R649-3-20. Gas Flaring or Venting

1. Produced gas from an oil well, also known as associated gas or casinghead gas, may be flared or vented only in the following amounts:

1.1. Up to 1,800 MCF of oil well gas may be vented or flared from an individual well on a monthly basis at any time without approval.

1.2. During the period of time allowed for conducting the stabilized production test or other approved test as required by R649-3-19, the operator may vent or flare all produced oil well gas as needed for conducting the test.

1.2.1. The operator shall not vent or flare gas that is not necessary for conducting the test or beyond the time allowed for conducting the test.

1.3. During the first calendar month immediately following the time allowed for conducting the initial stabilized production test as required by R649-3-19.1, the operator may vent or flare up to 3,000 MCF of oil well gas without approval.

1.4. Unavoidable or short-term oil well gas venting or flaring may occur without approval in accordance with R649-3-20.4, 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3.

2. Produced gas from a gas well may be vented or flared only in the following amounts:

2.1. During the period of time allowed for conducting the stabilized production test, the multipoint test, or other approved test as required by R649-3-19, the operator may vent or flare all produced gas well gas as needed for conducting the test.

2.2. The operator shall not vent or flare gas which is not necessary for conducting the tests or beyond the time allowed for conducting the tests.

2.3. Unavoidable or short-term gas well gas venting or flaring may occur without approval in accordance with R649-3-20.4, 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3.

3. If an operator desires to produce a well for the purpose of testing and evaluation beyond the time allowed by R649-3-19 and vent or flare gas in excess of the aforementioned limits of gas venting or flaring, the operator shall make written request for administrative action by the division to allow gas venting or flaring during such testing and evaluation.

3.1. The operator shall provide any information pertinent to a determination of whether marketing or otherwise conserving the produced gas is economically feasible.

3.2. Upon such request and based on the justification information presented, the division may authorize gas venting or flaring at unrestricted rates for up to 30 days of testing or no more than 50 MMCF of gas vented or flared, whichever is less.

4. Once a well is completed for production and gas is being transported or marketed, the operator is allowed unavoidable or short-term gas venting or flaring without approval only in the following cases:

4.1. Gas may be vented or released from oil storage tanks or other low pressure oil production vessels unless the division determines that the recovery of such vapors is warranted.

4.2. Gas may be vented or flared from a well during periods of line failures, equipment malfunctions, blowouts, fires, or other emergencies if shutting in or restricting production from the well would cause waste or create adverse impact on the well or producing reservoir.

4.3. The operator shall provide immediate notification to the division in all such cases in accordance with R649-3-32, Reporting of Undesirable Events.

4.4. Upon notification, the division shall determine if gas venting or flaring is justified and specify conditions of approval if necessary.

4.5. Gas may be vented or flared from a well during periods of well purging or evaluation tests not exceeding a period of 24 hours or a maximum of 144 hours per month.

4.6. The operator shall provide subsequent written notification to the division in all such cases.

5. If an operator wishes to flare or vent a greater amount of produced gas than allowed by this rule, the operator must submit a Request for Agency Action to the board to be considered as a formal board docket item. The request should include the following items:

5.1. A statement justifying the need to vent or flare more than the allowable amount.

5.2. A description of production test results.

5.3. A chemical analysis of the produced gas.

5.4. The estimated oil and gas reserves.

5.5. A description of the reinjection potential or other conservation oriented alternative for disposition of the produced gas.

5.6. A description of the amount of gas used in lease operations.

5.7. An economic evaluation supporting the operator's determination that conservation of the gas is not economically viable. The evaluation should utilize any engineering or geologic data available and should consider total well production, not just gas production, in presenting the profitability and costs for beneficial use of the gas.

5.8. Any other information pertinent to a determination of whether marketing or otherwise conserving the produced gas is economically feasible.

6. Upon review of the request for approval to vent or flare gas from a well, the board may elect to:

6.1. Allow the requested venting or flaring of gas.

6.2. Restrict production until the gas is marketed or otherwise beneficially utilized.

6.3. Take any other action the board deems appropriate in the circumstances.

7. When gas venting or flaring from a well has not been approved by the division or the magnitude and duration of venting or flaring exceeds the amounts specified in these rules or any division or board approval, then the board may issue a formal order to alleviate the noncompliance and/or require the operator to appear before the board to provide justification of such venting or flaring. The division shall notify the appropriate governmental taxing and royalty agencies of any unapproved venting or flaring and of any subsequent board action.

8. No extraction plant processing gas in Utah shall flare or vent such gas unless such venting or flaring is made necessary by mechanical difficulty of a very limited temporary nature or unless the gas vented or flared is of no commercial value.

9. In the event of a more prolonged mechanical difficulty or in the event of plant shut-downs or curtailment because of scheduled or nonscheduled maintenance or testing operations or other reasons, or in the event a plant is unable to accept, process, and market all of the casinghead gas produced by wells connected to its system, the plant operator shall notify the division as soon as possible of the full details of such shut-down or curtailment, following which the division shall take such action as is necessary.