View PDF file

Bulletin 2010-21

June 29, 2010

Proposed Amendment to the Oil and Gas Conservation Regulations Regarding Confidentiality of Dipmeter Surveys

The Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) proposes to amend the Oil and Gas Conservation Regulations (OGCR) to remove reference to "dipmeter survey” in Section 12.150(4). Section 12.150(4) lists types of information and data that remain confidential for a period of one year from the finished drilling date of a well.  

Until recently, dipmeter surveys have been included with log data submitted to the ERCB primarily in paper form. When submitted in paper form, ERCB staff can easily extract dipmeter survey information from the rest of the log data submitted and retain dipmeter survey information as confidential for the period contemplated in Section 12.150(4). Lately, it has become very common for licensees to submit well log files to the ERCB in electronic format. In many cases, dipmeter survey information is embedded in these electronic well log files. There are, however, no standards or conventions for readily identifying dipmeter survey files or curves within electronic well log files. Consequently, identifying and extracting the dipmeter survey information from the other well log data submitted electronically to the ERCB must be done manually, which is difficult, time consuming, costly, and unreliable.

ERCB staff consider dipmeter survey information to be well log information and see no basis for differentiating dipmeter surveys from other well log information under Section 12.150(2)(f) of the OGCR. Also, while they have always been a form or derivative of a well log, dipmeter surveys were once less common and the incremental cost associated with them was historically much higher than it is today. The ERCB believes that circumstances have changed such that inclusion of dipmeter surveys in the suite of log information typically run on wells is much more common today than in the past. As a result, the ERCB proposes to delete the reference to “dipmeter survey” in Section 12.150(4) and interpret “well log” as including dipmeter surveys for the purpose of section 12.150(2). The effect of this amendment will be that dipmeter survey information will be considered as part of log information and have the same status (i.e., confidential or nonconfidential) of the well to which it relates.

The ERCB is hereby providing an opportunity for comment on this proposed change. Provide any comments or concerns by July 31, 2010, to Bob Burnside, Reserves and Pore-Space Management Group, by e-mail at bob.burnside@ercb.ca or by telephone at 403-297-2899.

 <original signed by>

Patricia M. Johnston, Q.C.
General Counsel