9.32—Access.
(a)
No access on, across or through lands or waters owned or controlled by the United States to a site for operations will be granted except for operations covered by § 9.33 and, except as provided by § 9.38, until the operator has filed a plan of operations pursuant to § 9.36 and has had the plan of operations approved in accordance with § 9.37. An approved plan of operations serves as the operator's access permit.
(b)
No operations shall be conducted on a site within a unit, access to which is on, across or through federally-owned or controlled lands or waters except in accordance with an approved plan of operations, the terms of § 9.33 or approval under § 9.38.
(c)
Any operator intending to use aircraft of any kind for access to a federally-owned or controlled site must comply with these regulations. Failure of an operator to receive the proper approval under these regulations prior to using aircraft in this manner is a violation of both these regulations and 36 CFR 2.17.
(d)
No access to a site outside a unit will be permitted across unit lands unless such access is by foot, pack animal, or designated road. Persons using designated roads for access to such a site must comply with the terms of § 9.50 where applicable.
(e)
Any operator on a site outside the boundaries of a unit must comply with these regulations if he is using directional drilling techniques which result in the drill hole crossing into the unit and passing under any land or water the surface of which is owned by the United States. Except, that the operator need not comply in those areas where, upon application of the operator or upon his own action, the Regional Director is able to determine from available data, that such operations pose no significant threat of damage to park resources, both surface and subsurface, resulting from surface subsidence, fracture of geological formations with resultant fresh water acquifer contamination, or natural gas escape, or the like.