Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia › Department 391 - RULES OF GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES › Chapter 391-3 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › Subject 391-3-13 - OIL AND GAS AND DEEP DRILLING › Rule 391-3-13-.04 - Well Permit

Current through Rules and Regulations filed
				through June 27, 2024
(1) Before any well is drilled or re-entered,
				the person desiring to drill or re-enter the same shall submit to the Division
				the following items:
(a) A properly completed
				"Application for Permit to Drill" on application forms obtained from the
				Division.
(b) A fee of $500 for
				each application submitted.
(c) A
				plat and an index map (see 8. below) showing the location of the proposed well
				which conforms to the following specifications:
1. The scale of the plat shall be indicated
				graphically and shall not be less than one (1) inch equals one thousand (1,000)
				feet. The size of the sheet upon which the plat is drawn shall not exceed
				twenty-four (24) inches by twenty-four (24) inches.
2. A labeled vector indicating either true,
				grid, or magnetic north.
3. The
				surface elevation of the drill site (well location) shall be
				established.
4. The plat shall
				accurately show the distance to the two closest lease lines and/or property
				lines and/or drilling unit boundaries from the proposed well location. Where
				appropriate, the plat shall show the military district, block number and tract
				or unit identity.
5. The plat shall
				be constructed by a surveyor registered by the State of Georgia or by a
				professional engineer registered by the State of Georgia.
6. The plat shall contain a signed statement
				or certification by the surveyor or registered professional engineer that all
				measurements are accurate as shown on the plat.
7. The plat shall show the amount of acreage
				assigned to the drilling unit and the drill site tract.
8. The index map shall show all federal,
				state, county, and municipal highways and roads and all railroads within a
				radius of one (1) mile of the proposed well location; and all buildings,
				prominent landmarks within one thousand (1,000) feet of the proposed well
				location. In addition, sufficient information shall be provided so that the
				location of the proposed well can be plotted to within plus or minus one
				hundred (± 100) feet on a standard U.S. Geological Survey quadrangle
				map. The appropriate U.S. Geological Survey quadrangle map with the well site
				location indicated within plus or minus one hundred (± 100) feet may be
				substituted for a hand drafted index map.
9. If conditions require that two or more
				attempts are necessary in order to satisfactorily drill and/or construct the
				well, the location of each attempt shall be indicated on updated plats
				submitted to the Division.
(d) A properly completed "Affidavit of
				Ownership or Control" on an application form obtained from the
				Division.
(e) A properly completed
				"Organization Report" as specified in paragraph (7) of this section.
(f) Illustrations and narrative material of
				the proposed operation. The illustrations and narratives should as described in
				the Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Well, Deep Mineral Exploration and
				Production Well, and Deep Fresh Water Production Well Permitting Checklist
				describe the following:
1. Proposed well
				depth.
2. Casing and cementing
				program.
3. Procedures to prevent
				blow-outs, caving, and seepage.
4.
				Procedures to prevent fires, waste, H2S containment and spillage.
5. Sampling and logging program.
6. Reclamation program for mud-pits, sumps,
				reserve pits, and dikes.
7.
				Disposal of drilling fluids.
8.
				Testing the integrity of well casings.
9. Maintenance and repair of roadways
				significantly impacted by drilling operations, including hydraulic fracturing
				activities; and
10. Buffers around
				wells and property line setbacks that are sufficient to protect potentially
				affected property owners from any noise, light, water, or air pollution
				resulting from any drilling or hydraulic fracturing
				operations.
(g)
				Procedures for hazard mitigation identified in 3. and 4. above may be included
				by reference if the operator has already provided such procedures to the
				Division. The Division also may request such additional information as it deems
				necessary.
(h) A bond, or
				undertaking, in the amount specified below in Table I for each proposed well.
				Such bond shall be executed by the operator as principal, and by a surety
				approved to do business in this State, and shall be payable to the State of
				Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The bond shall be conditioned to
				secure the faithful performance of all requirements of the Act, these Rules and
				Regulations and permit conditions. (The correct legal name and address of the
				principal and the surety shall be set forth on the bond, which shall be
				countersigned by the Georgia agent of such surety, who shall also set forth the
				correct legal name and address of such agent). In the event of a failure by the
				operator to fully comply with the Act, Rules and Regulations or permit
				conditions, said bond shall be forfeited and the Division shall expend the
				proceeds of the bond to fulfill the operator's responsibilities so as to
				protect the State and its citizens from any injury which may result from such
				failure. The bond shall remain in effect for a period of two years after said
				well is plugged and properly abandoned, two years after receipt by the Director
				of a properly completed "Well Completion Report" as described in
				391-3-13-.15, or two years from the
				date of receipt of all data and reports required by these Rules, whichever
				occurs last. As an alternate to a bond an irrevocable letter of credit may be
				issued provided the irrevocable letter of credit is acceptable to the Division
				and the irrevocable letter of credit is issued to the State by a bank domiciled
				in the State of Georgia.
TABLE I
Permit Depth
Amount of Bond
Less than 5,000 feet
$20,000
5,000 to 10,000 feet
$40,000
10,000 to 15,000 feet
$60,000
Over 15,000 feet
$80,000
A lesser amount of a bond or an irrevocable letter of credit
				  may be proposed if the applicant can document that a lesser amount is
				  appropriate in accordance with requirements in the Oil and Gas Exploration and
				  Production Well, Deep Mineral Exploration and Production Well, and Deep Fresh
				  Water Production Well Permitting Checklist.
(i) In the event the owner or operator wishes
				to keep the well open for additional testing after drilling rig removal. The
				Director may require that an additional bond in the amount of $25,000 be
				furnished, subject to the same terms and conditions as the initial bond. Also,
				if the operator plans to drill multiple wells and can demonstrate to the
				satisfaction of the Director that the operator has adequate financial resources
				to cover all plugging and abandonment costs, and the cost for restoration and
				reclamation of the well site, a blanket bond in the amount of $100,000 may be
				substituted. This blanket bond shall be subject to the same terms and
				conditions as the aforementioned individual well bond. The Director may require
				that the blanket bond not be applicable for any well left open after rig
				removal.
(j) In addition to the
				above requirements, for those operations that will be conducting hydraulic
				fracturing, the following information is also required in the permit
				application:
1. The location of the well
				proposed to be fractured and the route of any directional borehole to the end
				point of such borehole;
2. A brief
				description of the project, including information regarding the sources of
				water to be used as base fluid and estimated amounts and methods of waste-water
				disposal;
3. The identification of
				ground-water sources within one-half mile of any proposed wellhead and within
				one-half mile along the route of any directional borehole to the end point of
				such borehole, and for ground-water quality monitoring before, during, and
				after drilling operations;
4. A
				comprehensive groundwater monitoring plan in the vicinity of the oil or gas
				borehole, in nearby drinking water aquifers, and at public and private water
				supply wells, as detailed in the Narratives section of the Oil and Gas
				Exploration and Production Well, Deep Mineral Exploration and Production Well,
				and Deep Fresh Water Production Well Permitting Checklist;
5. Disclosure of the chemicals in the fluids
				used in the hydraulic fracturing process, a copy of which shall also be
				submitted to the Commissioner of Public Health;
6. A description of the provisions for the
				safe disposal of all hydraulic fracturing fluids; and
7. A description of the provisions for the
				restoration and reclamation of abandoned well sites, storage facility sites,
				pits, and access roads.