OGCC Secretary Update

Mick Thomas

Division Administrator – Minerals, Public Trust, and Oil & Gas

Secretary to the Oil & Gas Conservation Commission

This update was sent to the Commission on Saturday, February 22.

Current Items:
OGCC Special Meeting
Snake River Oil and Gas as new Operator
Pipeline / Gathering Line
Oil & Gas Division Relocation
News Article(s) of Interest

OGCC Special Meeting
At the OGCC special meeting held this past Tuesday, the Commission voted to approve the Adoption of IDAPA 20.07.02 Rules Governing Conservation of Oil and Natural Gas in the State of Idaho as a temporary rule. These rules were previously adopted by the Commission in 2019 and submitted to the 2020 Legislature. This conditional approval is only effective if the rules are not otherwise approved or extended by the 2020 Legislature. The Commission also authorized the Department to submit a Notice of Adoption of Temporary Rule consistent with that adoption.

Snake River Oil and Gas as new Operator
On January 22nd Snake River Oil and Gas assumed operational ownership of the field. As you may recall, the field was temporary shut in as a safety precaution while new bonding was established. That bonding has been approved and is in place, and wells were turned back on last week. Products from those wells are flowing again to the facility and updates are being provided to the Department regularly. We will continue to keep the Commission updated as new information and data become available.

Pipeline / Gathering Line
Gathering lines continue to be installed and the borings are underway in preparation for the development of wells in the Harmon field. These lines will not be operational until construction is finished and the necessary testing is completed in coordination with the PUC. The Department is not aware of a target completion date at this time.

Oil & Gas Division Relocation
As a result of the reorganization of the Idaho Department of Lands the Oil & Gas Division has grown to include Mineral Regulatory and Public Trust programs. To enable better communication across this new group, the O&G Division is in the process of moving upstairs to the main level within the Boise office. We anticipate the relocation will be complete within the next few weeks. Emails and phone extensions will remain the same. Please feel free to give me a call if you have any questions.

News Article(s) of Interest
Oregon: GOP flip, confusion stall decision on Oregon export terminal (PDF)

North Dakota: State issues letters to collect million in unpaid gas royalties
https://bismarcktribune.com/bakken/state-issues-letters-to-collect-millions-in-unpaid-gas-royalties/article_384568c1-8263-592e-b36a-b7aec7140e3a.html