The Process
From EPA
Office of Compliance Sector Notebook Project, Profile of the Oil
and Gas Extraction Industry, page 15
The oil and gas extraction industry can be classified into four
major processes:
(1) exploration,
(2) well development,
(3) production, and
(4) site abandonment.
Exploration involves the search for rock formations associated
with oil or natural gas deposits, and involves geophysical prospecting
and/or exploratory drilling.
Well development occurs after exploration has located an economically
recoverable field, and involves the construction of one or more
wells from the beginning (called spudding) to either abandonment
if no hydrocarbons are found, or to well completion if hydrocarbons
are found in sufficient quantities
Production is the process of extracting the hydrocarbons and separating the mixture of
liquid hydrocarbons, gas, water, and solids, removing the constituents
that are non-saleable, and selling the liquid hydrocarbons and
gas. Production sites often handle crude oil from more than one
well. Oil is nearly always processed at a refinery; natural gas
may be processed to remove impurities either in the field or at
a natural gas processing plant.
Finally, site abandonment involves plugging the well(s) and restoring
the site when a recently-drilled well lacks the potential to produce
economic quantities of oil or gas, or when a production well is
no longer economically viable. |
Resources
The Intermountain Oil and Gas BMP Project addresses all four
major processes, but focuses on well development, production and
site abandonment.
For information on the oil and gas development process, see the
following resources:
EPA
Office of Compliance Sector Notebook Project, Profile of the Oil
and Gas Extraction Industry (see Chapter III)
EPA’s Sector Notebook Project on Oil and Gas Extraction provides
summary information of environmental issues associated with the
oil and gas sector to help facilitate multi-statute solutions
to facility permitting, compliance assurance, education/outreach,
research, and regulatory development issues. The document includes
general industry information (economic and geographic), a description
of industrial processes, pollution outputs, pollution prevention
opportunities, federal statutory and regulatory framework, compliance
history, and a description of partnerships that have been formed
between regulatory agencies, the regulated community and the public.
Overview
of the Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Process
This article provides a brief introduction to the "upstream" side
of oil and gas, including exploration, appraisal, development,
production, decommissioning and rehabilitation.
 Oil
and Gas at Your Door: A Landowner's Guide to Oil and Gas Development
This guide contains a description of the oil and gas development
process, legal and government regulatory information, tips on
how to deal with the oil and gas industry, stories from landowners
who have already experienced development on or near their property,
and lists of additional resources that may help to further prepare
landowners for oil and gas development. The guide highlights issues
specific to private as opposed to public lands.
Wyoming
Energy Resource Information Clearinghouse
This website is a clearinghouse of information about energy sources
such as coal, natural gas, oil, renewable resources, and alternative
forms of energy available in and around the state of Wyoming.
In addition to being a one-stop-shop for Wyoming energy, the website has many resources that are regionally or nationally applicable.
Environmentally Friendly Drilling Program (EFD)
The EFD program operates to integrate advanced technologies into systems that significantly reduce the impact of drilling and production. See the websites's EFD Research tab for information on their projects, which include this BMP website.
Montana
Board of Oil and Gas – Coalbed Methane Information
This website contains many resources on coalbed methane, including
use of produced water, Montana’s BMP handbook, and general BMP
information.
Bureau
of Land Management Oil and Gas Program
The BLM’s website includes information on leasing, permitting,
developing and operating oil and gas resources.
Bureau
of Land Management’s BMP Web page provides both general and
technical information on BMPs, including links to the Gold Book,
BMP Awards, and information on split estates.
Environmental,
Health, and Safety Guidelines for Onshore Oil and Gas Development,
International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group)
This source includes technical reference documents with general
and industry-specific examples of Good International Industry
Practice (GIIP). Included is information relevant to seismic exploration;
exploration and production drilling; development and production
activities; transportation activities including pipelines; other
facilities including pump stations, metering stations, pigging
stations, compressor stations and storage facilities; ancillary
and support operations; and decommissioning.
 Preserving
Our Public Lands (2002)
This guide is intended to help grassroots organizations, the general
public and concerned citizens to understand and participate in
oil and gas decisions affecting our public lands (2002 version.)
A 2008 update, Fuel
for Thought, focuses on influencing BLM decisionmaking.
Energy In Depth is
a website project of independent oil and natural gas producers
of the U.S. The website was created to tell the real story of
the people responsible for producing energy in America. Energy
In Depth gives visitors a virtual, first-hand look at the production
process: unvarnished, up close, and yes: in depth. The website
includes easy to understand descriptions of the development process
as well as commentary on controversial development issues.
Red Lodge Clearinghouse website explains local, state and federal oil and gas laws and regulations as well as key concepts of the oil and gas development processes such as Split Estates, Leasable Minerals, Good Neighbor Agreements, Best Management Practices, and more. Additionally, specific state laws pertaining to oil and gas development are discussed with examples of local controversies. |
