Reclamation Goals
The primary goal of reclamation on oil and gas lands is to restore
site stability and ecosystem functions, returning disturbed lands
to their original use or use prior to disturbance, such as crop
production or wildlife habitat. The benchmark for successful reclamation
typically is the establishment of a native plant community that
is self-sustaining and meets standards for density and forage
production, and the re-contouring of all disturbed surface areas
to match or blend with the original landform.
Reclamation Process
In modern, environmentally friendly field developments, an operator’s
permit to drill usually includes a limit on the total surface
area that can be disturbed at one time. Because of this restriction,
interim reclamation is conducted during the construction, drilling,
and well production phases of oil and gas development to ensure
that surface disturbance is within the limits established in the
drilling permit. During interim reclamation, land on a well site
that is not being used for production but has been disturbed should
be undergoing the reclamation process through recontouring, topsoil
replacement, and revegetation.
Final reclamation is also required after a well is depleted
or if it proves to be dry. The well must be plugged, and the well
site and other areas disturbed by road or pipeline construction
must be reclaimed and plant communities must be restored. The
timeline for reclamation after a well is plugged varies by state.
Operators on federal lands must include a reclamation plan in
their surface use plan of operation to be approved by the Bureau
of Land Management (BLM) or by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).
BLM and USFS expectations for a reclamation plan can be found
in the Chapter 6 of the agencies’ Gold
Book: Surface Operating Standards and Guidelines for Oil and Gas
Exploration and Development. The BLM finalizes an operator’s
final abandonment notice, with final approval being contingent
upon reclamation meeting the standards of the surface managing
agency. Throughout the reclamation process, the operator holds
responsibility for monitoring reclamation progress and ensuring
its success.
Primary Resource Document (applicable throughout the following
section)
BLM
& USFS Gold Book
Earthwork
Topsoil and Soil Amendments
Preserving and salvaging sufficient
topsoil is an integral part of reclamation and is necessary for
reclamation success. Until topsoil is used during interim or final
reclamation, the Gold Book stipulates that it should be kept separate
from subsurface materials and erosion controls should be implemented
to protect the topsoil stockpile from wind and water erosion as
well as impacts of heavy machinery.
Contouring and Erosion Control
Recontouring is required during both
interim and final reclamation. All disturbed surface areas, including
the well pad, road areas, and pipeline flows, must be re-worked
to sit at the original contour or blend with the original landform.
Adequate erosion control will provide for site stability and generally
comes with successful revegetation.
Resource Documents
International
Erosion Control Association
Revegetation
The establishment of a self-sustaining plant community is vital
in marking reclamation success. Standards for revegetation on
oil and gas lands vary by state but typically include a specified
level of cover, density, vigor, resiliency, diversity; control
of highly competitive non-native species; and freedom from noxious
weeds.
Seeding Methods
There are many approved methods for
re-seeding and culturing, including drilling, broadcast seeding,
hydroseeding, dozer track walking, mulching, irrigating, and fertilizing.
If seed fails due to drought or other extreme conditions, the
surface management agency may grant the operator a delayed timeline
for re-seeding until the adverse conditions have passed. They
may also require additional culturing such as mulching or irrigating.
Seed Mixes
Soil type, market availability, wildlife
needs, and agency or landowner requirements should all be considered
when choosing a seed mix for a site. While the surface management
agency or a private landowner may approve select non-native species
for reseeding, mixes composed primarily of species indigenous
to the area being seeded typically are preferred or required.
In some cases, the appropriate agency field office will prescribe
an already determined seed mix.
Resource Documents
JIO
Recommended Plant List
NRCS
Wyoming Plant Materials Program Page
NRCS
Plant Materials Reference
Weed Infestations and Invasive
Species
Standards for successful reclamation
include limits on noxious weeds and practices for successful weed
control. For more information about non-native and invasive species,
please visit our Rare and Native Plant
Resources page.
Resource Documents
USDA
Federal Noxious Weed List
Colorado
Noxious Weed Act
USDA
State of Colorado Invasive and Noxious Weed List
Montana
Noxious Weed Program
USDA
State of Montana Invasive and Noxious Weed List
New
Mexico Noxious Weed Control Act
USDA
State of New Mexico Invasive and Noxious Weed List
Utah
Noxious Weed Act
USDA
State of Utah Invasive and Noxious Weed List
Wyoming
Weed and Pest Control Act Designated List
Wyoming
Weed and Pest Law
USDA
State of Wyoming Invasive and Noxious Weed List
Reserve Pit Reclamation
Reserve pits are a holding area for
the dumping and dilution of drilling fluids, drilling cuttings,
and operation fluids produced by exploration and production in
the natural gas industry. Because of the hazardous nature of pit
storage materials and the potential for contamination, the Gold
Book recommends operator’s use a closed-loop pit system or line
open pits with an impermeable liner.
Regulatory standards for reserve pit
structure (closed-loop or open¬-loop, lined or unlined) and reserve
pit reclamation practices and timelines vary widely by state (see
reclamation comparison table. Generally, pit materials must be
dried or solidified prior to backfilling. Although oil and gas
wastes are exempt from hazardous materials regulation by RCRA,
some nonexempt materials do exist and must not exceed standards
set forth in CERCLA prior to backfilling and reclamation. For
more information on reserve pits, please visit the Water
Quality Resources page.
Resource Documents
Earthworks
Alternative to Pits
Earthworks
Pit Pollution
Administrative
Rules of the State of Montana, Drilling Waste Disposal
RCRA
Exempt Waste
Utah
Department of Natural Resources Notice to Oil & Gas and Disposal
Facility Operators Re: Drilling Mud
WOGCC
Pit Closure Guide
WOGCC
Approved Pit Treatment Companies |
Regulatory Bodies and Resource
Documents
In the Intermountain West the BLM and the USFS are the regulatory
authorities for reclamation on federal lands, while oil and gas
conservation commissions, boards, or divisions regulate reclamation
on private and state lands. In Wyoming, extensive oil and gas
activities and regulatory overlaps led to the creation of a coordinating
office -- the Jonah Interagency Mitigation and Reclamation Office
(JIO). Resource documents and agency contact information for these
offices and other federal or state agencies that influence reclamation
processes follows below.
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management manages energy development, including
leasing, permitting, inspection, and enforcement for 256 million
surface acres and 700 million sub-surface acres of mineral estate
in the United States. Chapter six of the BLM’s Gold Book is a
resource for those searching for the reclamation standards expected
by the BLM and the USFS.
Resource Documents
BLM
and USFS Gold Book
BLM
Gold Book Onshore Order #1 Reclamation and Abandonment
New
Mexico BLM Restoration Page
Utah
BLM Planning Page
Wyoming
BLM Reclamation Page
Wyoming
BLM Reclamation Policy
Jonah Interagency Mitigation and Reclamation Office
Created by the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Jonah Field,
the JIO’s mandate is to "provide overall management of on-site
monitoring and off-site mitigation activities." The JIO is responsible
for assessing reclamation evaluations conducted by operators and
making recommendations to the BLM about final acceptance of reclamation.
The JIO developed criteria used to assess rollover (which determine
if an acreage can be subtracted from the total land area considered
disturbed) and final reclamation status. The BLM is then responsible
for evaluating and accepting recommendations from the JIO regarding
operators’ reclamation success or failure. If the JIO determines
that reclamation criteria are not being met successfully, and
the BLM accepts that assessment, the BLM then is responsible for
suggesting remedial actions to the operator in question.
Contact Information
Email: JIO_WYMAIL@blm.gov
Phone: 307.367.5361
Web Site:
http://www.wy.blm.gov/jonah_office
Resource Documents
Reclamation
Monitoring Plan
Reclamation
Criteria (DRAFT)
U. S. Forest Service
Like the BLM, the USFS manages reclamation of disturbed lands,
requiring a reclamation plan to be part of any surface operation
plan that has the potential to disturb lands. Chapter 2840 of
the Forest Service Manual offers regulatory guidance for reclamation
activities.
Resource Documents
USFS
Reclamation Web Site
USFS
Training Guide for Reclamation Bond Estimation and Administration
USFS
Reclamation Bond Form
Oil and Gas Conservation Commissions, Divisions, and Boards
State oil and gas conservation commissions, divisions, and boards
are an important regulatory authority for reclamation activities
on state and private lands, and, in some cases, on federal lands.
These include the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission;
the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation; the New Mexico
Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department Oil Conservation
Division; the Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining; and the Wyoming
Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
Resource Documents
COGCC
Oil & Gas Reclamation Rules (1000 Series)
COGCC,
BLM and USFS Wildlife Management Guidelines for Oil & Gas
Development
MBOGC
Restoration Rules
New
Mexico Oil and Gas Conservation Division Rules
Utah
Oil and Gas Program
WOGCC
Reclamation Guidelines
State Lands Offices
State lands offices, boards, and commissions may set reclamation
bonding requirements and oversee reclamation activities for oil
and gas disturbances on state lands.
Resource Documents
Colorado
State Lands Board Oil and Gas Policy
New
Mexico State Land Office Oil Mineral Leasing Guidelines
Wyoming
Office of State Lands and Investments, Information Regarding Responsibilities
for Holding State of Wyoming Oil and Gas Leases
State
of Wyoming Board of Land Commissioner Rules Chapter 18 Oil and
Gas Leasing Section 12 Surface Integrity and Minimum Reclamation
Other Organizations and Resource Documents
Healthy Lands Initiative
The Healthy Lands Initiative is a federal program focused on
collaborative, landscape-level vegetation enhancement at energy-wildlife
interfaces in critical sagebrush habitat in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado,
New Mexico, Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada.
Resource Documents
Healthy
Lands Initiative Fact Sheet
Colorado
Landscape Conservation Initiative Factsheet
New
Mexico Landscape Restoration – Permian Basin Factsheet
New
Mexico Landscape Restoration – San Juan Basin Factsheet
Utah
Watershed Restoration Initiative Fact Sheet
Wyoming
Landscape Conservation Initiative Web Site
Wyoming
Landscape Conservation Initiative Projects
Wyoming
Landscape Conservation Initiative Data Catalog
Wyoming
Landscape Conservation Initiative Publications
Natural Resources Conservation Service
The Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Plant Materials
Program runs in partnership with the Bridger Plant Materials Center
and the Upper Colorado Environmental Plant Center. Participants
in the program work to identify plants that will meet specific
conservation needs in Wyoming and the West. Species performance
levels are tested, and those plants that are high-performing are
released, along with cultivation techniques, to the private sector
to be developed commercially.
Petroleum Association of Wyoming
Resource Documents
Reclamation
Page
Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration Center
Administered jointly by the College of Agriculture and the School
of Energy Resources at the University of Wyoming, scientists at
the Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration Center facilitate restoration
programs for students, conduct research on disturbed lands, and
also do outreach work.
Contact Information
Email: sewms@uwyo.edu
Phone: 307.766.2683
Web Site: http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/WRRC
Resource Documents
Current
Projects
Research
Publications and Presentations |
