Federal Roles in Oil & Gas
Federal Agencies play an important role to ensure that the oil and gas industry is conducted in a safe and sustainable manner. Below is a list of the primary County, State, and Federal agencies that have this responsibility and a short description of those responsibilities.
US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)
https://www.epa.gov/
The US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) oversees the implementation of federal Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure rule, which may require oil spill Facility Response Plans from certain operators. US EPA also provides the final determination on requests for exemptions from federal Safe Drinking Water Act prohibitions on well injections that may impact aquifers.
US Department of Transportation (DOT)
https://www.transportation.gov/
The United States Department of Transportation (DOT), acting by and through the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and states agencies certified by the DOT to enforce safety laws and regulations on its behalf, enforce federal pipeline safety laws. In California, pipeline safety laws and regulations are enforced by the Office of State Fire Marshal, California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM, formerly known as DOGGR), and the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), depending on the type of pipeline and the type of product it contains.