Wyoming Administrative Code › Agency 055 - Oil and Gas Conservation Commission › Sub-Agency 0001 - General Agency, Board or Commission Rules › Chapter 4 - ENVIRONMENTAL RULES, INCLUDING UNDERGROUND INJECTION CONTROL PROGRAM RULES FOR ENHANCED RECOVERY AND DISPOSAL PROJECTS › Section 4-6 - Geophysical/Seismic Operations

Current through July 13, 2024
(a)
General
. Before a geophysical/seismic company conducts operations,
				the representative shall give notice to an occupant of every inhabited dwelling
				within a one-mile (1) radius of each shot point. Such notice shall be given in
				writing or by in-person contact. The notice shall tell the occupant of the
				nature and approximate time period of the seismic activity.
(b) A representative of the client company
				and the geophysical/seismic company shall meet with the staff of the Commission
				at the office of the State Oil and Gas Supervisor to file an application for a
				permit to conduct seismic operations before beginning seismic operations in the
				State of Wyoming. No seismic operation shall be conducted without such a permit
				and no permit shall be issued until the applicant has demonstrated compliance
				with the requirements of the Split Estates Act, if the application is subject
				to the Split Estates Act, as contained within Chapter 3, Section
				8(d) of these rules. The
				Supervisor has discretion to waive the requirement of the pre-permit meeting.
				The permit for seismic operations may be revoked, suspended, or the application
				for the permit denied by the Commission or Supervisor for failure to comply
				with the Commission's rules, statutes, and orders of the Supervisor or
				Commission. The Supervisor may revoke, suspend, or deny the application for a
				seismic permit without a hearing, provided that the geophysical/seismic company
				shall be given an opportunity for a hearing at the next regularly scheduled
				Commission meeting. The fact a permit is revoked or suspended does not excuse
				the geophysical/seismic company, any independent hole pluggers, or client
				company from properly plugging existing seismic holes, but does prohibit them
				from drilling any more.
(c) Prior
				to commencement of drilling, a meeting shall be held between the Commission
				staff and field representatives from the geophysical/seismic company, every
				driller, every designated hole plugger, and a representative of the client
				company. Time and location of the meeting shall be at the discretion of the
				Commission's staff. The Supervisor has discretion to waive the requirement for
				the pre-drilling meeting.
(d)
				Seismic holes shall be re-entered only in compliance with the regulations of
				the Wyoming Occupational Health and Safety Commission and other applicable
				law.
(e) Unnecessary surface
				disturbance created by movement of equipment on water saturated or wet soils is
				prohibited. Once equipment tracks become on average four (4) to six (6) inches
				or greater in depth in wet or muddy conditions, operations must cease in the
				wet or muddy area(s). Operations may continue in dry areas of the project area.
				For just cause, the Supervisor or his duly appointed agent may waive this
				requirement.
(f)
Permitting
. Before beginning geophysical operations, the
				geophysical/seismic company shall file an application for a permit for seismic
				operation (Form 15) with the Commission. This application shall also contain a
				verified statement (Form 1A) that said company has complied with the
				requirements of the Split Estates Act, if applicable.
(g) The application for a permit for seismic
				operations (Form 15) must include the following information, as appropriate:
(i) The approximate number, depth, and
				location of the seismic holes and the size of the explosive charges;
(ii) The name, permanent address of the
				client company, and a phone number and name of a local representative of the
				client company the Commission may contact about the seismic
				operation;
(iii) The name,
				permanent address, and phone number of the geophysical/seismic company and its
				local representative whom the Commission can contact about the seismic
				activity;
(iv) The name, phone
				number, and permanent address of the hole-plugging contractor, if different
				from the geophysical/seismic company;
(v) A detailed description of the hole
				plugging procedures;
(vi) The
				anticipated starting date of seismic and plugging operations;
(vii) The anticipated completion date of
				seismic and plugging operations;
(viii) A description of the identifying mark
				that will be on the non-metallic plug to be used in the plugging of the seismic
				hole;
(ix) The application shall be
				accompanied by a Bureau of Land Management Surface-Minerals Management 7.5
				Minute Quad map with a scale of one inch (1") to twenty-four thousand feet
				(24,000') that shows the proposed location of the lines or grid.