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khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 156 / Tuesday, August 17, 2021 / Notices Clark IH and 3H Gas Wells prior to plugging.
1 The mine operator shall test for gas emissions inside the hole before cleaning out, preparing, and plugging gas wells. The District Manager shall be contacted if the well is actively producing gas.
2 Since these wells are unconventional and greater than 4,000
feet in depth, a diligent effort shall be made to remove all the casing in the well and clean the well down to the original arrowset packer installed just above the kick off point in the well.
The mine operator shall completely clean out the well from the surface to at least the same arrowset packer originally installed. The mine operator shall provide the District Manager with all information it possesses concerning the geological nature of the strata and the pressure of the well. The mine operator shall make a diligent effort to remove all material from the entire diameter of the well, wall to wall.
3 Since these wells are no longer producing and are being cleaned and prepared subject to this petition, the operator must attempt to remove all of the casing using a diligent effort, and comply with all other applicable provisions of the decision and order.
4 To make a diligent effort to remove the casing, the operator shall pull a minimum of 150% of casing string weight and/or have made at least three attempts to spear or overshot to grip the casing for the required minimum pull effort. The operator shall keep a record of these efforts, including casing length and weight, and make the record available for MSHA review.
5 Perforations or rips are required at least every 50 feet from 400 feet below the base of the Pittsburgh 8 coal seam up to 100 feet above the uppermost mineable coal seam. The mine operator must take appropriate steps to ensure that the annulus between the casing and the well walls are filled with expanding minimum 0.5% expansion upon setting cement and contain no voids.
6 Jet/sand cutting is one method for cut, ripping, or perforating casing with three or more strings of casing in the Pittsburgh 8 coal seam in preparation for mining. This method uses compressed nitrogen gas and sand to cut the well casings. On active wells, cuts start at 200 feet above the bottom of the casing at 200 feet intervals, to 200 feet below the bottom of the Pittsburgh coal seam.
7 The mine operator shall prepare down-hole logs for each well. Logs shall consist of a caliper survey, a bond log if appropriate, a deviation survey, and a gamma survey for determining the top,
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bottom, and thickness of all coal seams down to the coal seam to be mined or the lowest mineable coal seam, whichever is lower, potential hydrocarbon producing strata, and the location of any existing bridge plug. In addition, a journal shall be maintained describing: the depth of each material encountered; the nature of each material encountered; bit size and type used to drill each portion of the hole; length and type of each material used to plug the well; length of casings removed, perforated or ripped, or left in place;
any sections where casing was cut or milled; and other pertinent information concerning cleaning and sealing the well. Invoices, work-orders, and other records relating to all work on the well shall be maintained as part of this journal and provided to MSHA upon request.
8 The mine operator shall make a diligent effort to remove the casing down to the arrowset packer installed just above the kick off point where the well transitions from vertical to horizontal. If all of the vertical casing above the existing packer can be removed, the mine operator shall prepare the well for plugging and use seals described below. MSHA may retain the right to review and direct the mine operators sealing protocol, in the event geologic or well conditions require further measures.
9 If the District Manager concludes that the completely cleaned-out well is emitting excessive amounts of gas, the mine operator must place additional mechanical bridge plugs in the well.
10 The mechanical bridge plug must be placed in a competent stratum at least 400 feet below the base of the lowest mineable coal seam, but above the top of the uppermost hydrocarbonproducing stratum, unless the District Manager requires a greater distance based on his judgment that it is required due to the geological strata or the pressure within the well. The mine operator shall provide the District Manager with all information he possesses concerning the geological nature of the strata and the pressure of the well. If it is not possible to set a mechanical bridge plug, an appropriately sized packer may be used.
The mine operator shall document what has been done to kill the well and plug the hydrocarbon producing strata.
11 If the upper-most hydrocarbonproducing stratum is within 300 feet of the base of the Pittsburgh 8 coal seam, the mine operator shall properly place mechanical bridge plugs as described above in section b to isolate the hydrocarbon-producing stratum from the expanding cement plug.

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12 The mine operator shall place a minimum of 400 feet of expanding cement below the Pittsburgh 8 coal seam, unless the District Manager requires a greater distance based on his judgment that it is required due to the geological strata or due to the pressure within the well.
c The petitioner proposes to use the following mandatory procedures for plugging the Ester Clark 1H and 3H Gas Wells to the surface, after completely cleaning out the well.
1 Cement is specified to be used as a plugging material.
2 The mine operator shall pump cement slurry down the well to form a plug which runs from the original arrowset packer installed just above the kick off point in the well to 400 feet below the Pittsburgh 8 coal seam. The cement will be placed in the well under a pressure of at least 200 pounds per square inch. The mine operator shall pump expanding cement slurry down the well to form a plug which runs from 400 feet below the Pittsburgh 8 coal seam to the surface. The District Manager can modify the cementing plan based on his judgment due to the geological strata or the pressure within the well.
3 The mine operator shall embed steel turnings or other small magnetic particles in the top of the cement near the surface to serve as a permanent magnetic monument of the well. In the alternative, a 4-inch or larger diameter casing, set in cement, shall extend at least 36 inches above the ground level with the API well number engraved or welded on the casing. When the hole cannot be marked with a physical monument e.g., prime farmland, highresolution GPS coordinates one-half meter resolution are required.
d The petitioner proposes to use the following alternate procedures for preparing and plugging or replugging the Ester Clark IH and 3H Gas Wells.
1 If it is not possible to remove all of the casing, the mine operator shall notify the District Manager before any other work is performed.
2 If the well cannot be cleaned out or the casing removed, the mine operator shall prepare the well as described below from the surface to at least 400 feet below the base of the Pittsburgh 8 coal seam, unless the District Manager requires cleaning out and removal of casing to a greater depth based on his judgement as to what is required due to geological strata or the pressure within the well.
3 If the casing cannot be removed from the total depth, the well must be filled with cement from the lowest possible depth to 400 feet below the
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