Onshore Oil and Gas Operations; Federal and Indian Oil and Gas Leases; Measurement of Gas

This final rule updates and replaces Onshore Oil and Gas Order No. 5 (Order 5) with a new regulation codified in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Like Order 5, this rule establishes minimum standards for accurate measurement and proper reporting of all gas removed or sold from Federal and Indian (except the Osage Tribe) leases, units, unit participating areas (PAs), and areas subject to communitization agreements (CAs). It provides a system for production accountability by operators, lessees, purchasers, and transporters. This rule establishes overall gas measurement performance standards and includes, among other things, requirements for the hardware and software related to gas metering equipment and reporting and recordkeeping. This rule also identifies certain specific acts of noncompliance that may result in an immediate assessment and provides a process for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to consider variances from the requirements of this rule.