- (a) No hydrocarbon flow tank, unless entirely buried, shall hereafter be placed nearer than 150 feet from any derrick, rig, building, power plant, or boiler of any description. The director of the Oil and Gas Division or his delegate may administratively grant exceptions to this requirement. If the director of the Oil and Gas Division declines to administratively grant, continue, or extend an exception, the operator shall move the hydrocarbon flow tank to the required distance or request a hearing on the matter. After hearing, the examiner shall recommend final action to the commission.
- (b) No field working hydrocarbon tank having a capacity of 10,000 barrels or more shall be built nearer than 200 feet (measured from shell to shell) to any other like tank.
- (c) No person engaged in the production, transportation, storage, handling, refining, reclaiming, processing, treating, or marketing of crude petroleum oil or the products or by-products thereof shall store, either permanently or temporarily, crude petroleum oil or the products and by-products thereof in open pits or earthen storage.
- (d) All oil tanks where there is a gas hazard shall be gas tight and provided with proper gas vents.
- (e) No forge or open light shall be placed inside the derrick of a well showing oil or gas.
- (f) Boilers must be equipped with steam lines for fighting fire and must not be set nearer than 150 feet to any producing well.
- (g) All wells shall be cleaned into a pit not less than 40 feet from the derrick floor and 150 feet from any fire hazard.
- (h) No boiler or electric lighting generator shall be placed or remain nearer than 150 feet to any producing well or oil tank.
- (i) Any rubbish or debris that might constitute a fire hazard shall be removed to a distance of at least 150 feet from the vicinity of any well, tank, or pump station. All waste shall be burned or disposed of in such manner as to avoid creating a fire hazard.
- (j) Dikes or fire walls shall not be required except such fire walls must be erected and kept around all permanent oil tanks, or battery of tanks, that are within the corporate limits of any city, town, or village; or where such tanks are closer than 500 feet to any highway or inhabited dwelling or closer than 1,000 feet to any school or church; or where such tanks are so located as to be deemed by the commission to be an objectionable hazard.
- (k) Swabbing is prohibited, except for the purpose of starting initial production of a well or for the testing or cleaning out of a well for starting the initial flow of a well after testing and cleaning out or for the purpose of restoring flowing conditions in a well which has gone dead. In no event shall such swabbing continue for a period longer than is reasonably necessary to accomplish the purpose for which swabbing is permitted.
Source Note:The provisions of this §3.21 adopted to be effective January 1, 1976, amended to be effective October 3, 1980, 5 TexReg 3794.