Thomas P. Richmond Montana Board of Oil & Gas Conservation (Billings, Montana)

January 3, 2003January 3, 2003 ALL ConsultingALL Consulting Page 1Copyright © 2002-03 ALL Consulting, All Rights

ReservedCopyright © 2002-03 ALL Consulting, All Rights

Reserved

Overview of Coal Bed Natural Gas Overview of Coal Bed Natural Gas Best Practices and Mitigation Best Practices and Mitigation Techniques Using Geospatial Techniques Using Geospatial

TechniquesTechniques

Thomas P. RichmondThomas P. Richmond

Montana Board of Oil & Gas Montana Board of Oil & Gas ConservationConservation(Billings, Montana) (Billings, Montana)

J. Daniel Arthur, P.E. J. Daniel Arthur, P.E.

ALL ConsultingALL Consulting(Tulsa, Oklahoma)(Tulsa, Oklahoma)

API Water Forum

April 2004



Reserved

Project Funding and Cooperators

“Funding for this project was primarily sponsored by the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy – Tulsa, part of the National Energy Technology Laboratory and the National Petroleum Technology Office; the Montana Board of Oil & Gas Conservation; and ALL Consulting. A broad array of cooperators participated in various aspects of the project, without which the research would not have been possible.”

Fidelity Exploration & Production CompanyFidelity Exploration & Production CompanyAn MDU Resources Group, Inc. Company

Fidelity Exploration & Production CompanyFidelity Exploration & Production CompanyAn MDU Resources Group, Inc. Company

And Others…And Others…



Reserved

Study Area BackgroundStudy Area Background

• Geology• Hydrology• Climate• Air Quality• Cultural/Paleontological Resources• Indian Trust Assets/Native

American Issues• Livestock Grazing• Soils• Solid and Hazardous Waste• Vegetation• Visual Resource Management• Wildlife• Land dispositionMontana Powder River Basin CBNG

Development Likelihood and Water Use



Reserved

Project Planning ElementsProject Planning Elements

Project Plans may include:

Water Management Plan Groundwater Monitoring

Plan Wildlife Monitoring and

Protection Plan Provisions specific to

leasing arrangements Siting requirements And include a section of

BMPs that will be implemented by the operator to address site specific issues

Project planning consideration include:

Land ownership requirements (federal lands guidance)

Lease stipulations Controlled groundwater

Area Monitoring Plans Regulatory

Environment (including federal, state, and local regulations)



Reserved

Best Management PracticesBest Management Practices

What are Best Management Practices (BMPs) ?

BMPs are a suite of techniques, procedures, measures or practices which are site specific, economically feasible and are used to guide, or may be applied to, management actions to aid in achieving desired outcomes.

BMPs do not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.



Reserved

BMP Practice AreasBMP Practice Areas

BMPs were organized according to three operational areas:

Coal Bed Methane Exploration Coal Bed Methane Exploration Development and Operations of CBMDevelopment and Operations of CBM Abandonment and Restoration of CBM FacilitiesAbandonment and Restoration of CBM Facilities



Reserved

Exploration BMPsExploration BMPs

Surface conflicts Special operating procedures Issues which would require

additional reclamation Wildlife habitat Visual impacts Erosion potential Landowners/surface lessee’s

future plans for the area Surrounding environment

(rural or urban setting)

Site LocationSite Location – In addition to the regulatory requirements, lease stipulations, location of coal seams, and successful geologic testing there are other siting considerations:



Reserved


Background StudiesBackground Studies – Define the existing conditions to determine what action needs to be taken during operation and post operation activities to meet:

Landowner mitigation agreements

Site reclamation/restoration activities

Reduce public concern Identify potential beneficial

uses



Reserved


Develop Health and Safety Plans which address site specific conditions and hazards.

Develop Fire Prevention Plans on a site by site basis and include the local fire departments to insure onsite fire protection is adequate.

Offer defensive driving courses to employees.

Avoid traffic during school bus pick- up and drop-off times.

Have work crews and rig hands car-pool to the job site to reduce traffic.

Health and Safety Practices - Health and Safety Practices - Develop work place practices to minimize accidents and ensure the safety of the work force and local community such as:



Reserved

Development and Operational Development and Operational BMPsBMPs

Dust Control Irrigation Livestock

Watering Industrial Use Impoundments Aquifer Storage

and Recovery

Landowner Use Potable Water use Aquifer Recharge Injection Other Use

Water Management – Beneficial UseWater Management – Beneficial Use

Evaluate the baseline data to determine what beneficial use options are best suited to site specific conditions. Depending on the quality of the produced water, potential beneficial uses may include:



Reserved

Development and Operational Development and Operational BMPsBMPsWater Management – Disposal OptionsWater Management – Disposal OptionsBeyond the typical beneficial uses of produced water, water management options should be carefully evaluated to minimize the potential for adverse impacts to the environment. Some of these options for produced water management include:

Deep Injection Direct Discharge to Surface Water

Flow based discharge Rate based discharge

Discharge to the Land Surface Impoundments Other



Reserved

Development and Operational Development and Operational BMPsBMPs

MiscellaneousMiscellaneousFacilitiesFacilities – The planning of operation facilities prior to construction can help to minimize impacts and help to reduce public concern. Project Plans could be used to address the following areas of concern:

Surface Disturbances Aesthetics Emissions Pumps Other



Reserved

Wildlife Related BMPsWildlife Related BMPs

MiscellaneousMiscellaneousWildlifeWildlife - Some Examples of Wildlife BMPs include:

The use of raptor-safe power poles for above ground utilities.

Use of underground power lines whenever possible.

One-way-in/One-way-out roads for access to well sites.

Drilling wells in pods as opposed to single well pads.

Locating wells and well pods away from Threatened & Endangered species habitat when possible.



Reserved

Miscellaneous BMPsMiscellaneous BMPs

MiscellaneousMiscellaneousVariousVarious - A variety of miscellaneous BMPs can be used with regard to development and production of CBM:

Carpooling of workers Eliminating construction related

traffic during school bus pick-up and drop-off hours

Training onsite workers in fire safety

Onsite workers could receive work activity related health and safety training including CPR and Emergency Response training.



Reserved

Abandonment and Restoration Abandonment and Restoration BMPsBMPs

Miscellaneous AbandonmentMiscellaneous AbandonmentCBM abandonment and restoration refers to controlled or managed restoration efforts to minimize permanent impairments to the land or area resources. BMPs are used for:

Well Abandonment Native Flora Restoration Habitat Restoration Soil Restoration Removal of Infrastructure and

Utilities



Reserved

Combining BMPs with GISCombining BMPs with GIS

Project Planning Initiated

Analysis of available BMP and Mitigation Alternatives. Handbook provides options and considerations

Assessment of alternatives and selection of mitigation strategy and best management practices (POD Preparation)

Utilize Geospatial analysis for data evaluation, including soils, land disposition, surface waters, land use, roads, development history, etc.



Reserved

Geospatial Analyses: Geospatial Analyses: WebMapperWebMapper

The WebMapper application was developed as a custom ArcIMS application using the Spatial Data Engine (SDE). WebMapper is updated on a real-time basis directly to the MBOGC’s Risk Based Data Management System (RBDMS).



Reserved


Internet GIS tools can be used to visually assess planning conditions, such as Indian reservations, soil types, waterways, roads, land ownership disposition, existing and anticipated development situations, etc.



Reserved


WebMapper allows users to access well locations for CBM wells, conventional oil & gas wells statewide, and other well types within the study area.

Thomas P. Richmond Montana Board of Oil & Gas Conservation (Billings, Montana)

Documents

Transcript of Thomas P. Richmond Montana Board of Oil & Gas Conservation (Billings, Montana)