§ 3160.0-5 - Definitions.

§ 3160.0-5 Definitions.

As used in this part, the term:

Annulus means the space around a pipe in a wellbore, the outer wall of which may be the wall of either the borehole or casing; sometimes also called annular space.

Authorized representative means any entity or individual authorized by the Secretary to perform duties by cooperative agreement, delegation or contract.

Bradenhead means a heavy, flanged steel fitting connected to the first string of casing that allows the suspension of intermediate and production strings of casing and supplies the means for the annulus to be sealed.

Cement Evaluation Log (CEL) means any one of a class of tools that verify the integrity of annular cement bonding, such as, but not limited to, a cement bond log (CBL), ultrasonic imaging log, variable density logs, CBLs with directional receiver array, ultrasonic pulse echo log, or isolation scanner.

Confining zone means a geological formation, group of formations, or part of a formation that is capable of preventing fluid movement from any formation that will be hydraulically fractured into a usable water zone.

Drainage means the migration of hydrocarbons, inert gases (other than helium), or associated resources caused by production from other wells.

Federal lands means all lands and interests in lands owned by the United States which are subject to the mineral leasing laws, including mineral resources or mineral estates reserved to the United States in the conveyance of a surface or nonmineral estate.

Hydraulic fracturing means those operations conducted in an individual wellbore designed to increase the flow of hydrocarbons from the rock formation to the wellbore through modifying the permeability of reservoir rock by applying fluids under pressure to fracture it. Hydraulic fracturing does not include enhanced secondary recovery such as water flooding, tertiary recovery, recovery through steam injection, or other types of well stimulation operations such as acidizing.

Hydraulic fracturing fluid means the liquid or gas, and any associated solids, used in hydraulic fracturing, including constituents such as water, chemicals, and proppants.

Isolating or to isolate means using cement to protect, separate, or segregate usable water and mineral resources

Fresh water means water containing not more than 1,000 ppm of total dissolved solids, provided that such water does not contain objectionable levels of any constituent that is toxic to animal, plant or aquatic life, unless otherwise specified in applicable notices or orders.

Knowingly or willfully means a violation that constitutes the voluntary or conscious performance of an act that is prohibited or the voluntary or conscious failure to perform an act or duty that is required. It does not include performances or failures to perform that are honest mistakes or merely inadvertent. It includes, but does not require, performances or failures to perform that result from a criminal or evil intent or from a specific intent to violate the law. The knowing or willful nature of conduct may be established by plain indifference to or reckless disregard of the requirements of the law, regulations, orders, or terms of the lease. A consistent pattern of performance or failure to perform also may be sufficient to establish the knowing or willful nature of the conduct, where such consistent pattern is neither the result of honest mistakes or mere inadvertency. Conduct that is otherwise regarded as being knowing or willful is rendered neither accidental nor mitigated in character by the belief that the conduct is reasonable or legal.

Lease means any contract, profit-share arrangement, joint venture or other agreement issued or approved by the United States under a mineral leasing law that authorizes exploration for, extraction of or removal of oil or gas.

Lease site means any lands, including the surface of a severed mineral estate, on which exploration for, or extraction and removal of, oil or gas is authorized under a lease.

Lessee means any person holding record title or owning operating rights in a lease issued or approved by the United States.

Lessor means the party to a lease who holds legal or beneficial title to the mineral estate in the leased lands.

Major violation means noncompliance that causes or threatens immediate, substantial, and adverse impacts on public health and safety, the environment, production accountability, or royalty income.

Master hydraulic fracturing plan means a plan containing the information required in section 3162.3-3(d) of this part for a group of wells where the geologic characteristics for each well are substantially similar.

Maximum ultimate economic recovery means the recovery of oil and gas from leased lands which a prudent operator could be expected to make from that field or reservoir given existing knowledge of reservoir and other pertinent facts and utilizing common industry practices for primary, secondary or tertiary recovery operations.

Minor violation means noncompliance that does not rise to the level of a major violation.

New or resumed production under section 102(b)(3) of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act means the date on which a well commences production, or resumes production after having been off production for more than 90 days, and is to be construed as follows:

(1) For an oil well, the date on which liquid hydrocarbons are first sold or shipped from a temporary storage facility, such as a test tank, or the date on which liquid hydrocarbons are first produced into a permanent storage facility, whichever first occurs; and

(2) For a gas well, the date on which gas is first measured through sales metering facilities or the date on which associated liquid hydrocarbons are first sold or shipped from a temporary storage facility, whichever first occurs. For purposes of this provision, a gas well shall not be considered to have been off of production unless it is incapable of production.

Notice to lessees and operators (NTL) means a written notice issued by the authorized officer. NTL's implement the regulations in this part and operating orders, and serve as instructions on specific item(s) of importance within a State, District, or Area.

Onshore oil and gas order means a formal numbered order issued by the Director that implements and supplements the regulations in this part.

Operating rights owner means a person who owns operating rights in a lease. A record title holder may also be an operating rights owner in a lease if it did not transfer all of its operating rights.

Operator means any person or entity including but not limited to the lessee or operating rights owner, who has stated in writing to the authorized officer that it is responsible under the terms and conditions of the lease for the operations conducted on the leased lands or a portion thereof.

Paying well means a well that is capable of producing oil or gas of sufficient value to exceed direct operating costs and the costs of lease rentals or minimum royalty.

Person means any individual, firm, corporation, association, partnership, consortium or joint venture.

Production in paying quantities means production from a lease of oil and/or gas of sufficient value to exceed direct operating costs and the cost of lease rentals or minimum royalties.

Proppant means a granular substance (most commonly sand, sintered bauxite, or ceramic) that is carried in suspension by the fracturing fluid that serves to keep the cracks in the geologic formation open when fracturing fluid is withdrawn after a hydraulic fracture operation.

Protective well means a well drilled or modified to prevent or offset drainage of oil and gas resources from its Federal or Indian lease.

Record title holder means the person(s) to whom BLM or an Indian lessor issued a lease or approved the assignment of record title in a lease.

Superintendent means the superintendent of an Indian Agency, or other officer authorized to act in matters of record and law with respect to oil and gas leases on restricted Indian lands.

Surface use plan of operations means a plan for surface use, disturbance, and reclamation.

Usable water means

(1) Generally those waters containing up to 10,000 parts per million (ppm) of total dissolved solids. Usable water includes, but is not limited to:

(i) Underground water that meets the definition of “underground source of drinking water” as defined at 40 CFR 144.3;

(ii) Underground sources of drinking water under the law of the State (for Federal lands) or tribe (for Indian lands); and

(iii) Water in zones designated by the State (for Federal lands) or tribe (for Indian lands) as requiring isolation or protection from hydraulic fracturing operations.

(2) The following geologic zones are deemed not to contain usable water:

(i) Zones from which the BLM has authorized an operator to produce oil and gas, provided that the operator has obtained all other authorizations required by the Environmental Protection Agency, the State (for Federal lands), or the tribe (for Indian lands) to conduct hydraulic fracturing operations in the specific zone;

(ii) Zones designated as exempted aquifers pursuant to 40 CFR 144.7; and

(iii) Zones that do not meet the definition of underground source of drinking water at 40 CFR 144.3 which the State (for Federal lands) or the tribe (for Indian lands) has designated as exempt from any requirement to be isolated or protected from hydraulic fracturing operations.

Waste of oil or gas means any act or failure to act by the operator that is not sanctioned by the authorized officer as necessary for proper development and production and which results in:

(1) A reduction in the quantity or quality of oil and gas ultimately producible from a reservoir under prudent and proper operations; or

(2) avoidable surface loss of oil or gas.

[53 FR 17362, May 16, 1988, as amended at 53 FR 22846, June 17, 1988; 66 FR 1892, Jan. 10, 2001; 80 FR 16217, Mar. 26, 2015; 81 FR 83078, Nov. 18, 2016; 82 FR 61949, Dec. 29, 2017]