378669_146000001_HWOC_UIC
Summary
SCH Number
2025070603
Public Agency
California Department of Conservation
(DOC)
Document Title
378669_146000001_HWOC_UIC
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
7/15/2025
Document Description
HWOC has applied an application for approval of a new Underground Injection Control (UIC) project 146-00-0001 to convert the idle gas flood well (Federal 28-1) into a waterflood. This well has a history of limited use for gas injection. The waterflood will inject into the same established zone, the Temblor Formation. The proposed conversion will be implemented without making any mechanical alterations to the wellbore. As a result, this activity will result in a reduction of the Area of Review (AOR) radius. The project will utilize existing roads, power lines, facilities, and pipelines. The proposed project will not require any expansion, new construction, or any ground surface disturbances.
The proposed project consists of the California Department of Conservation, Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) approving a new PAL (146-00-0001) for HWOC, including the rework of the well listed below, in the Cienaga Canyon Oil Field
API # Well Name
0402956788 Federal 28-1
Contact Information
Name
Char'Mane Robinson
Agency Name
Department of Conservation, Geologic Energy Management Division
Job Title
Environmental Scientist
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Name
Scott Grodewald
Agency Name
Holmes Western Oil Corporation (H5200)
Job Title
Agent
Contact Types
Project Applicant
Address
Phone
Location
Coordinates
Counties
Kern
Regions
Southern California
Township
11N
Range
23W
Section
28
Base
SB
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 1, Existing Facilities (14 CCR §§ 15301, 1684.1)
Reasons for Exemption
Class 1 applies to the “operation, repair, maintenance, or minor alteration” of existing facilities involving “negligible or no expansion of use beyond that existing previously” (§ 1684.1). The proposed project involves converting Federal 28-1 from a gas flood to a waterflood well. The proposed activities are deemed negligible because the proposed work will require no mechanical changes to the wellbore and will result in reduction of the AOR radius from 1320 ft including 15 wells (for the gas flood well) to 494 ft (for the water flood well) consisting of 8 wells. These are negligible changes that would not result in significant impacts to surface or subsurface conditions. Therefore, the conversions would be a negligible change in use.
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 4, Minor Alterations to Land (14 CCR §§ 15304, 1684.2)
Reasons for Exemption
Class 4 applies because the rework “consists of drilling operations that result in only minor alterations with negligible or no permanent effects to the existing condition of the land, water, air, and/or vegetation.” The proposed work will occur on an existing well pad, utilizing current electrical lines and access roads. Above-ground piping will be reused to connect to the existing infrastructure. All equipment staging will be within the project boundary, with no new construction or grading in undisturbed areas. The operator indicated that there are no sensitive plant or wildlife species in the project area.
Exempt Status
Other
Type, Section or Code
Exceptions to Exemptions (14 CCR §§ 15300.2)
Reasons for Exemption
CalGEM further finds that there are no exceptions to the application of the categorical exemptions (PRC § 21084; 14 CCR § 15300.2) referenced above. For example, there is no substantial evidence that there are any “unusual circumstances” associated with the proposed project that create a reasonable possibility that the activity will have a significant effect on the environment, and that there are no significant “cumulative impacts” resulting from successive projects of the same type in the same place. Therefore, reliance on the exemptions is appropriate.
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
Disclaimer: The Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. For more information, please visit LCI’s Accessibility Site.