R 299.2478 Contingency plans for drilling.

Rule 2478. (1) A contingency plan for drilling shall be prepared by the applicant to provide an organized plan of action for alerting and protecting personnel at the well site and the public in the event of an emergency involving release of hydrogen sulfide gas. The contingency plan for drilling shall consist of 2 parts. (2) Part 1 of the plan shall contain the general procedures that shall be followed in an emergency involving the possible release of hydrogen sulfide into the atmosphere and shall include both of the following sections: (a) A section that lists, by title, personnel to be contacted and their duties and responsibilities. The list shall also include a delegation of duties and responsibilities and shall specify who is responsible for ordering ignition of the well if necessary. The list shall be kept current by the applicant or permittee. (b) A section that contains all of the following information: (i) The emergency circumstances that cause the plan to be put into operation. (ii) The initial procedures to be followed if the plan is activated. (iii) The actions to be taken to ensure that all personnel known to be on the location are accounted for and that nonessential personnel shall be safely removed. (iv) The actions to be taken to restrict access of nonessential personnel to the location. (v) The procedure for notifying the general public, public authorities, as listed in the contingency plan, and safety agencies in the event of an emergency. (vi) If evacuation of the public is necessary, the procedure for conducting the evacuation. (vii) The procedures for igniting the well. (3) Part 2 of the plan shall be site-specific and shall contain all of the following information: (a) An accurate map that shows the locations of all existing structures used for public or private occupancy, areas maintained for public recreation, roads, and railroads within a 1,300-foot radius of the drilling well. (b) A list of names, telephone numbers, and addresses of all of the following: (i) Seasonal and permanent residents. (ii) Private businesses. (iii) Schools. (iv) Places of worship. (v) Hospitals. (vi) Governmental offices. (vii) Parties responsible for the areas maintained for public camping or gathering identified on the map. (c) A list of emergency telephone numbers, including the numbers of all of the following: (i) Representatives of the permittee. (ii) Representatives of the drilling contractor. (iii) The emergency preparedness coordinator. (iv) Local ambulance services. (v) Local hospitals. (vi) Local fire departments. (vii) The department. (viii) The pollution emergency alerting system. (4) An applicant shall submit part 1 of the contingency plan for drilling a well at the request of the supervisor of mineral wells or authorized representative of the supervisor of mineral wells. The applicant shall submit part 2 of the contingency plan for drilling with the application for a drilling permit. (5) If drilling a well in a highly populated area, an applicant may request, from the supervisor of mineral wells or authorized representative of the supervisor of mineral wells, an exception to the requirement to prepare the map and accompanying list of residences required in subrule (3) of this rule. Before granting an exception, the supervisor of mineral wells or authorized representative of the supervisor of mineral wells shall confer with the local emergency preparedness coordinator on the appropriateness of granting the exception and the alternative methods available for notification of the local residences if there is a need to evacuate the public. If an exception is granted, the local emergency preparedness coordinator shall be contacted by the supervisor of mineral wells or authorized representative of the supervisor of mineral wells when the applicant is notified that the exception has been approved. The contact with the local emergency preparedness coordinator shall include notification that the map and accompanying list of residences required in subrule (3) of this rule have not been prepared and that the development of a procedure for evacuation of the public, if necessary, is the responsibility of the local emergency preparedness coordinator.