§98.238. Definitions. — Inbound Citations

(c) For facilities required to report under onshore petroleum and natural gas production under subpart W of this part, the terms Owner and Operator used in this subpart have the same definition as Onshore petroleum and natural gas production owner or operator, as defined in § 98.238. For facilities required to report under onshore petroleum and natural gas gathering and boosting under subpart W of this part, the terms Owner and Operator used in this subpart have the same definition as Gathering and boosting system owner or operator, as defined in § 98.238. For facilities required to report under onshore natural gas transmission pipeline under subpart W of this part, the terms Owner and Operator used in this subpart have the same definition as Onshore natural gas transmission pipeline owner or operator, as defined in § 98.238.

(3) If the operations of a facility or supplier are changed such that all applicable processes and operations subject to paragraphs (a)(1) through (4) of this section cease to operate, then the owner or operator may discontinue complying with this part for the reporting years following the year in which cessation of such operations occurs, provided that the owner or operator submits a notification to the Administrator that announces the cessation of reporting and certifies to the closure of all applicable processes and operations no later than March 31 of the year following such changes. If one or more processes or operations subject to paragraphs (a)(1) through (4) of this section at a facility or supplier cease to operate, but not all applicable processes or operations cease to operate, then the owner or operator is exempt from reporting for any such processes or operations in the reporting years following the reporting year in which cessation of the process or operation occurs, provided that the owner or operator submits a notification to the Administrator that announces the cessation of reporting for the process or operation no later than March 31 following the first reporting year in which the process or operation has ceased for an entire reporting year. Cessation of operations in the context of underground coal mines includes, but is not limited to, abandoning and sealing the facility. This paragraph (i)(3) does not apply to seasonal or other temporary cessation of operations. This paragraph (i)(3) does not apply to the municipal solid waste landfills source category (subpart HH of this part), or the industrial waste landfills source category (subpart TT of this part). This paragraph (i)(3) does not apply when there is a change in the owner or operator for facilities in industry segments with a unique definition of facility as defined in § 98.238 of the petroleum and natural gas systems source category (subpart W of this part), unless the changes result in permanent cessation of all applicable processes and operations. The owner or operator must resume reporting for any future calendar year during which any of the GHG-emitting processes or operations resume operation.

(10) Onshore natural gas transmission pipeline means all natural gas transmission pipelines as defined in § 98.238.

(22) You must use the methods in § 98.233(z) and report under this subpart the emissions of CO2, CH4, and N2O from stationary or portable fuel combustion equipment that cannot move on roadways under its own power and drive train, and that is located at an onshore petroleum and natural gas production facility as defined in § 98.238. Stationary or portable equipment are the following equipment, which are integral to the extraction, processing, or movement of oil or natural gas: well drilling and completion equipment, workover equipment, natural gas dehydrators, natural gas compressors, electrical generators, steam boilers, and process heaters.

(1) Calculate emissions from manual and automated unloadings at wells with plunger lifts and wells without plunger lifts separately. For at least one well of each unique well tubing diameter group and pressure group combination in each sub-basin category (see § 98.238 for the definitions of tubing diameter group, pressure group, and sub-basin category), where gas wells are vented directly to the atmosphere to expel liquids accumulated in the tubing, install a recording flow meter on the vent line used to vent gas from the well (e.g., on the vent line off the wellhead separator or atmospheric storage tank) according to methods set forth in § 98.234(b). Calculate the total emissions from well venting to the atmosphere for liquids unloading using equation W-7A to this section. Equation W-7A to this section must be used for each unloading type combination (automated plunger lift unloadings, manual plunger lift unloadings, automated unloadings without plunger lifts and manual unloadings without plunger lifts) for any tubing diameter group and pressure group combination in each sub-basin.

(i) Determine the well vent average flow rate (“FR” in equation W-7A to this section) as specified in paragraphs (f)(1)(i)(A) through (C) of this section for at least one well in a unique well tubing diameter group and pressure group combination in each sub-basin category. Calculate emissions from wells with automated plunger lift unloadings, wells with manual plunger lift unloadings, wells with automated unloadings without plunger lifts and wells with manual unloadings without plunger lifts separately.

(A) Calculate the average flow rate per hour of venting for each unique tubing diameter group and pressure group combination in each sub-basin category by dividing the recorded total annual flow by the recorded time (in hours) for all measured liquid unloading events with venting to the atmosphere.

(B) Apply the average hourly flow rate calculated under paragraph (f)(1)(i)(A) of this section to each well in the same pressure group that have the same tubing diameter group, for the number of hours that each well is vented to the atmosphere.

(C) Calculate a new average flow rate every other calendar year starting with the first calendar year of data collection. For a new producing sub-basin category, calculate an average flow rate beginning in the first year of production.

(ii) Calculate natural gas volumetric emissions at standard conditions using calculations in paragraph (t) of this section.

(ix) For facilities in onshore petroleum and natural gas production and onshore petroleum and natural gas gathering and boosting, report the number of major equipment (as listed in table W-1 to this subpart) in vacuum service as defined in § 98.238.

Except as provided in this section, all terms used in this subpart have the same meaning given in the Clean Air Act and subpart A of this part.

(1) If the entire facility is acquired by an owner or operator that does not already have a reporting facility in the same industry segment and basin (for onshore petroleum and natural gas production or onshore petroleum and natural gas gathering and boosting) or state (for natural gas distribution), then within 90 days after the change in the owner or operator, the designated representative or any alternate designated representative shall submit a certificate of representation that is complete under this section. If the new owner or operator already had emission sources specified in § 98.232(c), (i), (j), or (m), as applicable, prior to the acquisition in the same basin (for onshore petroleum and natural gas production or onshore petroleum and natural gas gathering and boosting) or state (for natural gas distribution) as the acquired facility but had not previously met the applicability requirements in §§ 98.2(a) and 98.231, then per the applicable definition of facility in § 98.238, the previously owned applicable emission sources must be included in the acquired facility. The new owner or operator and the new designated representative shall be responsible for submitting the annual report for the facility for the entire reporting year beginning with the reporting year in which the acquisition occurred.

(1) AAPG-CSD Geologic Provinces Code Map: AAPG Bulletin, Prepared by Richard F. Meyer, Laure G. Wallace, and Fred J. Wagner, Jr., Volume 75, Number 10 (October 1991), pages 1644-1651, IBR approved for § 98.238.