[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 192 (Wednesday, October 4, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52000-52001]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-24656]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5311-8]


Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation; Underground Injection 
Control; Primacy Application

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of public comment period and of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to announce that: (1) The 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has received an application from 
the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation requesting primary 
enforcement responsibility for the Underground Injection Control (UIC) 
Program for Class II injection wells; (2) determined the application 
contains all the required elements; (3) the application is available 
for inspection and copying; (4) public comments are requested; and (5) 
a public hearing will be held.
    Section 1422 (b)(4) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requires 
that prior to approving, disapproving, or approving in part, a State's 
UIC program, the Administrator provide opportunity for a public 
hearing. This notification advises the public of the date, time and 
location of the required public hearing.
    The proposed comment period and public hearing will provide EPA the 
breadth of information and public opinion necessary to approve, 
disapprove, or approve in part the application from the Montana Board 
of Oil and Gas Conservation to regulate Class II injection wells under 
provisions of Section 1425 of the SDWA.

DATES: Requests to present oral testimony must be filed by November 8, 
1995; the public hearing will be held on November 14, 1995, at 7:00 
p.m. Written comments must be received by November 21, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Comments and requests to testify should be mailed to Dan 
Jackson, Ground Water Unit (8P2-GW), Environmental Protection Agency, 
Region VIII, 999 18th Street, Suite 500, 

[[Page 52001]]
Denver, Colorado, 80202-2466. The hearing will be held in the Galletin 
meeting room in the Holiday Inn, 5500 Midland Road, Billings, Montana. 
Copies of the application and pertinent materials are available between 
8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday at the following 
locations:

Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII, Ground Water Unit, 4th 
Floor Terrace, 999 18th Street, Suite 500, Denver, CO 80202-2466, 
PH: (303) 293-1434
Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation, 2535 St. Johns Avenue, 
Billings, MT 59102, PH: (406) 656-0040
Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII, Montana Office 
Building, Federal Office Building, 301 S. Park, Helena MT 59626-
0026, PH: (406) 449-5486

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul S. Osborne, Ground Water Unit 
(8P2-GW), Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII, 999 18th 
Street, Suite 500, Denver, CO 80202-2466, (303) 293-1418 (Voice Mail) 
or (303) 294-1183.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The UIC program was implemented to prevent 
contamination of all Underground Sources of Drinking Water (USDW's), 
which are aquifers capable of yielding a significant amount of water 
containing less than 10,000 mg/liter of total dissolved solids. If the 
application by the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation is 
approved, the State would be responsible for preventing endangerment of 
USDWs by the following activities: (1) Disposal (via injection wells) 
of fluids produced in conjunction with primary oil and gas development 
and production, including gas plant waste; (2) injection for the 
purpose of storing liquid hydrocarbons; and (3) injection of fluids for 
the purpose of enhanced recovery of oil and gas. The program proposed 
by the State will regulate Class II injection activities by 
establishing state permits which will include technical requirements 
for the protection of USDW's. Such requirements include criteria for 
construction, testing, operation, monitoring, and abandonment of 
injection wells.
    At present, there are approximately 1,232 Class II injection wells 
in Montana. The USEPA has held primary enforcement authority for the 
UIC program in Montana since the program was implemented in 1984. The 
application from the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation requests 
that EPA delegate to the State, primary enforcement authority for the 
regulation of all Class II injection wells on all lands subject to the 
State's police power and taxing authority and all lands owned or under 
the jurisdiction of the United States, except those wells located 
within the exterior boundaries on an Indian Reservation pursuant to 40 
CFR 144.3. The application includes program description, copies of all 
applicable rules and forms, a quality assurance plan, a statement of 
legal authority and appropriate memoranda of agreement.

    Dated: September 27, 1995.
Max H. Dodson,
Director, Region VIII, Water Management Division.
[FR Doc. 95-24656 Filed 10-3-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P