§3176.7. Public protection.
43 C.F.R. § 3176.7
Applicability criteria. For both drilling/completion/workover and production operations, the H2S radius of exposure shall be determined on all wells and production facilities subject to this subpart. A Public Protection Plan (paragraph (b) of this section) shall be required when any of the following conditions apply:
The 100 ppm radius of exposure is greater than 50 feet and includes any occupied residence, school, church, park, school bus stop, place of business, or other areas where the public could reasonably be expected to frequent;
The 500 ppm radius of exposure is greater than 50 feet and includes any part of a Federal, State, County, or municipal road or highway owned and principally maintained for public use; or
The 100 ppm radius of exposure is equal to or greater than 3,000 feet where facilities or roads are principally maintained for public use. Additional specific requirements for drilling/completion/workover or producing operations are described in §§ 3176.8 and 3176.9, respectively.
Public Protection Plan—
Plan submission/implementation/availability.
A Public Protection Plan providing details of actions to alert and protect the public in the event of a release of a potentially hazardous volume of H2S shall be submitted to the authorized officer as required by § 3176.6(a) for drilling or by § 3176.6(c) for producing operations when the applicability criteria established in paragraph (a) of this section are met. One plan may be submitted for each well, lease, communitization agreement, unit, or field, at the operator's discretion. The Public Protection Plan shall be maintained and updated, in accordance with § 3176.6(d).
The Public Protection Plan shall be activated immediately upon detection of release of a potentially hazardous volume of H2S.
A copy of the Public Protection Plan shall be available at the drilling/completion site for such wells and at the facility, field office, or with the pumper, as appropriate, for producing wells, facilities, and during workover operations.
Plan content.
The details of the Public Protection Plan may vary according to the site-specific characteristics (concentration, volume, terrain, etc.) expected to be encountered and the number and proximity of the population potentially at risk. In the areas of high population density or in other special cases, the authorized officer may require more stringent plans to be developed. These may include public education seminars, mass alert systems, and use of sirens, telephone, radio, and television depending on the number of people at risk and their location with respect to the well site.
The Public Protection Plan shall include:
The responsibilities and duties of key personnel, and instructions for alerting the public and requesting assistance;
A list of names and telephone numbers of residents, those responsible for safety of public roadways, and individuals responsible for the safety of occupants of buildings within the 100 ppm radius of exposure (e.g., school principals, building managers, etc.) as defined by the applicability criteria in paragraph (a) of this section. The operator shall ensure that those who are at the greatest risk are notified first. The Plan shall define when and how people are to be notified in case of an H2S emergency;
A telephone call list (including telephone numbers) for requesting assistance from law enforcement, fire department, and medical personnel and Federal and State regulatory agencies, as required. Necessary information to be communicated and the emergency responses that may be required shall be listed. This information shall be based on previous contacts with these organizations;
A legible 100 ppm (or 3,000 feet, if conditions unknown) radius plat of all private and public dwellings, schools, roads, recreational areas, and other areas where the public might reasonably be expected to frequent;
Advance briefings, by visit, meeting, or letter to the people identified in paragraph (b)(2)(ii)(B) of this section, including:
(1) Hazards of H2S and SO2;
(2) Necessity for an emergency action plan;
(3) Possible sources of H2S and S02;
(4) Instructions for reporting a leak to the operator;
(5) The manner in which the public shall be notified of an emergency; and
(6) Steps to be taken in case of an emergency, including evacuation of any people;
Guidelines for the ignition of the H<I>2</I>S bearing gas. The Plan shall designate the title or position of the person(s) who has the authority to ignite the escaping gas and define when, how, and by whom the gas is to be ignited;
Additional measures necessary following the release of H2S and SO2 until the release is contained are as follows:
(1) Monitoring of H2S and SO2 levels and wind direction in the affected area;
(2) Maintenance of site security and access control;
(3) Communication of status of well control; and
(4) Other necessary measures as required by the authorized officer; and
For production facilities, a description of the detection system(s) utilized to determine the concentration of H2S released.
Notes, amendments, and revision history
Authority
Authority: 25 U.S.C. 396d and 2107; 30 U.S.C. 189, 306, 359, and 1751; and 43 U.S.C. 1732(b), 1733, and 1740.
Source
Source: 88 FR 39540, June 16, 2023, unless otherwise noted.
Authority
Authority: 25 U.S.C. 396d and 2107; 30 U.S.C. 189, 306, 359, and 1751; and 43 U.S.C. 1732(b), 1733, and 1740.
Source
Source: 81 FR 81421, Nov. 17, 2016, unless otherwise noted.