Holmes Western Oil Corporation, Midway-Sunset Oil Field (USL-17 Lease), CalGEM PFID 755250

Holmes Western Oil Corporation has been granted federal approval to drill ten new oil and gas production wells in the Midway-Sunset Oil Field within Kern County, California, on BLM-administered mineral estate under USL-17 Lease, with the project centered on Section 17, T11N, R23W, SBBM. The company will utilize five existing well pads to accommodate all ten new wells, minimizing land disturbance by avoiding new pad construction and relying on pre-existing access roads. Each well will require approximately four days of drilling using a production rig and temporary equipment such as pumps and return bins, with each well’s temporary footprint limited to 0.5 acres, resulting in a total project footprint of 2.82 acres. No permanent facilities will be built, and no expansion of existing infrastructure is planned. The project is governed by federal and state regulatory frameworks including the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, the Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act of 1987, 43 CFR Parts 3160 and 3170, and multiple Onshore Orders addressing drilling, abandonment, hazardous gas operations, and produced water disposal. State air quality rules such as Rule 4101, 4401, 4402, 4623, 8021, and 8031 will be enforced to control emissions, dust, and VOCs, while compliance with the New Source Performance Standard for Crude Oil and Natural Gas Facilities (40 CFR 60, subpart OOOOa) and EPA’s Oil Pollution Prevention regulations (40 CFR 112) is required. Waste material will be managed as either non-hazardous or hazardous waste and disposed of at licensed facilities. The project must also comply with a Paleontological Resource Monitoring & Mitigation Plan due to the sensitivity of the area and adhere to Cal/OSHA safety standards. Environmental oversight is led by California’s Department of Conservation, Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM), with the permit issued under regulatory timelines defined in Onshore Order No. 1 and a lease life projected for 30 years. All activities must ensure soil stabilization, erosion control, and eventual reclamation upon well abandonment, with public lands subject to full compliance with federal and state environmental laws as part of the approval process.