Board of Oil and Gas Conservation
At the Board of Oil and Gas
The Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation (MBOGC) administers the Montana oil and gas conservation laws; promotes conservation and prevents waste in the recovery of resources; and regulates oil and gas exploration and production. The Board is a quasi-judicial body that is attached to the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation for administrative purposes.
The Board's authority includes requiring that measures be taken to prevent contamination of or damage to land or underground strata caused by drilling operations and production; classifying wells as oil, gas, or Class II Underground Injection Control (UIC) wells; and adopting and enforcing rules to implement Title 82, chapter 11, MCA.
Regulatory Activities
Regulatory activities include the issuance of drilling permits, collection and housing well and production data, establishing well spacing units, pooling interests within spacing units, approval of enhanced recovery projects, inspection of exploration and production sites and facilities, investigating complaints, and the plugging and reclamation of orphaned oil and gas wells. The Board also has primacy for the UIC program in Montana. UIC wells include injection wells used for enhanced oil recovery and for the disposal of oil field wastes.
The Board
The Board's principal office is located in Billings and it has a field office in Shelby. Field inspectors work at several locations throughout the producing areas of the state.
The Board holds six scheduled public hearings each year. A business meeting is held the day before each scheduled hearing. Additional information about past and future hearings, including the schedule for upcoming meetings, is included in the hearing information section of the site.
