The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has extended until Oct. 9 the public comment period for proposed updated regulations to ensure accurate measurement, accountability and royalty payments for oil and natural gas production from federal and Indian leases.

The proposal, issued by BLM in July, would replace Onshore Oil and Gas Order No. 3 (Order 3), which has not been updated since 1989 (see Daily GPI, July 13). It sets minimum standards for ensuring that oil and gas produced from leases overseen by the BLM are properly and securely handled. The BLM determined that updates were necessary based on its experience with oil and gas measurement in the field, as well as the changes in technology and industry operations that have occurred since Order 3 was issued.

The rule would:

The proposed rule does not impose an unreasonable financial or regulatory burden on industry or the BLM, officials said.

Public comment on the proposed rule had been scheduled to end Sept. 11 but was extended 28 days in response to requests from the public, BLM said.