American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2017 - 97

VOGA's fall meeting also included an awards program, in which
the association and the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals
and Energy recognized a number of achievements. Recognition
was given for the Operator of the Year, Local Distribution

tractor safety training and have put that
knowledge to use on their sites. Gas Field
Services' ability to operate safely with
respect to the environment and weather
is second to none. Sites were left in impeccable shape after work was completed
and all regulatory requirements were met.
Gas Field Services also regularly helps
to keep everyone aware of hazards and
improve the overall industry.
One Partnership Award went to CONSOL and PARMACO Inc.; while another
recognized CONSOL and RP Pipeline.
These awards acknowledge a joint venture
or partnership with positive impacts in
Virginia's natural gas industry. Both PARMACO Inc. and RP Pipeline worked
closely with CONSOL to improve operational safety and efficiency.
The Excellence in Escrow Management/Distribution Awards recognized Jody
Maney with First Bank and Trust and
CONSOL's disbursement team. After a
record-breaking 2016 for Virginia royalty
disbursements, these awards recognize
individuals involved in projects or programs that have improved the process's
efficiency and have helped distribute millions of dollars.
Virginia Natural Gas was recognized
with the Community Outreach Award,
which acknowledges a company's efforts
related to community outreach in a particular community or area of operation in
Virginia. Virginia Natural Gas was successful in community outreach by partnering with Old Dominion University on
a campaign called "Know what's below.
Call 811 before you dig." The company
prioritizes safety as it continuously looks
for opportunities to creatively encourage
the use of 811. For the past three years,
Virginia Natural Gas has partnered with
Old Dominion Sports Properties at the
university to spread the word about calling
811 with Big Blue fans.

Company of the Year, Service Providers of the Year, Leadership,
Environmental Quality, Development/Innovation, Community Outreach, Excellence in Escrow Management/Distribution and Excellence in Safety awards.

CONSOL also won the Development/Innovation Award, which recognizes a company's efforts to develop or apply existing
technology to improve Virginia's natural
gas industry. CONSOL developed and
patented multiple techniques and technologies during the past year, which assisted
with production and monitoring, and also
reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
The Service Providers of the Year
award lauds service providers within the
production, transmission and/or distribution of natural gas in Virginia who have
demonstrated excellence in safety, environmental conservation, regulatory com-

pliance, community outreach, innovation
and/or development. Recipients were C&J
Gas Field Services for cementing/completions, G&R Gas Services Inc. for field
services, L&D Well Service for service
rigs, and Noah Horn for drilling.
VOGA events planned for 2018 include
the Spring Contractors BBQ, scheduled
for April in Oakwood, Va., and the annual
convention, scheduled for June 20-22 in
Virginia Beach, Va. For additional information about VOGA, visit www.vaoilandgas.com, sign up for our weekly enewsletter or like us on Facebook, Twitter
and LinkedIn.
r

N.D. Petroleum Council Urges
Revising Spill, Well Pad Rules
BISMARCK, N.D.-The North Dakota
Petroleum Council says administrative
rules for reporting of spills and well pad
construction requirements proposed by the
North Dakota Industrial Commission go
beyond legislative intent, and should be
re-evaluated for necessity and effectiveness.
NDPC submitted suggested amendments to the NDIC in October after state
regulators released 30 changes.
"Many of the 30 proposed rule changes
clearly are a step in the wrong direction,"
says Brady Pelton, government affairs
manager for NDPC. "Several simply are
unnecessary, costly and contrary to legislative intent. We support smart, innovative
adjustments to existing regulations, but
several of those proposals go well beyond
minor modifications."
According to NDPC, the rules emerged
from the 2017 legislative session. They
included a rule increasing the reporting
threshold for spills contained on a well
site or facility from one barrel to more

than 10 barrels over a 15-day period.
The proposed rules, however, would require all spills to be reported after spill
or leak cleanup by a sundry notice, effectively circumventing legislative intent.
NDIC also proposed to revise its requirements for well pad and facility construction, including mandating building
dikes around all production equipment
and using synthetic liners on pads for
treating plants, and also requiring additional information on royalty statements.
According to NDPC, these rules threaten to come at a substantial cost to the industry while offering no additional benefits. NDPC urges an economic analysis
of those costs, since they probably exceed
$500,000 in additional costs.
"We believe many of these rules should
be re-evaluated for their necessity and
effectiveness. We must remain cognizant
that not all facets of industry are the
same, and one-size-fits-all rules are not
good practice," Pelton says. "Many of
DECEMBER 2017 97

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American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2017

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