AOGCC denies reconsideration request

Kristen Nelson

Petroleum News

The Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission has denied a request for reconsideration from Furie Operating Alaska of the commission’s March 1 order that granted a change in status of three wells from suspended to plugged and abandoned but denied the company’s request to be relieved of the requirement to remove well casings.

The three offshore Cook Inlet wells were drilled by a previous owner of the company and the casings left standing 15 feet above the inlet floor because of that owners’ stated intent to re-enter the wells.

The commission said in an April 26 order denying reconsideration that “Furie’s request for reconsideration is a reiteration of the arguments it presented” in a Dec. 23 hearing.

In requesting reconsideration on site clearance, Furie said it was asking the commission “for the appropriate weighting of risk, health and safety against leaving the three wells with structural casings 15 feet above the seafloor.”

The commission said this is its final decision. Furie can appeal in superior court.

The commission’s March 1 order said that it was granting the change of status to plugged and abandoned, but until site clearance requirements were met by removing the protruding casings, the three wells would be counted among those for which Furie must provide bonding.

Furie has met the commission’s requirement to notify the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the locations of the wells so that they can be included on NOAA’s navigation charts for Cook Inlet.

- KRISTEN NELSON