N.M. Admin. Code § 20.3.14.7

Current through Register Vol. 36, No. 1, January 14, 2025

Section 20.3.14.7 - DEFINITIONS

A. "Accessible point" means any external location on a piece of equipment, or place on a facility where NORM or Regulated NORM may be present. This includes any internal location which can be reached through an opening, by removal of a plate, lid or hatch or which is made accessible as a result of structural modification;

B. "Centralized facility" means a facility that is operated by one person or more than one person under an operating agreement for the purpose of disposing of Regulated NORM generated exclusively by that person or persons. This definition does not include plugged and abandoned wells and-or Underground Injection Control (UIC) wells used for disposal of Regulated NORM as provided in 1407.D.3 and 4,[Paragraph (3) and (4), Subsection D., Section 1407 of 20.3.14.1407 NMAC].

C. "Commercial facility" means any facility that receives compensation to receive, store, treat and-or dispose of Regulated NORM pursuant to applicable Department and Division rules and regulations;

D. "Decontamination" means the removal of media containing Regulated NORM from equipment or facilities solely for the intended purpose of reducing levels of radiation to levels below Regulated NORM levels in order to release equipment, materials, or land for unrestricted use in accordance with these regulations;

E. "Department" means the New Mexico Environment Department or its designated representative(s);

F. "Division" means the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division or its designated representative(s);

G. "Equipment" means tubulars (i.e., pipe), wellheads, separators, tanks, condensers, or any other related apparatus that have been in contact with produced gas or fluids associated with the oil and gas industry;

H. "Facility" means any land or structures, including appurtenances, and improvements on land or water used in or related to the oil and gas industry;

I. "General environment" means the total terrestrial, atmospheric, and aquatic environments outside the boundary of a facility;

J. "Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM)" means any nuclide which is radioactive in its natural physical state (i.e., not manmade) but does not include byproduct, source or special nuclear material;

K. "Oil and Gas Industry" means any person(s) engaged in exploring, producing, gathering, trading, servicing, supplying, refining, and transporting of crude hydrocarbons, or their by-products and waste, or facilities associated with such activities;

L. "Produced water" means those waters produced in conjunction with the production of crude oil and-or natural gas and commonly collected at field storage, processing or disposal facilities, including, but not limited to: lease tanks, commingled tank batteries, burn pits, LACT units, dehydrators and community or lease salt water disposal systems, and which may be collected at gas processing plants, pipeline drips and other processing or transportation facilities;

M. "Product" means something produced, made, manufactured, refined, or beneficiated;

N. "Regulated NORM" means NORM contained in any oil-field soils, equipment, sludges or any other materials related to oil-field operations or processes exceeding the radiation levels specified in 1403 [Section 1403 of 20.3.14.1403 NMAC];

O. "Storage" means the collection and containment of Regulated NORM for the purpose of and prior to disposal. Storage does not include the accumulation of Regulated NORM in operating vessels; and

P. "Treatment" means any commercial method, technique, or process, including neutralization, designed to change the physical, chemical form or composition of Regulated NORM. This definition does not refer to treatment as defined in the Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA), nor does it refer to processing of Regulated NORM for disposal in plugged and abandoned wells.

N.M. Admin. Code § 20.3.14.7

8-2-95; 20.3.14.7 NMAC - Rn, 20 NMAC 3.1.14.1402, Recompiled 11/27/01