The Centralized Air Emissions Reporting System (CAERS) is a data submission and review tool specifically for oil and gas emissions sources in Utah. Oil and gas operators in Utah must use CAERS to submit source registration data, as well as triennial oil and gas emissions inventory data. Eligibility and requirements for CAERS usage are outlined below.
Oil & Gas Source Registration (Air Quality)
Oil & gas sources operating on lands under state jurisdiction within the State of Utah are required to register with the Utah Division of Air Quality (UDAQ) in accordance with R307-505. The registration process will help UDAQ identify oil and gas facilities on state lands, thereby increasing the resolution of oil and gas emissions inventories and allowing for more comprehensive compliance assessments. Operators will find that many fields and quantities requested in the registration may be transferred from the 2017 Oil & Gas Emissions Inventory workbook or are already regularly collected regularly by the Utah Division of Oil Gas and Mining (DOGM).
The registration requirement applies to new and existing industries involved in oil and natural gas exploration, production, and transmission operations; well production facilities; natural gas compressor stations; natural gas processing plants and commercial oil and gas disposal wells, and evaporation ponds. Sources with a current approval order are exempt from registration.
To begin the registration process, download the Registration Workbook and the User Manual (2 MB).
Completed registration workbooks may be submitted through the Centralized Air Emissions Reporting System (CAERS). Access to CAERS may be gained by creating a UMD login and sending a notarized form to UDAQ. Further instructions regarding access to CAERS can be found in the User Manual.
For existing sources, registration was due by July 1, 2018. Sources that are identified after January 1, 2018 must submit a complete registration 30 days prior to beginning operation.
Please direct any questions about registration submission to ogregistration@utah.gov, or
Stephen Foulger (sfoulger@utah.gov) at (801) 662-8650.
Permit By Rule
Oil and gas sources make up a significant portion of the emissions inventory in Utah. A majority of these sources are either minor sources, or exempt small sources, under Utah State Rules. Over the past few years, oil and gas wells have made up over half of the minor source permit requests to UDAQ. To provide a more streamlined permitting approach to these sources, obtain more efficiency in the utilization of the UDAQ’s resources, and gather needed information to oversee these sources, UDAQ has adopted several rules and amendments to a collection of existing rules that regulate oil and gas sources. The requirements outlined in these rules are referred to as permit by rule (PBR), as their enforcement will replace many individual permits.
Operators should examine the rules and flowchart below to determine their eligibility for the PBR.
PBR Eligibility Flowchart (79 KB)
2020 Oil and Gas Emissions Inventory Template in CAERS
Submission in CAERS
2020 oil and gas emissions inventory workbook submissions will be uploaded through CAERS. To download your 2020 emissions inventory workbook, navigate to your CAERS company profile and click “Download Emissions Inventory Template.” All currently registered oil and gas sources will be automatically added to the emissions inventory workbook download. Learn more about downloading the 2020 emissions inventory template by reading the User Manual (2 MB).
Questions about oil and gas emissions inventory submissions in CAERS should be directed to Ryan Grant (ryangrant@utah.gov) at (801) 413-6605
FAQs
CAERS gives me the error message “Error parsing API’s: Could not find matching source key” when I try to upload a registration workbook. How can I fix this error?
All rows in the registration that are not associated with a source must be blank. Try clearing out any rows in your workbook that are otherwise empty but have “N/A” auto-filled. Make sure you have not added any extra columns or notes outside the allotted tables in the workbook.
If you are still unable to upload your registration workbook after troubleshooting, please attach your workbook draft in an email to ogregistration@utah.gov.
Should I modify my permit or register my source and follow the permit by rule for oil and gas wells?
The Division recommends that a source which requires a modification to their approval order (AO) do the following:
- request to revoke their permit,
- register with the Division (R307-505), and
- follow the requirements of the rules (R307-506 through R307-510).
With modification to an existing AO, the requirements will be updated to reflect current BACT, on which the rules were based. Registration is simpler, quicker, and fees are less.
If I keep and maintain my AO, will I be protected from future rules?
It is unknown what rules may apply in the future. If areas of Utah are designated as nonattainment, depending on classification, area sources will be evaluated for Reasonably Available Control Measures (RACM), and major sources will be evaluated for Reasonably Available Control Technology (RACT). In that case, rules may apply to all sources regardless of possession of an AO.
If I revoke an existing AO and register my source and follow the permit by rule, will I be required to pay a fee?
Yes, fees will apply. However, the fee to revoke an AO and the fee to register your source will often be less than the fees required to modify or update your AO. The fees to revoke and register are one time fees.
If I have an oil and gas well that is active, i.e. has not been shut in, but is not producing, am I required to register it?
Yes, these wells would be considered operational or have the ability to operate and thus be required to register with the Division.
If I perform a well recompletion, will I be required to update or re-register my source?
Sources are only required to update their registration if the company changes its name, controls are removed or added, or the source terminates operations (shut in well). Does the breakdown rule apply to sources that are registered under the permit by rule?
The breakdown rule (R307-107) will still apply to sources that are in compliance with the permit by rule, rather than an AO. So yes the source is covered.
Are ‘knock out’ vessels along pipelines required to register?
No
What fees are associated with registration?
To manage the registration process and administer the permit by rule process the Division will apply current established filing fees. The current filing fee for new minor sources, or minor and major modifications to existing sources, is $500 and the filing fee for the small source exemption is $250. The information provided to meet the registration requirements will determine which fee is applicable. Generally the divide between filing fees will be determined by the emissions from tanks and tank batteries for oil and gas well sites. If emissions are required to be controlled in accordance with the rules the source would be considered under the minor source filing fee and if not then the source would be considered to meet the small source exemption filing fee. For all other sites that are required to register by the rule, and not subject to the permit exemption, the site will either be required to obtain a minor source operating permit in accordance with current rules and therefore exempt from the registration or will be subject to the small source exemption filing fee.