Oil & Gas Midstream Facilities

Oil and gas midstream facilities include those that transport or store oil and gas. Facilities that are midstream include some tank batteries, truck and rail load-out or transfer facilities, natural gas processing plants and compressor stations, among others.

Questions may be addressed to the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality at 701-328-5188 or email (AirQuality@nd.gov).


Midstream facilities may require construction permits and operating permits, please see those pages for more information on the permitting process and requirements. Midstream facilities may be subject to several State and Federal regulations including, but not limited to:

North Dakota Administrative Code (NDAC)
New Source Performance Standards (NSPS)
National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP)

The Department has traditionally issued air quality permits to construct and operating permits to all natural gas compressor stations. However, with the increase in electric-driven compressor engines the facilities tend to have significantly lower emissions compared to other engine-driven compressors. As such the Department released a 21 November 2012 memo: Permitting of Electric-driven Compressor Stations. This memo outlines when an electric-driven compressor station needs to apply for a Construction or Operating Permit.



Due to the unique properties of the Bakken, Three Forks, and Sanish formations, the Department has developed special guidelines and regulations related to the air quality requirements of facilities producing and processing oil and gas from these formations. Many of these documents apply to other non-Bakken, Three Forks, or Sanish wells.

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Document Name

Rev. Date

Doc Type

Testing Requirements for Non-Emergency Engines (RICE) Located at Minor Source Oil and Gas Facilities 09 June 2021 Policy
Compliance Alert – Air Emissions from Onshore Oil and Natural Gas Production Facilities 05 October 2020 Policy
Memo to Operators About Guidance Document 02 May 2011 Policy
Oil and Gas Production Facilities Guidance (aka Bakken Guidance) 02 May 2011 Policy
Examples of Gas Analysis 05-15 Form-Example
Regulation Summary 01-13 Policy
Bakken Pool Oil & Gas Guidance Policy Method 22 Clarification 10 October 2011 Policy
NDDoH Clarification of VOC Emission Responsibilities for Oil & Gas Facilities Producing Prior to June 1, 2011 07-11 Policy
Air Pollution Control Equipment Operations (August) 20 August 2012 Policy
Air Pollution Control Equipment Operations (October) 19 October 2012 Policy
Storage Vessels at Oil & Gas Non-Production Facilities 27 May 2015 Policy
Storage Vessel Guidance 09 October 2013 Policy
ND Storage Vessel Registration Cover Letter (.docx ) 09 October 2013 Policy
ND Spreadsheet for Storage Vessel Guidance (.xlsx ) 09 October 2013 Policy
Memo & EPA Compliance Alert forAir Emissions at Oil and Gas Production Storage Vessels 19 October 2015 Policy
Compliance Requirements for Condensate Truck Loadout Emissions 03 February 2020 Policy
High Efficiency Program Specifically Applies to Flares (Steffes, LLC) For Midstream Facilities 15 March 2021 Oil &Gas
High Efficiency Program Specifically Applies to Flares (Steffes, LLC) For Upstream Production Facilities 15 March 2021 Oil &Gas
High Efficiency Program Specifically Applies to Combustors For Upstream Production Facilities 18 March 2021 Oil &Gas
High Efficiency Program Specifically Applies to Flares (Steffes, LLC) For Upstream Production Facilities 13 January 2022 Oil &Gas
Control of Storage Tanks at Shut-In Upstream Production Facilities 23 August 2021 Oil &Gas

Oil and Gas Production Facility Registrations must be submitted through CERIS-ND for new and modified Oil and Gas Production Sites.

 Access CERIS-ND

Required Oil and Gas Production Facility Registrations must be submitted to the Department within 90 days of first production using CERIS-ND. Failure to submit a complete Oil and Gas Production Facility Registration — Modification form for a new or re-completed well (search by API well or NDIC Permit number), within the 90 days, may be subject to enforcement action.



The Division has developed packages of commonly used forms, regulations, rules, and documents related to the oil and gas industry for easier use. These packages are of common files and information used in oil and gas and may not contain all rules, regulations, or documents that apply to your facility.

Compressor Station and Gas Plant PTCs

Below are forms commonly needed for a Permit to Construct for a natural gas compressor station.


Form Name SFN Rev. Date Form Type
Air Contaminant Sources 8516 03-19 Permit Application
Air Pollution Control Equipment 8532 03-19 Permit Application
Flares 59652 03-19 Permit Application
Fuel Burning Equipment for Indirect Heating 8518 03-19 Permit Application
Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP) Source 8329 03-19 Permit Application
Internal Combustion Engines and Turbines 8891 03-19 Permit Application
Volatile Organic Compounds Storage Tank 8535 03-19 Permit Application



Last Updated: 02/06/2020