NTL Bottomhole Pressure Surveys

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT
PACIFIC REGIONAL OFFICE

BOEM NTL No. 2013-P01

Effective Date: May 1, 2013
Reissued: June 22, 2020

NOTICE TO LESSEES AND OPERATORS OF FEDERAL OIL AND GAS
LEASES IN THE PACIFIC OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF (OCS)
Bottomhole Pressure Surveys

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is reissuing this Notice to Lessees and
Operators (NTL) to comply with Executive Order (E.O.) 13891 of October 9, 2019, Promoting
the Rule of Law Through Improved Agency Guidance Documents, and the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum, M-20-02, implementing the E.O.
This NTL supersedes NTL No. 2009-P02, “Bottomhole Pressure Surveys.”
Bottomhole Pressure (BHP) surveys are vital in determining the condition of reservoirs. Your
role in monitoring bottomhole pressures is critical. This NTL reminds you of your
responsibility to conduct annual BHP surveys for active reservoirs in the Pacific OCS. This
NTL also reminds you that the authority for collecting BHP surveys is with BOEM. The
regulation that governs requirements for BHP surveys can be found in 30 CFR Part 550 Subpart
K - Oil and Gas Production Requirements, at 30 CFR 550.1153.
As stated in 30 CFR 550.1153, if you have a new producing reservoir, you must conduct a static
bottomhole pressure survey within 90 days after the date of first continuous production. If you
have a reservoir with three or more producing completions, you must conduct static BHP
surveys annually in a sufficient number of key wells to establish an average reservoir pressure.
BOEM reserves the right to request BHP surveys on specific wells.
The results of your BHP surveys must be submitted to BOEM within 60 days after the date of
survey. To submit BHP survey results, BOEM requires the use of Form BOEM-0140,
Bottomhole Pressure Survey Report, which is available at:
https://www.boem.gov/sites/default/files/documents/newsroom/BOEM-0140-v3.pdf.

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BHP survey submittals should be sent by mail or email to:
Mail:

Pacific Regional Office
Attention: Regional Supervisor
Office of Strategic Resources
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
760 Paseo Camarillo, Suite 102
Camarillo, California 93010

Email:

[email protected]

Guidance Document Statement
BOEM issues NTLs as guidance documents in accordance with 30 CFR 550.103 to clarify and
provide more detail about certain BOEM regulatory requirements and to outline the
recommended information to be provided in various submittals. Under that authority, this NTL
sets forth policy on and interpretation of statutory, regulatory, lease, contractual, or plan
approval provisions to provide a clear and consistent approach for complying with those
provisions. If you wish to use an alternate method for compliance, you are encouraged to get
feedback from BOEM staff on the adequacy of your proposal to comply with the regulation.
Except to the extent that provisions of this NTL derive from requirements established by statute,
regulation or by a provision in the lease, they do not have the force and effect of law and are not
meant to bind the public in any way. This NTL is intended only to provide clarity to the public
regarding existing requirements under the law.
While this NTL includes recommendations and guidance, the recommendation and guidance
provisions may be made mandatory through a lease stipulation or condition of approval from
BOEM or the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). If you are issued a
plan, permit or other authorization from BOEM or BSEE with a condition of approval, or a lease
with a stipulation, requiring compliance with this NTL or identified portions thereof, you must
implement those portions or all aspects of the NTL, if particular aspects are not singled out in
the stipulation or condition of approval. Under such circumstances, you must implement and
comply with the NTL (or identified portions thereof) regardless of whether the terms within the
NTL would otherwise be a recommendation or request (e.g., use of the term “should” in the
NTL will be considered “must” if required by the lease stipulation or condition of approval).
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) Statement
This NTL provides clarification, description, and interpretation of requirements contained in 30
CFR Part 550, Subpart K. An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information
unless it displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. OMB has approved the information
collection requirement in these regulations under OMB control number 1010-0114. This NTL
does not impose additional information collection requirements subject to the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995.

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Contact
If you have any questions or need clarification regarding this NTL, please contact Mr. Chima
Ojukwu, Chief, Lease Management Section, at [email protected] or (805) 384-6362, or
Mr. Douglas Boren, Regional Supervisor, Office of Strategic Resources at
[email protected] or (805) 384-6384.

JOAN
BARMINSKI
Joan R. Barminski
Regional Director, Pacific Regional Office
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Department of Interior Regions 8, 9, 10, and 12
Digitally signed by JOAN BARMINSKI
Date: 2020.06.22 14:38:06 -07'00'

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