Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 36, September 7, 2024
Section 79.12 - Waste prevention(a) Suitable and safe surface casing shall be used in wells to prevent waste.(b) Blowout equipment shall be in good working condition at all times and sufficient to prevent waste.(c) The operator shall run and cement sufficient intermediate or production casing, or both, to prevent waste prior to closing or "shutting in" the well at the surface.(d) The production casing shall be cemented in place with a sufficient amount of cement to fill the calculated annular space to a point at least 500 feet above the casing shoe and at least 200 feet above the uppermost perforations.(e) The cement shall be allowed to set to a minimum compression strength of 500 pounds per square inch, using generally recognized industry engineering data for the type of cement used, prior to resumption of drilling. The waiting time on cement shall in no case be less than 8 hours.The provisions of this §79.12 adopted August 12, 1971, effective 8/13/1971, 1 Pa.B. 1726; amended January 7, 1983, effective 1/8/1983, 13 Pa.B. 127; amended July 28, 1989, effective 7/29/1989, 19 Pa.B. 3229.The provisions of this §79.12 amended under: section 1920-A of The Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P. S. § 510-20); and section 5 of the Oil and Gas Conservation Law (58 P. S. § 405); amended under: the Oil and Gas Act (58 P. S. §§ 601.101-601.605); the Coal and Gas Resource Coordination Act (58 P. S. §§ 501-518); the Oil and Gas Conservation Law (58 P. S. §§ 401-419); Article XIX-A of The Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P. S. §§ 510-1-510-108); The Clean Streams Law (35 P. S. §§ 691.1-691.1001); and the Solid Waste Management Act (35 P. S. §§ 6018.101-6018.1003).