Well Information System (WIS) Electronic Filing of Oil & Gas Forms

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
http://www.blm.gov

June 19, 2009

In Reply Refer To:
1310, 3160 (310) P

EMS TRANSMISSION 06/30/2009
Instruction Memorandum No. 2009-155
Expires: 09/30/2010

To: All Field Officials

From: Acting Assistant Director, Minerals and Realty Management

Subject: Well Information System (WIS) – Electronic Filing of Oil & Gas Forms

Program Area: Oil and Gas Management.

Purpose: To re-emphasize the use of the WIS Application for electronic filing of Oil and Gas Forms in all field offices.

Policy/Action: All field offices should encourage industry operators to use the WIS Application whenever possible. The Electronic filing of a Notice of Staking (NOS), an Application for Permit to Drill (APD) Form 3160-3, Well Completion Reports (WCR) Form 3160-4, and Sundry Notices (SN) Form 3160-5, with the associated attachments, benefits both industry and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Managers and Supervisors should direct staff to encourage the use of the application and seek to outreach opportunities where ever possible.

The Information on the WIS Application can be found at the national home page at http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/energy/oil_and_gas/WIS.html. The website offers a user guide, frequently asked questions, an account request form, and other background information. Oil and gas operators with a WIS Account and Trading Partner Agreement may file forms and attachments electronically to the BLM that do not require an original “pen and ink” signature.

Forms submitted electronically by fax or e-mail need to be followed up by a paper document with a pen and ink signature. Field office managers should encourage these submitters to seek a WIS Account and use the WIS application for their submissions rather than a fax or e-mail submission.

Timeframe: The actions outlined in this Information Memorandum are effective immediately.

Budget Impact: While there is no direct budget impact, it is anticipated that time savings can be expected in the processing of these oil and gas forms. Data quality improvements are anticipated as there is less manual entry of data with electronic filing.

Background: The WIS was first implemented in early 2000, and has provided a method by which oil and gas operators on Federal and Indian Lands may file electronically four major oil and gas forms. The NOS, APDs, WCRs, and SNs, and associated attachments, submitted via WIS, can be tracked electronically by both BLM and industry. These forms can be filed with any of the 32 oil and gas offices that have oil and gas program responsibilities.

While this application was unavailable for periods of time between 2001 and 2008, due to the Cobell Lawsuit, it now is fully functionally in all of the BLM field offices with oil and gas program responsibilities. The BLM offices and oil and gas operators should not have any concerns about historical impacts of shutdowns and the chances for future shut downs are unlikely.

A recent review of the use of WIS has shown that less than 10 percent of the oil and gas operators nationwide currently use the WIS application. Depending on the office, on an annual basis, only 10 to 25 percent of the four forms are filed electronically.

Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: This IM will not directly affect any manual or handbook. User Guides and NTC Training Courses for the BLM Staff will be reviewed and updated as necessary. The online User Guide for Industry Users will be updated as necessary. Assistance for new industry users is available and will be provided at their company location, if requested.

Coordination: The preparation of the IM was coordinated with BLM field offices in advance of issuance of this IM.

Contact: Any questions regarding this may be directed to Tim Spisak at (202) 452-5061 (tim_spisak@blm.gov), Steve Salzman at (202) 452-7777 (steve_salzman@blm.gov), or Paul Brown at 303-236-8685 (paul_brown@blm.gov). Paul may also be contacted for ideas and support on industry outreach and assistance in development of outreach materials.

Signed by: Authenticated by:
Mitchell Leverette Robert M. Williams
Acting, Assistant Director Division of IRM Governance,WO-560
Minerals and Realty Management