Underground Injection Control in EPA Region 8 (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, and WY)

Due to the current situation surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19), EPA R8 UIC staff are now working remotely. We are asking everyone to please use email to send all communications and documents until further notice.

EPA R8 UIC Permitting, Compliance and Financial Responsibility contacts may be found at the following link.

EPA Region 8 serves Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, and 27 tribal nations.

On this page:

Announcements and Public Notice of Proposed Actions
Regional Guidance Documents
Resources for Owners and Operators
Class V Program Documents
Primary Enforcement Authority
Tribal Programs
Contact Information

Announcements and Public Notice of Proposed Actions

EPA Region 8 solicits public comment on issuance of permit-related actions under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act and UIC Program regulations for a minimum of 30 calendar days on this website and publishes a courtesy announcement in one or more local newspapers.

All comments received by the end of the comment period will be considered in the formulation of any final decision. Due to office closures related to the COVID-19 outbreak, at this time please do not submit comments via regular mail. Notification and any details of a public comment period extension will be provided at the web links below and will not be published in local newspapers. Interested parties on our email list will be notified of any extension of the public comment period by email.

If you wish to be added to our email list, please notify the EPA staff listed for the proposed action. After the comment period has closed, the Director intends to issue a Final UIC Permit, Permit Modification and/or Aquifer Exemption decision. EPA will hold a public hearing if the response to a specific action indicates significant public interest, or if requested.

For additional information on a specific action, please contact the EPA staff listed for that proposed action.

Federal Register Notice: Wyoming Underground Injection Control: Class VI Primacy - EPA is seeking public input on the agency's intent to approve the State of Wyoming's request to have primary responsibility (primacy) for enforcing regulation of Class VI wells under the Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program.
EPA Dewey-Burdock Class III and Class V Injection Well Final Area Permits
UIC permit applications for injection wells on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation
Public Notice: Class V Draft Permit MT50001-05009, Dan-o's Carwash, Lincoln County, Montana

Public Notices at U.S. EPA

Top of Page

Regional Guidance Documents

EPA Region 8 directly implements the Underground Injection Control Program under the SDWA in Indian country and the UIC programs for non-oil and gas related activities in Colorado, Montana, and South Dakota. These guidance assist the regulated community - which consists of hundreds of drinking waters systems and injection well operators, many of which are small and in rural areas – in complying with program requirements.

Resources for Owners and Operators

7520 reporting forms for owners or operators
Class II Permit Application Checklist & Spreadsheet
Mechanical Integrity Test (MIT) Form
UIC Inspector Training 2018
UIC Inspector Training 2019
Permit Applicant:

The Class II Permit Application Completeness Review Checklist is intended to assist EPA staff’s review of the permit application during the Administrative Review process. This checklist can also serve as a useful guide as you prepare your Class II permit application and can be used for other well class applications.

Attachment K lists additional federal laws that EPA must comply with before a new permit can be issued. The National Historic Preservation Act and Endangered Species Act requirements will apply to most permits issued by EPA Region 8. If the applicant is willing and able to initiate and complete the cultural resource and endangered or threatened species surveys, inclusion of the survey and/or consultant’s reports with the permit application can significantly expedite the permitting process. If previous, recent surveys have already been conducted, the results of those surveys are acceptable to include with the application.

In addition to the permit application, Region 8 also requests that the applicant complete the attached spreadsheet to assist the EPA in technical review of the permit application.
Transferring Operational Control of Class II UIC Injection Wells (pdf)

Class V Program Documents

Primary Enforcement Authority

Well Class	Colorado	Montana	North Dakota	South Dakota	Utah	Wyoming
Class I	EPA	EPA	North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality	EPA	Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Quality	Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
Class II	Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission	Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation	North Dakota Industrial Commission, Department of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas Division	South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources	Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining	Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
Class III	EPA	EPA	North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality	EPA	Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Quality	Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
Class IV	EPA	EPA	North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality	EPA	Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Quality	Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
Class V	EPA	EPA	North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality	EPA	Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Quality	Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
Class VI	EPA	EPA	North Dakota Industrial Commission, Department of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas Division	EPA	EPA	Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality

Tribal Programs

EPA Region 8 directly implements the UIC Program on 26 Indian Reservations. The Fort Peck Indian Reservation has been delegated primacy for Class II injection wells.

Fort Peck Program Manager Martina Wilson (martinawilson@fortpecktribes.net); (406) 768-2329

Questions about underground injection wells on Indian Reservations other than Fort Peck should be directed to EPA Region 8.

Contact Information

U.S. EPA Region 8 (8WD-SDU)
1595 Wynkoop Street
Denver, CO 80202-1129

UIC Permitting Staff

Section Chief

Douglas Minter (minter.douglas@epa.gov), 303-312-6079

Permitting Staff	Areas of Focus	Email	Phone
Linda Bowling Engineer	Aquifer Storage & Recovery (ASR) Team Lead; Class II Permit Writer for the Wind River Indian Reservation; State Oversight for MBOGCC	bowling.linda@epa.gov	303-312-6254
Wendy Cheung Engineer	UIC Database Design Lead; Class VI Geologic CO2 Sequestration; Aquifer Exemption Team Lead; State Oversight for WDEQ	cheung.wendy@epa.gov	303-312-6242
Craig Boomgaard Environmental Scientist	Class II Permit Lead for Fort Berthold Indian Reservation; State Oversight for NDIC	boomgaard.craig@epa.gov	303-312-6794
Valois Robinson Environmental Scientist	Class III Permit Lead for South Dakota; UIC Database Administrator; SD DENR and Fort Peck OEP	robinson.valois@epa.gov	303-312-6276
Omar Sierra-Lopez Environmental Scientist	Class V Team Lead; Class II Permitting; State Oversight for UDEQ	sierra-lopez.omar@epa.gov	303-312-7045
Bruce Suchomel Engineer	Class II Permit Lead for the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation; Contracting Officer Representative; State Oversight for UDOGM	suchomel.bruce@epa.gov	303-312-6001
Rick Arnold Environmental Scientist	Groundwater Modeling; Hydrogeology; Aquifer Exemptions; State Oversight for WOGCC	arnold.rick@epa.gov	303-312-6788
Chris Brown Physical Scientist	Class I and II Permitting; State Oversight for NDDEQ and COGCC	brown.christopher.t@epa.gov	(303) 312-6669

UIC Enforcement Staff

Section Chief

Tiffany Cantor (cantor.tiffany@epa.gov), 303-312-6521

Communications related to testing, monitoring, or other items associated with compliance and enforcement, should be sent to both Gary Wang (wang.gary@epa.gov) and Don Breffle (Breffle.don@epa.gov). We appreciate your assistance in ensuring continuity of operations.

Enforcement Staff	Areas of Focus	Email	Phone
Gary Wang	Class I, II, III, and Class V Deep Wells (inspections, compliance and enforcement)	wang.gary@epa.gov	303-312-6469
Nathan Wiser	Class I, II, III, and Class V Deep Wells (inspections, compliance, enforcement, tips and complaints)	wiser.nathan@epa.gov	303-312-6211
Lawrence Granato	Class V Shallow Wells (inspections, compliance and enforcement)	lawrence.granato@epa.gov	303-312-6541
Ben D'Innocenzo	Financial Responsibility Coordinator	dinnocenzo.benjamin@epa.gov	303-312-6342

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