PHN: (406) 656-0040
 Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII, Montana Operations 
Office, Federal Office Building, 301 South Park, Helena MT 59626-0026, 
PHN: (406) 449-5486
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul S. Osborne, Ground Water Unit 
(8P2-W-GW), Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII, 999 18th 
Street, Suite 500, 

[[Page 64436]]
Denver, CO 80202-2466, (303) 312-6125.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The UIC program was implemented under the 
federal, Safe Drinking Water Act to prevent contamination of all 
underground sources of drinking water (USDW), which are aquifers 
capable of yielding a significant amount of water containing less than 
10,000 mg/liter of total dissolved solids. If the application by the 
Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation is approved, the State would 
be responsible for preventing endangerment of USDWs by the following 
activities: (1) Disposal (via injection wells) of fluids produced in 
conjunction with primary oil and gas development and production, 
including gas plant waste; (2) injection for the purpose of storing 
liquid hydrocarbons; and (3) injection of fluids for the purpose of 
enhanced recovery of oil and gas. The program proposed by the State 
will regulate Class II injection activities by establishing state 
permits which will include technical requirements for the protection of 
USDWs. Such requirements include criteria for construction, testing, 
operation, monitoring and abandonment of injection wells.
    At present, there are approximately 1,232 Class II injection wells 
in Montana. The USEPA has held primary administrative and enforcement 
authority for the UIC program in Montana since the program was 
implemented in 1984. The application from the Montana Board of Oil and 
Gas Conservation requests that EPA delegate to the State primary 
authority for the regulation of all Class II injection wells on all 
lands subject to the State's police power and taxing authority and all 
lands owned or under the jurisdiction of the United States, except 
those wells located within the exterior boundaries of an Indian 
Reservation pursuant to 40 CFR Section 144.3. The application includes 
program description, copies of all applicable rules and forms, a 
quality assurance plan, a statement of legal authority and appropriate 
memoranda of agreement.

    Dated: December 7, 1995.
Stephen Tuber,
Acting Assistant Regional Administrator, Office of Pollution 
Prevention, State and Tribal Assistance Region VIII, US Environmental 
Protection Agency.
[FR Doc. 95-30556 Filed 12-14-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P