Flaring Agent

The Flaring Compliance Monitor Agent continuously tracks flaring and venting activity across an operator’s wells and leases. It monitors compliance with RRC Rule 32 authorizations, EPA methane emission rules, and greenhouse gas reporting obligations.

Configuration

Property	Value
Agent ID	`flaring-monitor-agent`
Agent Type	`flaring_monitor`
Primary Model	gpt-4o
Fallback Model	gpt-4o-mini
YAML File	`agents/flaring-compliance-agent.yaml`

Purpose

The Flaring Monitor is a specialized monitoring agent focused entirely on flaring and venting compliance. Its responsibilities include:

Volume tracking — track daily and monthly flaring volumes against active R-32 authorizations
Threshold alerts — alert when volumes reach 80% of permitted maximums
Duration monitoring — flag wells approaching the 180-day cumulative flaring limit
Form PR validation — validate production report data before monthly submission
EPA applicability — assess OOOOb applicability for wells drilled after November 15, 2021
Exceedance forecasting — predict authorization exceedances using decline curve analysis
Readiness scoring — generate compliance readiness scores for each well and lease

Skills

Skill ID	Name	Purpose
`flaring-volume-calc`	Flaring Volume Calculation	Calculate and track flaring volumes against R-32 authorization limits across the portfolio
`emissions-estimate`	Emissions Estimate	Calculate CO2e emissions using EPA factors for OOOOb/GHGRP Subpart W compliance tracking

Alert Thresholds

The Flaring Monitor uses specific quantitative thresholds to trigger alerts:

Threshold Type	Trigger Point	Alert Level	Description
Volume	80% of R-32 authorized maximum	WARNING	Flaring volume approaching permitted cap
Duration	150 of 180 cumulative days	WARNING	Approaching the maximum authorized flaring duration
EPA well	Well drilled after 2021-11-15	INFO	OOOOb applicability assessment needed
Unauthorized	Any unauthorized flaring event	CRITICAL	Immediate alert — flaring without valid R-32 authorization
Volume exceeded	100% of R-32 authorized maximum	CRITICAL	Authorization limit exceeded
Duration exceeded	180 cumulative days	CRITICAL	Maximum authorized duration exceeded

Unauthorized flaring events trigger an immediate CRITICAL alert. Any flaring activity detected at a well or lease without a valid R-32 authorization is flagged for urgent compliance team review.

Regulatory Frameworks Tracked

The Flaring Monitor covers four overlapping regulatory frameworks:

Framework	Authority	Scope
RRC Statewide Rule 32 (16 TAC 3.32)	Railroad Commission of Texas	State flaring and venting exception authorizations
EPA OOOOb/c	US Environmental Protection Agency	Federal methane emission standards for oil and gas operations
GHGRP Subpart W	US EPA	Greenhouse gas reporting for petroleum and natural gas systems
TCEQ Air Quality	Texas Commission on Environmental Quality	State-level air emission permits and thresholds

The Flaring Monitor tracks both state (RRC, TCEQ) and federal (EPA) requirements simultaneously. This is important because a flaring event that is authorized under Rule 32 may still trigger federal reporting obligations under GHGRP Subpart W.

HITL Checkpoints

Checkpoint	Required	Reviewer Strategy	Description
`compliance_alert`	No	`role_based`	Notify compliance team of threshold approach

The HITL checkpoint is not required — the Flaring Monitor is designed to run continuously without blocking on approval. When it detects a threshold approach or violation, it creates a notification for the compliance team but continues monitoring.

Budget

Limit	Per Execution	Per Day
Tokens	50,000	500,000
Cost (USD)	$3.00	$30.00

The budget is sized for frequent, lightweight assessments. The daily limit of 500,000 tokens supports roughly 10 full portfolio scans per day, or more frequent targeted assessments of individual wells.

Alert Channels

The Flaring Monitor delivers alerts through two channels:

Channel	Delivery	Use Case
Dashboard	Real-time in the AEGIS UI	Primary alert surface for the compliance team
Email	Notification to designated recipients	Critical alerts and daily/weekly summaries


metadata:
  domain: oil_and_gas
  jurisdiction: texas
  regulator: rrc
  monitoring_type: continuous
  alert_channels:
    - email
    - dashboard

Monitoring Workflow

The Flaring Monitor follows this continuous assessment loop:

Per-Entity Assessment

Pull current data — retrieve flaring volumes, authorization status, and production data from the knowledge graph
Check authorization — verify that the well/lease has a valid, non-expired R-32 authorization
Compare volumes — compare current flaring volumes against the authorized maximum
Check duration — calculate cumulative flaring days against the 180-day limit
Assess EPA applicability — determine OOOOb/c applicability based on well drilling date
Forecast trend — project future volumes using recent trends to predict exceedances
Generate score — compute a composite compliance readiness score
Emit alerts — create appropriate alerts based on threshold analysis

Form PR Validation

Before monthly Form PR submission, the Flaring Monitor validates:

Check	What It Validates
Volume consistency	Flared + vented + sold + used = total gas produced
Disposition codes	Correct codes (10 for flared, 11 for vented) assigned
Authorization match	Reported flaring matches active R-32 authorizations
Trend anomalies	Month-over-month changes that exceed expected decline curves

Integration with Rule 32 Agent

When the Flaring Monitor detects that a well or lease needs a new or renewed R-32 authorization, it escalates to the Rule 32 agent:

Trigger	Escalation
R-32 expiring within 30 days	Alert with recommendation to initiate renewal
Volume approaching 80% of authorized max	Alert with current volumes and projected timeline
Unauthorized flaring detected	CRITICAL alert — Rule 32 filing required immediately
New well without OOOOb assessment	Alert for EPA compliance review

The Flaring Monitor does not initiate R-32 filings directly. It identifies the need and alerts the compliance team, who can then start a Rule 32 agent session to prepare the filing.