252900_59800003_CalNRG_UIC

2025040049

California Department of Conservation (DOC)

NOE - Notice of Exemption

4/1/2025

4/1/2025

Mikayla Vaba

Department of Conservation, Geologic Energy Management Division

Environmental Planner

Lead/Public Agency

715 P Street, MS 1803
Sacramento, CA 95814

(916) 445-9686

CEQA@conservation.ca.gov

Clifton Simonson

CalNRG Operating, LLC

Agent

Project Applicant

1746-F South Victoria Avenue #245
Ventura, CA 93003

(805) 477-9805

CalGemAgent@calnrg.com

33°52'27.7"N 117°49'57.4"W

03S

09W

28

SB

Richfield Oil Field

Categorical Exemption

Class 1, Existing Facilities (14 CCR §§ 15301, 1684.1)

Class 1 consists of the “operation, repair, maintenance, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features involving negligible or no expansion of use beyond that existing previously.” This includes “remedial, maintenance, conversion, and abandonment work on oil, gas, injection, and geothermal wells involving the alteration of well casing, such as perforating and casing repair, removal, or replacement; installation or removal of downhole production or injection equipment, cement plugs, bridge plugs, and packers set to isolate production or injection intervals.” (14 CCR § 1684.1.) The proposed project involves remedial, maintenance, and conversion work on two existing wells to modify UIC project 59800003. The proposed work includes pulling out of hole with existing rods and tubing, cleaning out the wells, running a scraper to the top perforations, and running packers and tubing. This work would be a negligible change in use because the conversions will require no changes to the well casing and will not change the permanent mechanical condition of the wells. The wells are already completed with existing perforations in the Kraemer formation, and their inclusion in the PAL would not change the overall injection volume of the project. The proposed UIC modification would maintain the current production volumes of the field. As indicated in review conducted by the State Water Resources Control Board, and the technical review conducted by the CalGEM UIC program, the proposed modification would not result in any potential impacts to the beneficial use of groundwater in the project area and all injection fluids would be confined to the approved zones. Therefore, any environmental impacts of the proposed project would be negligible and therefore less-than-significant.

Categorical Exemption

Class 2, Replacement or Reconstruction (14 CCR § 15302)

Class 2 consists of the “replacement or reconstruction of existing structures and facilities where the new structure will be located on the same site as the structure replaced and will have substantially the same purpose and capacity as the structure replaced[.]” (14 CCR § 15302.) The proposed project would convert two existing wells to update UIC project 59800003. This work is a minor reconstruction of the wells that requires no changes to the casing of the wells. The wells are located on existing well pads that are large enough to accommodate the necessary equipment and can be accessed by existing roads. The wells are already completed with existing perforations in the Kraemer formation, and their inclusion in the PAL would not change the overall injection volume of the project. The work would result in a negligible change in use of the wells from production to injection, to maintain the production volume of the field.

Categorical Exemption

Class 4, Minor Alterations to Land (14 CCR §§ 15304, 1684.2)

Class 4 consists of “drilling operations that result only in minor alterations with negligible or no permanent effects to the existing condition of the land, water, air, and/or vegetation.” (14 CCR § 1684.2; see also 14 CCR § 15304.) The proposed project would make minor modifications to two existing wells to modify UIC project 59800003. The wells can be accessed by existing roads, are active producers that are regularly monitored and maintained, and tie into the existing injection line is already present at the well pads. The procedure that would be conducted to convert the wells from producer to injector wells is an activity that is also conducted as part of a normal maintenance program for wells within the field and would require no additional trucks or heavy equipment to visit the well than would occur as part of regular oil field operations. Therefore, there would be no surface disturbance as a result of the project that would significantly disturb the surrounding environment.