Grand Prairie, TX Gas Drilling Ordinance (as of January 18, 2011)
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Published by Westchester Gasette
Grand Prairie, TX Gas Drilling Ordinance as of January 18, 2011.
Grand Prairie, TX Gas Drilling Ordinance as of January 18, 2011.
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Sec. 13-500. Purpose. The exploration, development, and production of gas in the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) is an activity which necessitates reasonable regulation to ensure that all property owners, mineral, and otherwise, have the right to peaceably enjoy their property and its benefits and revenues. It is hereby declared to be the purpose of this article to establish reasonable and uniform limitations, safeguards and regulations for present and future operations related to the exploring, drilling, developing, producing, transporting, and storing of gas and other substances produced in association with gas within the city and its ETJ to protect the health, safety, and general welfare of the public; minimize the potential impact to property and mineral rights owners, protect the quality of the environment, and encourage the orderly production of available mineral resources. Sec. 13-501. Definitions. All technical industry words or phrases related to the drilling and production of gas wells not specifically defined in this article shall have the meanings customarily attributable thereto by prudent and reasonable gas industry operators. The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
Abandonment
means "abandonment" as defined by the commission and includes the plugging of the well and the restoration of any well site as required by this article.
Ambient noise level
means the all encompassing noise level associated with a given environment, being a composite of sounds from all sources at the location, constituting the normal or existing level of environmental noise at a given location.
Blowout preventer
means a mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic or other device or combination of such devices secured to the top of a well casing, including valves, fittings, and control mechanisms connected therewith, which can be closed around the drill pipe, or other tubular goods which completely close the top of the casing and are designed for preventing blowouts.
Building
means any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering humans for any use or occupancy. The term "building" shall be construed as if followed by the words "or portions thereof." 1
Contaminant
means
a
ny substance capable of causing pollution, including but not limited to smoke, vapors, fumes, acids, alkalis, toxic chemicals, liquids, or gases, drilling fluids including muds, or other irritants.
City
means the City of Grand Prairie.
City attorney
means the City Attorney of the City of Grand Prairie.
City Code
means the Code of Ordinances of the City of Grand Prairie.
Class 1 gas permit
means a permit required if the edge of the pad site boundary for the proposed well is to be located within seven hundred (700) feet of a protected use, but no closer than five hundred (500) feet of a protected use. A Class 1 gas permit may require City Council approval.
Class 2 gas permit
means a permit required if the edge of the pad site boundary for the proposed well is to be located greater than seven hundred (700) feet of a protected use.
Commission
means the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry.
Completion of drilling, re-drilling and re-working
means the date the work is completed for the drilling, re-drilling or re-working and the crew is released by completing their work or contract or by their employer.
Daytime
means the period between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Decibel (dB)
means a unit for measuring the intensity of a sound/noise and is equal to 10 times the logarithm to the base 10 of the ratio of the measured sound pressure squared to a reference pressure which is 20 micropascals.
Drilling
means digging or boring a new well for the purpose of exploring for, developing or producing gas or other hydrocarbons, or for the purpose of injecting gas, water or any other fluid or substance into the earth.
Drilling equipment
means the derrick, together with all parts of and appurtenances to such structure, every piece of apparatus, machinery, or equipment used or erected or maintained for use in connection with drilling.
Drill site
means the premises used during the drilling or re-working of a well or wells located there and subsequent life of a well or wells or any associated operation.
Exploration
means geologic or geophysical activities, including seismic surveys, related to the search for gas or other subsurface hydrocarbons. 2
Extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ)
means the land area outside the city limit boundary as defined by the Local Government Code of the State of Texas that the City has a right to annex at its option.
Fire department
means the Fire Department of the City of Grand Prairie.
Floodway
means the channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than a designated height as established in Article 15 of the City’s Unified Development Code.
Forced Pooling
shall mean that a hearing under the Mineral Interest Pooling Act is required to pool minerals that could not be done voluntarily as defined in the Texas Natural Resources Code, Chapter 102.
Fracturing
means the use of water and additives as stimulants injected into a gas well to split or fracture the formation to improve the productivity of the gas well.
Gas
means any fluid, either combustible or noncombustible, which is produced in a natural state from the earth and which maintains a gaseous or rarefied state at standard temperature and pressure conditions and/or the gaseous components or vapors occurring in or derived from petroleum or natural gas.
Gas well
means any well drilled, to be drilled, or used for the intended or actual production of natural gas.
Hazardous Materials Management Plan
means the hazardous materials management plan and hazardous materials inventory statements required by the Fire Code.
Inspector
means the gas inspector, third party agency
,
or City staff designated by the City Manager of Grand Prairie.
Landfarm
means the depositing, spreading or mixing of drill cuttings, drilling fluids, drilling mud, produced water or other drilling waste generated by natural gas drilling process onto the ground.
Lift Compressor
means a device that raises the pressure of a compressible fluid (gas) in order to lift gas from the well.
Line Compressor
means a device that raises the pressure of a compressible fluid (gas) in order for the gas to be transported through a pipeline.
Nighttime
means the period between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Operation site
means the area used for development and production and all operational activities associated with gas after drilling activities are complete. 3
