CalGEM Permit Review Q4 2022: Oil Permit Approvals Show Steep Rise Within Protective Buffer Zones
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Overview
This short summary is meant to complement FracTracker Alliance’s quarterly analysis of CalGEM permitting trends. More maps of the permits and tables with summary figures can be found on NewsomWellWatch.com. The press release for the quarterly update can be found on Consumer Watchdog. An overview of the fourth quarter of 2022 follows. Below are tables summarizing the counts of new drilling and rework permits. An interactive map highlighting the locations of permits issued within the 3,200’ protection zone, as outlined by State Bill 1137, is shown below.
CalGEM Oil and Gas Drilling Permits (2022/Q4)
This interactive map looks at permits are issued by the California state regulator CalGEM. The map shows the locations where oil and gas operators have been granted new drilling, rework, and workover permits in California.
View the map “Details” tab below in the top right corner to learn more and access the data, or click on the map to explore the dynamic version of this data. Data sources are also listed at the end of this article.
In order to turn layers on and off in the map, use the Layers dropdown menu. This tool is only available in Full Screen view.
Items will activate in this map dependent on the level of zoom in or out.
View Full Size Map | Updated 1/18/2023| Map Tutorial
Q4 2022 Permit Review
During the fourth quarter of 2022, CalGEM issued oil and gas operators 222 new drilling permits, an increase of over 750% compared to the fourth quarter of 2021. Of those, nearly half (100; 47%) were for wells located within the 3,200’ public health setback zone. CalGEM issued permits near communities to operators Berry Petroleum (39), Vaquero Energy (25), THUMS Long Beach Co. (15), E&B Natural Resources (10), Shadow Wolf Energy LLC (9), and Sentinel Peak Resources California LLC (2). In addition to new drilling permits, CalGEM also issued an increased count of rework permits, almost doubling the count issued in the fourth quarter of 2021. Over half of the 877 rework permits issued in the fourth quarter of 2022 were located within the 3,200’ public health protection setback zone.
Of note, this analysis includes all permits listed as new drilling in the CalGEM weekly permitting updates and on CalGEM’s data dashboard in the summary category of new drilling permits. Some of the newdrilling permits reported by CalGEM in these data repositories are listed in their individual permitting records as “supplemental approvals”. In some cases this means that a well may already exist in the specific location as the new drilling permit, but operators are redrilling, deepening, or drastically changing the well in a way that in some cases requires a new API permit number or provides the final approval for new drilling. These wells are included in the new drilling permit counts due to the similar risk these operations present for nearby sensitive receptors, as well as the consideration of the potential future lifespan of the well following these workovers.
Compared to last year, new drilling permits have increased 22 fold. The drastic differences between fourth quarters can be attributed to the permitting slowdown implemented by CalGEM in the fall of 2021. While 2022’s fourth quarter counts are much higher than a year prior, the difference in year endtotals for 2022 show that 2021 and 2022 permitting figures are not as severe. Counts of new drilling permits in 2022 were about equal to 2021, but rework permits have increased 73%. Additionally, well abandonment permits dropped 20% in 2022; both concerning trends.
Table 1. Counts of new drilling and rework permits in the fourth quarter of 2022 versus the fourth quarter of 2021.
Permits by Well Types | Permit Count Totals | ||||||||
Oil and Gas Production | EOR & Support | O&G and EOR Totals | Well Stimulation | Plugging | |||||
Year | New Drilling | Rework | New Drilling | Rework | New Drilling | Rework | Total | Total | Abandon |
2021 – Q4 | 21 | 184 | 5 | 274 | 26 | 458 | 484 | 1 | 950 |
2022 – Q4 | 112 | 480 | 110 | 397 | 222 | 877 | 1,099 | 0 | 857 |
Percent Change: | Up 433% | Up 161% | Up 2,100% | Up 45% | Up 754% | Up 92% | Up 127% | Down 100% | Down 9.8% |
*Permits for Sidetracks and to Deepen wells are included in the Rework counts |
Table 2. Counts of new drilling and rework permits in 2022 versus 2021.
Permits by Well Types | Permit Count Totals | ||||||||
Oil and Gas Production | EOR & Support | O&G and EOR Totals | Well Stimulation | Plugging | |||||
Year | New Drilling | Rework | New Drilling | Rework | New Drilling | Rework | Total | Total | Abandon |
2021 | 320 | 760 | 233 | 880 | 553 | 1,640 | 2,193 | 123 | 3,509 |
2022 | 244 | 1,355 | 307 | 1,476 | 551 | 2,831 | 3,382 | 0 | 2,810 |
Percent Change: | Down 24% | Up 78% | Up 32% | Up 67% | Down 0.4% | Up 73% | Up 54% | Down 100% | Down 20% |
*Permits for Sidetracks and to Deepen wells are included in the Rework counts |
The Take Away
During the fourth quarter of 2022, CalGEM issued oil and gas operators 222 new drilling permits, an increase of over 750% compared to the fourth quarter of 2021. Of those, nearly half (100; 47%) were for wells located within the 3,200’ public health setback zone.
For questions or specific data requests related to this analysis, please contact Kyle Ferrar, FracTracker Alliance Western Program Coordinator.
References & Where to Learn More
- Press Release: 4th Quarter Oil Permit Approvals Show Steep Rise Within Protective Buffer Zones As State’s Top Oil Regulator Steps Down, Advocacy Groups Report
- Newsom Well Watch has been tracking and updating the number of oil and gas wells permitted by the Newsom Administration in California since 2019. Click to see all the well permits in your community.
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