So what, exactly, are best practices? Government policymakers freely use the term these days when they describe what's behind standards they're proposing. Environmental organizations consider them essential as oil and gas operators seek permission to develop more unconventional resources.
What they have in mind, however, might not necessarily coincide with the realities of an industry with considerable experience already in developing actual best practices and standards.
The American Petroleum Institute has been the leader since 1924 in developing voluntary oil and gas standards and practices that promote reliability and safety through the use of proven engineering.
Its program is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the US standards authority. It undergoes regular audits to ensure it meets ANSI's essential requirements of openness, balance, consensus, and due process.
API's standards program has sought a balance from the outset, with each committee made up roughly one-third from oil and gas companies, one-third from service and supply companies, and one-third from government, consultants, and nongovernment organizations, said David L. Miller, its director.
"The key is to bring lots of different people from different perspectives to develop these documents," he told OGJ on Dec. 15. "ANSI's requirements provide assurance that if I, as a consulting engineer, come to the table and work hard, my voice will be heard."
Miller said it can take as many as 3 years for a new standard or recommended practice to be developed. "If the industry says they're needed sooner, it can be 6-7 months," he added.
That happened recently when exploration and production experts working on unconventional operations' methane emissions said pneumatic controllers needed a closer look. API announced it would develop new standards covering the equipment and its operation on Dec. 8.
Macondo aftermath
Miller said something similar happened after the 2010 Macondo deepwater well incident and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico revealed offshore safety and environmental procedures' shortcomings.
An issue's urgency can help volunteers from the 7,000 people who work on API's 6,000 standards in addition to their full-time jobs set priorities. "There are no short cuts," Miller emphasized. "Setting priorities lets them notify their employers that meetings will be held every 5 weeks."
API reevaluates each standard or recommended practice every 5 years. Public interest led it to take a new look at unconventional production practices well ahead of schedule, Miller said. A community engagement standard that previously dealt almost exclusively with mineral rights quickly broadened to meeting stakeholders' other concerns.
"They can be a starting point for government regulators," Miller said. "They know it's an open, deliberate process with appropriate checks and balances that can be easily defended."
