North Dakota Administrative Code
Title 43 - Industrial Commission
Article 43-05 - Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide
Chapter 43-05-01 - Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide
Section 43-05-01-19 - Postinjection site care and facility closure
Current through Supplement No. 392, April, 2024
The storage operator shall submit and maintain the postinjection site care and facility closure plan as a part of the storage facility permit application to be approved by the commission. The requirement to maintain and implement a commission-approved plan is directly enforceable regardless of whether the requirement is a condition of the permit.
1. The postinjection site care and facility closure plan must include the following information:
2. The storage operator shall specify in the postinjection site care and facility closure plan which wells will be plugged and which will remain unplugged to be used as subsurface observation wells. Subsurface observation and ground water monitoring wells as approved in the plan must remain in place for continued monitoring during the closure and postclosure periods.
3. Upon cessation of injection, the storage operator shall either submit an amended postinjection site care and facility closure plan or demonstrate to the commission through monitoring data and modeling results that no amendment to the plan is needed. Any amendments to the postinjection site care and facility closure plan are subject to the commission's approval and must be incorporated into the storage facility permit.
4. At any time during the life of the geologic sequestration project, the storage operator may modify and resubmit the postinjection site care and facility closure plan for the commission's approval within thirty days of such change.
5. Upon cessation of injection, all wells not associated with monitoring must be properly plugged and abandoned in a manner which will not allow movement of injection or formation fluids that endanger underground sources of drinking water in accordance with section 43-05-01-11.5. All storage facility equipment, appurtenances, and structures not associated with monitoring must be removed. Following well plugging and removal of all surface equipment, the surface must be reclaimed to the commission's specifications that will, in general, return the land as closely as practicable to original condition pursuant to North Dakota Century Code section 38-08-04.12.
6. The well casing must be cut off at a depth of five feet [1.52 meters] below the surface and a steel plate welded on top identifying the well name and that it was used for carbon dioxide.
7. The commission shall develop in conjunction with the storage operator a continuing monitoring plan for the postclosure period, including a review and final approval of wells to be plugged.
8. The storage operator shall continue to conduct monitoring during the closure period as specified in the commission-approved postinjection site care and facility closure plan. The storage operator may apply for project completion with an alternative postinjection site care monitoring timeframe pursuant to North Dakota Century Code section 38-22-17. Once it is demonstrated that underground sources of drinking water are no longer endangered, the final assessment under subsection 9 is complete, and upon full compliance with North Dakota Century Code section 38-22-17, the storage operator may apply to the commission for a certificate of project completion. If the storage operator is unable to meet the requirements of North Dakota Century Code section 38-22-17 and is unable to demonstrate that underground sources of drinking water are no longer being endangered, the storage operator shall continue monitoring the storage facility for fifty years or until full compliance is met and such demonstration can be made.
9. Before project completion, the storage operator shall provide a final assessment of the stored carbon dioxide's location, characteristics, and its future movement and location within the storage reservoir. The storage operator shall submit the final assessment to the commission within ninety days of completing all postinjection site care and facility closure requirements.
10. The storage operator shall provide a copy of an accurate plat certified by a registered surveyor which has been submitted to the county recorder's office designated by the commission. The plat must indicate the location of the injection well relative to permanently surveyed benchmarks. The storage operator must also submit a copy of the plat to the United States environmental protection agency regional administrator office.
11. The storage operator shall record a notation on the deed to the property on which the injection well was located, or any other document that is normally examined during title search, that will in perpetuity provide any potential purchaser of the property the following information:
General Authority: NDCC 28-32-02
Law Implemented: NDCC 38-22