43 C.F.R. §§ 3178.4–3178.7

4 sections in range

§3178.4. Uses of oil or gas on a lease, unit, or communitized area that do not require prior written BLM approval for royalty-free treatment of volumes used.

43 C.F.R. § 3178.4

(a)

Oil or gas produced from a lease, unit, or communitized area may be used royalty-free for operations and production purposes on the lease, unit, or communitized area without prior written BLM approval in the following circumstances:

(1)

Use of fuel to generate power or operate combined heat and power;

(2)

Use of fuel to power equipment, including artificial lift equipment, equipment used for enhanced recovery, drilling rigs, and completion and workover equipment;

(3)

Use of gas to actuate pneumatic controllers or operate pneumatic pumps at production facilities;

(4)

Use of fuel to heat, separate, or dehydrate production;

(5)

Use of gas as a pilot fuel or as assist gas for a flare, combustor, thermal oxidizer, or other control device;

(6)

Use of fuel to compress or treat gas to place it in marketable condition;

(7)

Use of oil to clean the well and improve production, e.g., hot oil treatments. The operator must document the removal of the oil from the tank or pipeline under Onshore Oil and Gas Order No. 3 (Site Security), or any successor regulation;

(8)

Use of oil as a circulating medium in drilling operations, if the use is part of an approved Drilling Plan under Onshore Oil and Gas Order No. 1;

(9)

Injection of gas for the purpose of conserving gas or increasing the recovery of oil or gas, if the BLM has approved the injection under applicable regulations in parts 3100, 3160, or 3180 of this title; and

(10)

Injection of gas that is cycled in a contained gas-lift system.

(b)

The volume to be treated as royalty free must not exceed the amount of fuel reasonably necessary to perform the operational function, using equipment of appropriate capacity.

Notes, amendments, and revision history

Source

Source: 81 FR 83078, Nov. 18, 2016, 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.

§3178.5. Uses of oil or gas on a lease, unit, or communitized area that require prior written BLM approval for royalty-free treatment of volumes used.

43 C.F.R. § 3178.5

(a)

Oil or gas produced from a lease, unit, or communitized area may also be used royalty-free for the following operations and production purposes on the lease, unit, or communitized area, but prior written BLM approval is required to ensure that production accountability is maintained:

(1)

Use of oil or gas that the operator removes from the pipeline at a location downstream of the Facility Measurement Point (FMP);

(2)

Use of gas that has been removed from the lease, unit PA, or communitized area for treatment or processing because of particular physical characteristics of the gas that require the gas to be treated or processed prior to use, where the gas is returned to, and used on, the lease, unit PA, or communitized area from which it was produced; and

(3)

Any other types of use of produced oil or gas for operations and production purposes, which are not identified in § 3178.4.

(b)

(1)

The operator must obtain BLM approval to conduct activities under paragraph (a) of this section by submitting a Form 3160-5, Sundry Notices and Reports on Wells (Sundry Notice) containing the information required under § 3178.9. If the BLM disapproves a request for royalty-free treatment for volumes used under this section, the operator must pay royalties on such volumes. If the BLM approves a request for royalty-free treatment for volumes used under this section, such approval will be deemed effective from the date the request was filed.

(2)

With respect to uses under paragraph (a)(1) of this section, the operator must measure the volume of oil or gas used in accordance with Onshore Oil and Gas Orders No. 4 (oil) and 5 (gas) as applicable, or other successor regulations.

(3)

With respect to removals under paragraph (a)(2) of this section, the operator must measure any gas returned to the lease, unit, or communitized area under such an approval in accordance with Onshore Oil and Gas Order No. 5 or other successor regulations.

Notes, amendments, and revision history

Source

Source: 81 FR 83078, Nov. 18, 2016, 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.

§3178.6. Uses of oil or gas moved off the lease, unit, or communitized area that do not require prior written approval for royalty-free treatment of volumes used.

43 C.F.R. § 3178.6

Oil or gas used after being moved off the lease, unit, or communitized area may be treated as royalty free without prior written BLM approval only if the use meets the criteria under § 3178.4 and when:

(a)

The oil or gas is transported from one area of the lease, unit, or communitized area to another area of the same lease, unit, or communitized area where it is used, and no oil or gas is added to or removed from the pipeline while crossing lands that are not part of the lease, unit, or communitized area; or

(b)

A well is directionally drilled, the wellhead is not located on the producing lease, unit, or communitized area, and oil or gas is used on the same well pad for operations and production purposes for that well.

Notes, amendments, and revision history

Source

Source: 81 FR 83078, Nov. 18, 2016, 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.

§3178.7. Uses of oil or gas moved off the lease, unit, or communitized area that require prior written approval for royalty-free treatment of volumes used.

43 C.F.R. § 3178.7

(a)

Except as provided in § 3178.6(b) and paragraph (b) of this section, royalty is owed on all oil or gas used in operations conducted off the lease, unit, or communitized area.

(b)

The BLM may grant prior written approval to treat oil or gas used in operations conducted off the lease, unit, or communitized area as royalty free (referred to as off-lease royalty-free use) if the use is among those listed in § 3178.4(a) and § 3178.5(a) and if:

(1)

The equipment or facility in which the operation is conducted is located off the lease, unit, or communitized area for engineering, economic, resource protection, or physical accessibility reasons; and

(2)

The operations are conducted upstream of the FMP.

(c)

The operator must obtain BLM approval under paragraph (b) of this section by submitting a Sundry Notice containing the information required under § 3178.9. If the BLM disapproves a request for royalty-free treatment for volumes used under this section, the operator must pay royalties on such volumes. If the BLM approves a request for royalty-free treatment for volumes used under this section, such approval will be deemed effective from the date the request was filed.

(d)

Approval of measurement or commingling off the lease, unit, or communitized area under other regulations does not constitute approval of off-lease royalty-free use. The operator or lessee must expressly request, and submit its justification for, approval of off-lease royalty-free use.

(e)

If equipment or a facility located on a particular lease, unit, or communitized area treats oil or gas produced from properties that are not unitized or communitized with the property on which the equipment or facility is located, in addition to treating oil or gas produced from the lease, unit, or communitized area on which the equipment or facility is located, the operator may report as royalty free only that portion of the oil or gas used as fuel that is properly allocable to the share of production contributed by the lease, unit, or communitized area on which the equipment is located, unless otherwise authorized by the BLM under this section.

Notes, amendments, and revision history

Source

Source: 81 FR 83078, Nov. 18, 2016, 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.

43 C.F.R. §§ 3178.4–3178.7

§3178.4. Uses of oil or gas on a lease, unit, or communitized area that do not require prior written BLM approval for royalty-free treatment of volumes used.

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§3178.5. Uses of oil or gas on a lease, unit, or communitized area that require prior written BLM approval for royalty-free treatment of volumes used.

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§3178.6. Uses of oil or gas moved off the lease, unit, or communitized area that do not require prior written approval for royalty-free treatment of volumes used.

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§3178.7. Uses of oil or gas moved off the lease, unit, or communitized area that require prior written approval for royalty-free treatment of volumes used.

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