40 C.F.R. § 49.4171

Current through October 31, 2024

Section 49.4171 - General provisions

(a) At all times, including periods of startup, shutdown, and malfunction, each owner or operator must, to the extent practicable, design, operate, and maintain all equipment used for crude oil, condensate, intermediate hydrocarbon liquid, or produced water, and gas collection, storage, processing, and handling operations covered under §§ 49.4171 and 49.4173 through 49.4184 , regardless of emissions rate and including associated air pollution control equipment, in a manner that is consistent with good air pollution control practices and that minimizes leakage of VOC emissions to the atmosphere. Determination of whether acceptable operating and maintenance procedures are being used will be based on information available to the Administrator, including monitoring results, review of operating and maintenance procedures, and inspection of the source.

(b)Definitions. As used in §§ 49.4169 through 49.4184 , all terms not defined have the meaning given them in the Act, in 40 CFR parts 60 and 63, in the Prevention of Significant Deterioration regulations at 40 CFR 52.21 , in the Federal Minor New Source Review Program in Indian Country at § 49.151 , or in the Federal Implementation Plan for Managing Air Emissions from True Minor Sources in Indian Country in the Oil and Natural Gas Production and Natural Gas Processing Segments of the Oil and Natural Gas Sector at § 49.102 . The following terms are defined here:

Bottom filling means the filling of a storage vessel through an inlet at or near the bottom of the storage vessel designed to have the opening covered by the liquid after the pipe normally used to withdraw liquid can no longer withdraw any liquid.

Condensate means hydrocarbon liquid separated from produced natural gas that condenses due to changes in temperature, pressure, or both, and that remains liquid at standard conditions.

Crude oil means hydrocarbon liquids that are separated from well-extracted reservoir fluids during oil and natural gas production operations, and that are stored or injected to pipelines as a saleable product. Condensate is not considered crude oil.

Electronically controlled automatic ignition device means an electronic device which generates sparks across an electrode and reaches into a combustible gas stream traveling up a flare stack or entering an enclosed combustor, at the point of the pilot tip, equipped with a temperature monitor that signals the device to attempt to re-light an extinguished pilot flame.

Enclosed combustor means a thermal oxidation system with an enclosed combustion chamber that maintains a limited constant temperature by controlling fuel and combustion air.

Flare means a thermal oxidation system using an open (without enclosure) flame that is designed and operated in accordance with the requirements of 40 CFR 60.18(b) . An enclosed combustor is not considered a flare. A combustion device is not considered a flare when installed horizontally or vertically within an open pit and used to combust produced natural gas during initial well completion or temporarily during emergencies when enclosed combustors or flares installed at a source are not operational or injection of recovered produced natural gas is unavailable.

Flashing losses means natural gas emissions resulting from the presence of dissolved natural gas in the crude oil, condensate, intermediate hydrocarbon liquids or produced water, which are under high pressure that occurs as the liquids are transferred to storage vessels that are at atmospheric pressure.

Fugitive emissions component means any component that has the potential to emit fugitive emissions of VOC at an oil and natural gas source, such as valves, connectors, pressure relief devices, open-ended lines, flanges, covers and closed vent systems not subject to § 49.4176 , thief hatches or other openings on a controlled storage vessel not subject to § 49.4173 , compressors, instruments, and meters. Devices that vent as part of normal operations, such as natural gas-driven pneumatic controllers or natural gas-driven pneumatic pumps, are not fugitive emissions components, insofar as the natural gas discharged from the device's vent is not considered a fugitive emission. Emissions originating from locations other than the device's vent, such as the thief hatch on a controlled storage vessel, would be considered fugitive emissions.

Glycol dehydration unit process vent emissions means VOC-containing emissions from the glycol dehydration unit regenerator or still vent and the vent from the dehydration unit flash tank (if present).

Indian country is defined at 18 U.S.C. 1151 and means.

(i) All land within the limits of any Indian reservation under the jurisdiction of the United States Government, notwithstanding the issuance of any patent, and, including rights-of-way running through the reservation,

(ii) All dependent Indian communities within the borders of the United States whether within the original or subsequently acquired territory thereof, and whether within or without the limits of a state, and

(iii) All Indian allotments, the Indian titles to which have not been extinguished, including rights-of-way running through the same.

Intermediate hydrocarbon liquids means any naturally occurring, unrefined petroleum liquid.

Malfunction alarm and remote notification system means a system connected to an electronically controlled automatic ignition device that sends an alarm through a remote notification system to an owner or operator's central control center, if an attempt to relight the pilot flame is unsuccessful.

Pneumatic controller means a natural gas-driven pneumatic controller as defined at 40 CFR 60.5430 and 60.5430a .

Pneumatic pump means a natural gas-driven diaphragm pump as defined at 40 CFR 60.5430a .

Pneumatic pump emissions means the VOC-containing emissions from pneumatic pumps.

Produced natural gas means natural gas that is separated from extracted reservoir fluids during oil and natural gas production operations.

Produced water means water that is extracted from the earth from an oil or natural gas production well, or that is separated from crude oil, condensate, or natural gas after extraction.

Regional Administrator means the Regional Administrator of EPA Region 8 or an authorized representative of the Regional Administrator of EPA Region 8, except to the extent otherwise specifically specified in a Delegation of Authority Agreement between the Regional Administrator and the Ute Indian Tribe.

Repaired means, for the purposes of fugitive emissions components, that fugitive emissions components are adjusted, replaced, or otherwise altered in order to eliminate fugitive emissions as defined in § 49.4178(d)(1)(iii) , and subsequently monitored as specified in § 49.4178(d)(1)(ii) , and that it is verified that emissions from the fugitive emissions components are below the applicable fugitive emissions definition.

Standing and breathing losses means VOC emissions from fixed-roof storage vessels as a result of evaporative losses during storage.

Storage vessel means a tank or other vessel that contains an accumulation of crude oil, condensate, intermediate hydrocarbon liquids, or produced water, and that is constructed primarily of non-earthen materials (such as wood, concrete, steel, fiberglass, or plastic), which provide structural support. A well completion vessel that receives recovered liquids from a well after startup of production following flowback for a period which exceeds 60 days is considered a storage vessel under this subpart. A tank or other vessel will not be considered a storage vessel if it has been removed from service in accordance with the requirements of § 49.4173(a)(3) , until that tank or other vessel has been returned to service. For the purposes of this subpart, the following are not considered storage vessels:

(i) Vessels that are skid-mounted or permanently attached to something that is mobile (such as trucks, railcars, barges or ships), and are intended to be located at a site for less than 180 consecutive days. If you do not keep or are not able to produce records, as required by § 49.4183(a)(1)(iv) , showing that the vessel has been located at a site for less than 180 consecutive days, the vessel is considered to be a storage vessel from the date it was first located at the site. This exclusion does not apply to a well completion vessel as described above.

(ii) Process vessels such as surge control vessels, bottoms receivers, and knockout vessels.

(iii) Pressure vessels designed to operate in excess of 204.9 kilopascals and without emissions to the atmosphere.

Submerged fill pipe means any fill pipe with a discharge opening that is entirely submerged when the liquid level is six inches above the bottom of the storage vessel and the pipe normally used to withdraw liquid from the storage vessel can no longer withdraw any liquid.

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system generally refers to industrial control computer systems that monitor and control industrial infrastructure or source-based processes.

Unsafe to repair means (in the context of fugitive emissions monitoring) that operator personnel would be exposed to an imminent or potential danger as a consequence of the attempt to repair the leak during normal operation of the source.

Visible smoke emissions means air pollution generated by thermal oxidation in a flare or enclosed combustor and occurring immediately downstream of the flame present in those units. Visible smoke occurring within, but not downstream of, the flame, does not constitute visible smoke emissions.

Working losses means natural gas emissions from fixed roof storage vessels resulting from evaporative losses during filling and emptying operations.

40 C.F.R. §49.4171

87 FR 75376 , 2/6/2023