Reporting of Spills and Discharges (Undesirable Events) Subject to Notice to Lessee (NTL)-3A

United States Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
Wyoming State Office

P.O. Box 1828

Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003-1828

In Reply Refer To:
3160 (921Bargsten) P
February 15, 2008
EMS TRANSMISSION 02/21/2008
Instruction Memorandum No. WY- 2008-028
Expires 09/30/2009
To: Field Managers and Assistant Field Managers
From: Associate State Director
Subject: Reporting of Spills and Discharges (Undesirable Events) Subject to Notice to Lessee
(NTL) - 3A
Program Areas: Fluid Minerals
Purpose: This Instruction Memorandum (IM) will outline and clarify the procedures for Field
Office notifications to the Wyoming State Office regarding spills or discharges of oil, produced
water, and/or other substances from oil and gas operations subject to NTL-3A.
Policy/Action: To provide early alert to State Office and Washington Office personnel, Field
Offices are asked to forward all reports of major (sometimes known as “Class I”) undesirable
events to the State Office contacts (see Attachment 1) as soon as possible after receipt of the
report, but no later than 24 hours after receipt. If the State Office receives a report of an event
directly from the operator or other agency, the State Office will forward the information to the
appropriate Field Office(s) as soon as possible, but no later than 24 hours after receiving the
report.
Field Office notification of major undesirable events to the State Office must be provided by
either (1) phone with a follow-up copy of the written report or (2) e-mail/facsimile copy of an
initial written notification/report. If there is media interest, public controversy, or substantial
health or environmental concerns, Field Office management should directly contact State Office
management. Depending upon the circumstances, the State Office may ask the Field Office to
provide additional updates on the events and response.
Reporting obligations under NTL-3A do not relieve the operator from mandated reporting and
response requirements under other applicable rules and regulations, including provisions under
State of Wyoming law. However, it is not BLM’s responsibility to ensure the operator has
complied with State of Wyoming laws.
Spills or discharges from oil and gas operations not meeting the minimum requirements for
reporting under NTL-3A may still be reportable under other regulations or permit conditions of
approval. If you have questions whether such requirements exist, please contact your Field
Office Hazardous Materials Coordinator.

Information initially gathered from the person reporting the event to the BLM needs to be as
comprehensive as possible. A sample Report of Undesirable Event form for accidental releases
is available on the BLM intranet (http://web.wy.blm.gov/921/ogforms.htm). This form may also
be provided to operators to collect the information required under NTL-3A. If necessary, Field
Offices should request additional information to ensure protection of human health and the
environment (such as soil sample analyses, operations logs, etc.).
The final written report for major undesirable events must provide, at minimum, the
information required in NTL-3A. Prior to receiving the final report from the operator, the BLM
may request interim reports to ensure incidents are being appropriately addressed by the
operator.
The Automated Fluid Minerals Support System (AFMSS) provides a means for documentation
and tracking of NTL-3A events; Field Offices must enter NTL-3A releases in AFMSS.
If you have any questions, please contact Travis Bargsten, Physical Scientist at (307) 775-6197
or Ken Henke, Natural Resource Specialist at (307) 775-6041.
Signed by: Authenticated by:
James K. Murkin Pamela D. Hernandez
Acting Associate State Director Wyoming Central Files
1 - Attachment
1 - Wyoming State Office Contacts