Wildcat Supplementary Permit Conditions
1. The Operator must provide the drilling company with a well prognosis indicating anticipated formation top depths with appropriate warning comments prior to spud. The prognosis must be reviewed by all crew members and posted in a prominent location in the doghouse. The Operator must revise the prognosis and inform the drilling company in a timely manner if drilling reveals significant variation between anticipated and actual formations and pressures.
2. The county emergency management office must be notified of the well's location and the potential operational hazards: a) prior to spudding the well, b) prior to penetrating a target formation, c) during any flaring while drilling, and d) prior to flaring for well clean-up, treatment or testing.
3. The appropriate Regional Mineral Resources Office must be notified 6 hours prior to penetrating the target formation. The Operator, or Operator's designated representative, must be on site when drilling operations place the drill bit 100 feet (True Vertical Depth) from the target formation and throughout the drilling of the target formation.
4. Blowout prevention equipment, either pipe and blind rams or a spherical annular type with a pressure rating of ___ psig (to be determined by DEC based on site-specific conditions) must be installed on the wellhead. All control lines must have flanged connections and be constructed of either:
- High pressure steel,
- Steel jacketed hoses made of highly flame-resistant or fireproof materials, or
- An alternative approved by DEC.
The blowout preventer (BOP) must be actuated by a source other than rig hydraulics.
5. The BOP, choke manifold and surface casing must be tested to a minimum of 1000 psi prior to drilling out the surface casing shoe, unless DEC grants a waiver in response to a written request from the Operator which demonstrates to DEC's satisfaction that: a) the well is proposed as a deep wildcat that will be drilled through an established, shallow, low pressure pool; and b) the well will have an intermediate casing string that is the first string intended for well control purposes. When intermediate casing is used, the BOP, choke manifold and intermediate casing must be tested to at least the maximum anticipated shut-in surface pressure plus a 5% safety factor prior to drilling out the intermediate casing shoe. The appropriate Regional Mineral Resources Office must be notified 6 hours prior to each test and a DEC representative may be present during the test. If DEC representative is not on location at the agreed time, the test may proceed with the results of the test and the name of the witness being noted in the driller's log.
6. A flanged choke manifold must be installed no closer than 25 feet from the wellhead. No elbows or T's are allowed, either at the wellhead or before the choke. The connecting line must have a pressure rating equal to or higher than the BOP and must be constructed of either:
- Rigid steel, welded from the flange spool to the choke line
- Securely anchored, pressure rated, steel jacketed co-flex hose, or
- An alternative approved by DEC.
7. When drilling on air or drilling intentionally underbalanced on fluid, the flow line must be constructed of threaded and coupled or flanged connection tubular materials. The flow line must have a working pressure of at least 1,500 psig and be connected to the spool with a flanged connection. The use of Dresser™ sleeves or couplings is prohibited. The flow line must not contain any elbows.
8. All pipes and lines which are associated with well control and which are downstream of the casing head spool must be securely chained to anchors.
9. Appropriate amounts of water and drilling mud additives to make up, weight and condition drilling fluid, and to combat loss of circulation must be on site to aid in well control.
10. There must be at least two working mud pumps (primary and backup) on site while drilling below surface casing.
11. Penetration of the target formation must occur during daylight hours when drilling on air or drilling intentionally underbalanced on fluid.
12. Individual crew member's responsibilities for blowout control must be posted in the doghouse and each crew member must be made aware of such responsibilities prior to spud.
13. Appropriate pressure control procedures and equipment must be employed while tripping, logging and running casing into the well.
14. In the event hydrogen sulfide is encountered, all regulated activities must be conducted by the Operator in conformance with American Petroleum Institute Publication API RP49, "Recommended Practices For Drilling and Well Servicing Operations Involving Hydrogen Sulfide."
