B08_ATT_3_SAMPLE_TASK_ORDER_STATEMENT_OF_WORK.pdf

Federal Orphaned Well Program Support Services Sample Task Oder

Sample Task Order

Support Services for Orphaned Well Plugging and Abandonment

Allegheny National Forest Sample Task Order

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

A group of 11 orphaned oil and gas wells are believed to be located within Lot 500 in the Allegheny National Forest in Warren County, PA (Figure 1) and are candidates for plugging and abandonment. The US Forest Service currently has no documentation or records related to the wells of interest beyond suspected well locations identified in Table 1. The age and condition of the suspected wells, the existence of additional wells within Lot 500, the presence of contamination in and around the wells, and the accessibility of well sites within Lot 500 for plugging operations is unknown.

This task order is intended to procure contractor services to ground truth the locations of the 11 suspected wells in the field, provide an inventory of any additional wells or confirm that no additional sites exist within Lot 500, conduct an initial site investigation to document the condition of the wells, the infrastructure present at the wellsite, the accessibility of the well sites for plugging operations, investigate the potential presence of contamination at or from the well sites, quantify methane release from the well sites, develop a reclamation plan for the well sites within Lot 500, and conduct an analysis of the environmental effects of the plugging and abandonment of the wells to be documented in a draft NEPA‐compliant document for review by the US Forest Service.

PROJECT LOCATION

The wells being addressed by this project are located in Mead Township, Warren County, Pennsylvania (Figure 2). The project area is accessed via State Route 2006, west of the town of Clarendon, PA. The wells are located in Lot 500 and accessed by Forest Service Road 438 and 438A.

TASK ORDER REQUIREMENTS AND DELIVERABLES

1.0 Project Management

The Contractor will provide overall Project Management services, including but not limited to:

General Project Management –Administer the project contract, coordinate personnel and sub‐consultant activities, prepare and maintain the project schedule, and prepare invoicing.

QA/QC – The Contractor will assure that any submittal has passed through their QA/QC process and is ready for review. Contractor will clearly communicate project requirements to the team so team members understand the project expectations.

Project Plan –Prepare and maintain an appropriate project plan including a schedule of activities and deliverables throughout the life of the project. The schedule will be used as a tool to manage the project and will be updated as specific dates are resolved.

Project Update Meetings – The Contractor will participate in project update progress meetings to review schedules, milestone updates and corrective measures. These updates will likely be in the form of call‐in teleconferences that will be coordinated and set‐up by the Contractor.

2.0 Well and Site Investigation

The Contractor will:

Coordinate with the Allegheny National Forest point of contact in order to obtain access and coordinate logistics for all site visit activities.

Document and/or confirm the GPS location(s) of the 11 suspected orphaned wells via on‐site survey.

Survey the entire Lot 500 footprint (approx. 200 acres) to determine if additional undocumented wells exist in Lot 500, document the GPS location of any newly discovered wells, and describe the survey process employed.

Document any portions of Lot 500 that are not accessible for conclusive survey.

Complete the following for the 11 suspected wells:

o Document surface characteristics of all orphaned wells; this shall include detailed descriptions of surface equipment and its condition with photographs and a description of site accessibility, points of access to the site, and/or obstacles for access.

o Document the presence of any potential hazards onsite including, but not limited to, the presence of surface fuel/storage tanks, underground storage tanks, pipelines, pits, trenches, and other infrastructure that may contain liquid, gas or other chemical hazards.

o Document all infrastructure and other areas of disturbance (roads, altered landscapes, evidence of erosion, topsoil stockpiles, etc.) associated with each orphaned well.

o Characterize the vegetative community at the site by document the major plant species present, predominant groundcover present, and the presence and extent of noxious/invasive plant species.

o Document any evidence of an ongoing or previous hazardous material release or other contamination of soil, surface water, or groundwater in or around a subject orphaned well site and compile available documentation of any previously known or suspected hazardous material releases that have occurred in or around the orphaned well sites following a procedure consistent with the Orphaned Well Surface Water and Groundwater Contamination Protocol in the IDIQ SOW.

Present a draft report to US Forest Service detailing the results of the above well and site investigation activities for initial review and comment to be followed by a final report with comments incorporated.

3.0 Methane Quantification

Quantify methane emission rates or document methane non‐detection for each of the 11 suspected well sites through a screening process described in the Federal Orphaned Wells Program Methane Measurement Guidelines and outlined in the IDIQ SOW. All potential methane emission sources at a wellsite should be considered for quantification. The Contractor shall document their decision process when determining whether or not quantification from a potential source is prudent and/or feasible (e.g. methane emission quantification from soil may not be obtainable in every situation).

Describe the methodology and instrumentation used to screen for and/or quantify methane emissions from a well site in a manner consistent with the Federal Orphaned Wells Program Methane Measurement Guidelines and protocols therein in a Methane Quantification Technical Approach Plan developed by the Contractor and presented to the US Forest Service for review prior to conducting field operations.

Report quantified methane emission rates in the form of grams of methane emitted per hour, regardless of the specific methodology employed, to meet the reporting requirements for BIL Title VI, Section 40601 (f)(2)(B) and support the calculation of nationwide inventory measures and emissions factors for Section 40601 (f)(2)(A). A threshold of one (1) gram methane emission per hour has been established as the benchmark for considering methane emissions to be detectable, reportable, and requiring quantification. Instrumentation with a minimum detection limit of one (1) gram methane emission per hour may be used to document detection of methane emissions at potential sources.

Present a draft report to US Forest Service detailing the results of the above methane quantification activities for initial review and comment to be followed by a final report with comments incorporated.

4.0 Reclamation Planning

Develop reclamation recommendations for the 11 suspected orphaned well sites within Lot 500 for review by the US Forest Service that include descriptions of:

o All above and below‐ground structures, equipment, and roads and all other man‐made material and debris resulting from operations that have no current use or value on the landscape that should be removed.

o Recommendations for grading and earth‐moving operations to support native community establishment and prevent erosion at each orphaned well site.

o Recommendations for removal or testing of environmental media (soil, surface water, groundwater) with possible or likely contamination identified during site investigation activities.

o Recommendations for the removal of noxious/invasive plant species through chemical, manual, or mechanical methods.

o A strategy for reestablishment of native vegetative communities including the identification of the appropriate seed mix for local conditions and the optimal season and conditions for planting.

o A proposed monitoring plan for reclamation success with specific benchmarks and timelines identified.

Present a draft reclamation recommendation report to US Forest Service for initial review and comment to be followed by a final report with comments incorporated.

5.0 Environmental Data Gathering and NEPA Compliance

Investigate and report to the US Forest Service if federally threatened or endangered species or if designated critical habitat for a federally listed species occurs in or around any of the orphaned well sites and if any seasonal work restrictions are required to avoid impacts to such species.

Investigate and report to the US Forest Service if state‐listed species (or other state‐level species of concern) or priority habitats occur in or around any of the orphaned well sites and if any seasonal work restrictions are required to avoid impacts to such species.

Investigate and report to the US Forest Service if orphaned well plugging and abandonment operations at any of the orphaned well sites may impact historic properties in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act

Investigate and report to the US Forest Service if orphaned well plugging and abandonment operations at any of the well sites may impact Tribal resources.

The contractor shall assist the US Forest Service in complying with NEPA requirements under 42 U.S.C. § 4321 prior to implementing plugging and abandonment activities on orphaned wells in Lot 500 through the following activities:

o Completing a draft of an environmental assessment for the plugging and abandonment of the 11 suspected orphaned wells in Lot 500 compliant with NEPA requirements for US Forest Service review.

o Providing technical expertise to support analyses of project impacts on biological, ecological, cultural, historic, and other resources as needed.

o Collecting and consolidating all required information to describe the scope of and need for proposed orphaned well plugging and abandonment projects, develop project alternatives, evaluate the environmental impacts of proposed projects and alternatives, and document compliance with applicable laws and regulations as well as any necessary mitigation measures to ensure compliance.

o Assisting with public scoping by providing a mechanism to receive comments during a comment period and assisting with the analyses of and responses to public comments.

o Creation and maintenance of decision files and an administrative record for all projects.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

This task order will be performed remotely at times. Site investigation activities will require on‐site presence in the Allegheny National Forest. Activities such as data processing and analysis, information gathering, and document preparation such as that for draft and final reports may be prepared at the Contractor’s place of business.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance for this task order will commence upon award for a period of 12 months.

GENERAL SCHEDULE

Contractor shall present US Forest Service with a draft project plan including a proposed schedule of activities and deliverables, that meet or exceed the deliverable schedule below, within 10 calendar days of award.

US Forest Service shall have 5 calendar days to review and comment on the draft plan.

Contractor shall have 5 calendar days to revise plan to incorporate US Forest Service comments.

TASK COMPLETION AND DELIVERABLE SCHEDULE

Assumes project start date of 5/1/2023.

Task Item/Deliverable Date

1. Task 1.0 Draft Project Plan May 10, 2023

2. Task 1.0 Final Project Plan May 20, 2020

3. Task 2.0 Draft Well and Site Investigation Report August 1, 2023

4. Task 3.0 Draft Methane Quantification Report October 1, 2023

5. Task 4.0 Draft Reclamation Recommendation Report October 1, 2023

6. Task 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 Final Reports December 1, 2023

7. Task 5.0 Draft Environmental Assessment for US Forest Service Review January 15, 2024

8. Task 5.0 Final Draft Environmental Assessment for Public Review February 15, 2024

Invoice Payments

No.

Section

Reference Deliverable Invoice Payment

1 1.0 Final Project Plan. 10%

2 2.0, 3.0, 4.0

Draft Reports delivered to the US Forest Service via email for review. 20%

3 2.0, 3.0, 4.0

Final Reports delivered to the US Forest Service via email for review. 30%

4 5.0 Draft Environmental Assessment for US Forest Service review 20%

5 6.0 Final Draft Environmental Assessment for Public Review 20%

Figure 1. Lot 500 (outlined in red) with suspected orphaned wells (red dots) in the Allegheny National Forest

Table 1. Coordinates for suspected orphaned wells in Lot 500, Allegheny National Forest

Figure 2. Lot 500 with corner coordinates in relation to Town of Clarendon