Mick Thomas

Division Administrator – Minerals, Navigable Waters, and Oil & Gas

Secretary to the Oil & Gas Conservation Commission

This update was sent to the Commission on Friday, November 10, 2023.

November 2023 Secretary Update

Current Items:
New Commissioner – Marc Haws
Docket No. CC-2023-OGR-01-001, Application for Integration
IOGCC Annual Conference
Injection Well Update
Field Status
News Article(s) of Interest
Current Prices

New Commissioner – Marc Haws
We are thankful that Marc Haws has accepted Governor Little’s appointment to the Commission. Marc’s first official action will be attending our November 14, 2023 meeting in person at the Capital. Marc’s background in law, as well as the fact that he is a SW Idaho native, should prove valuable moving forward. His bio has been uploaded and is viewable on our Commission website About the Commission | Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (idaho.gov)

Docket No. CC-2023-OGR-01-001, Application for Integration
The Department received an Application for Integration from Snake River Oil & Gas, LLC on January 23, 2023. More information for this application and hearings can be found on the Docket No. CC-2023-OGR-01-001 hearing webpage.

IOGCC Annual Conference
The meeting was well-attended, with the most in-person participation since pre-Covid meetings. The main topics discussed included states seeking Class VI (carbon sequestration) primacy and the legal aspects of pore space rights. Five states reported seeking federal funding for the Methane Emissions Reduction Program (MERP). The Department of Interior was present for another question and answer session on the Orphan Well Formula Grant Guidance. On a personal note, John Baza, the Director of the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining will be retiring in December. John has been extremely helpful in assisting the oil and gas program in Idaho, and was on the SOGRE review team in 2016. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

Injection Well Update
As of November 1, 2023 no operations have commenced to convert the DJS Properties #2-14 to a Class II injection well. The operator has until December 19, 2024 to commence injection operations, or apply to EPA Region 10 for an extension of the permit.

Field Status
Workover operations continue at the Kauffman #1-9 well in an attempt to re-establish oil production from the Lower Target (LT) zone. If unsuccessful, the well, which was declared Inactive in December 2022 is slated to be plugged and abandoned in January 2024. No other operational activities are scheduled by the operator in 2023. Annual inspections continue for wells and facilities in the Payette area. Twelve well and two facilities inspections have been completed in 2023.

News Article(s) of Interest
Expansion of Pacific Northwest natural gas pipeline gets go-ahead: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/expansion-of-pacific-northwest-natural-gas-pipeline-gets-go-ahead/

Alaska offers royalty-free lease terms in Cook Inlet:
https://www.adn.com/business-economy/energy/2023/10/23/alaska-offering-royalty-free-lease-terms-to-stimulate-cook-inlet-gas-development/

California enacts new greenhouse gas reporting requirements for businesses: https://www.stoelrivesenvironmentallawblog.com/laws-and-regulations/regulations/californias-new-climate-related-disclosure-laws/

Despite a nearly 100% increase in recent years, Idaho housing costs continues to be dwarfed by neighbor states, driving growth:
Study: Idahoans express concern about rapidly growing population, ag land loss

With a focus on transparency, Eavor Technologies takes the lead in scalable geothermal energy:
Capital Raise of $182 Million Confirms Eavor as the Leader in Scalable Geothermal – Eavor

Colorado’s new law granting regulatory authority to the counties gets put to use:
https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/arapahoe-county-oil-and-gas-regulations/73-1b3b4b8b-5962-4cf0-bcc3-01927d00eace

Current Prices

NW Natural Gas (EIA)	$2.70 MMBtu.	11/09/23	(34.3% / $0.69 increase since last month)
NGL (EIA)	$6.95 MMBtu.	11/08/23	(6.6% / $0.49 decrease since last month)
WTI	$75.74 bbl.	11/09/23	(8.0% / $6.57 decrease since last month)