Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining

The Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining has relaunched its Stay Out, Stay Alive abandoned mine safety campaign with a new website, updated videos, and a redesigned fourth-grade workbook aligned with Utah Core Standards. With new content, interactive activities, and fresh artwork, the program helps students learn about mine safety, science, and Utah’s rich mining history.

Abandoned mines may contain explosive materials, toxic gases, and unstable structures, and access can be challenging for emergency responders.

Learn more at https://ogm.utah.gov/stay-out-stay-alive/. Fourth-grade teachers interested in the workbooks can contact [email protected].

Wishing you a Valentine’s Day inspired by Utah’s diverse landscapes and abundant resources.

In Utah, produced water is being recycled and reused for oil and gas operations, reducing demand on freshwater resources and supporting responsible energy development.

The importance of recycling produced water to Utah's oil and gas industry Utah's oil and gas industry is shifting from relying on freshwater to recycling produced water for drilling and completion operations. Once treated as waste,...

Great to see this moving forward!

The Division of Oil, Gas and Mining has submitted a Class VI primacy application to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a key step toward enabling Utah to regulate carbon sequestration wells that store carbon dioxide underground. Primacy would put permitting and oversight in the hands of local experts, ensuring it’s stored safely to protect underground sources of drinking water.

The Utah Board of Oil, Gas and Mining has started the formal rulemaking process for oil and gas well bonding through the Office of Administrative Rules. The proposed rule can be found in the Utah State Bulletin, page 129. https://rules.utah.gov/publications/utah-state-bulletin/

Comments should be sent to [email protected] by February 13. The rule, comments, and next steps will be discussed at the February 25 Board Hearing.

Oil and gas well bonding ensures operators have the financial resources to plug wells and reclaim sites properly. It makes companies financially responsible for the entire life cycle of their wells. It serves as a safeguard if an operator becomes financially unable to meet its obligations or abandons them.

The Ho-Ho-Hole-in-the-Ground Tree

In a world with no mining, no oil, gas, or coal,
Santa’s stuck at the North Pole with no toys to haul.
His sleigh’s missing metal, the lights won’t stay bright—
Even Rudolph’s nose flickers, a sad little sight.

The elves try to help, but their tools all went p**f,
So they’re knitting toy rocks made of yarn—kind of goof.
But without mined materials, the holidays stall—
Turns out we need mining to celebrate at all!

Santa brought makeup with mica’s gleam,
New shoes strengthened by minerals unseen.
Jewelry sparkling, sports gear tough and fine,
Battery-powered toys, too, all started in the mine.

Rubix cubes with colors bold—
Pigments born from ores of old.
Shiny cars with chrome that gleams,
Steel and copper fuel their dreams.

Plastic toys in every hue?
Built from minerals, mined anew.
From deep below to gift-wrap shine,
Holiday magic starts in the mine.

On May 13, inspectors from the Division of Oil, Gas and Mining’s Oil and Gas Program discovered a gas leak at an orphaned natural gas well southeast of Vernal, Utah. An orphan well is a non-productive or inactive well that hasn’t been plugged and has no responsible owner.

Once the leak was discovered, division staff acted quickly, securing emergency funding and bringing in an experienced plugging crew that began work immediately to stop the leak and plug the well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNoZ9kAr1i8

OGM orphan well emergency plugging and abandonment May 2025 Emergency plugging of an orphaned gas well in the Uinta Basin.

Looking for something fun to do on April 26? Come visit our Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program booth at Safe Kids Day. Get some fun swag and learn about abandoned mine safety.

The emergency work at the Kenilworth coal mine has been completed. Here is a look at the work that mitigated the smoke.

Kenilworth Coal Fire Mitigation - Utah Abandoned Mines Reclamation Program A coal seam fire at the reclaimed Kenilworth Mine in Carbon County prompted emergency action in August 2024 due to increased smoke affecting residents in the...