Bill Text: PA HB2726 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Further providing for well permits.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-2)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-09-15 - Referred to ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY [HB2726 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2009-HB2726-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 4234
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 2726 Session of2010
INTRODUCED BY WHITE, CALTAGIRONE, CARROLL, DePASQUALE, FREEMAN, GEORGE, GOODMAN, JOSEPHS, KULA, MUNDY, MURPHY, PASHINSKI, QUINN, K. SMITH, SWANGER AND WAGNER, SEPTEMBER 15, 2010
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2010
AN ACT
Amending the act of December 19, 1984 (P.L.1140, No.223),
entitled "An act relating to the development of oil and gas
and coal; imposing duties and powers on the Department of
Environmental Resources; imposing notification requirements
to protect landowners; and providing for definitions, for
various requirements to regulate the drilling and operation
of oil and gas wells, for gas storage reservoirs, for various
reporting requirements, including certain requirements
concerning the operation of coal mines, for well permits, for
well registration, for distance requirements, for well casing
requirements, for safety device requirements, for storage
reservoir obligations, for well bonding requirements, for a
Well Plugging Restricted Revenue Account to enforce oil and
gas well plugging requirements, for the creation of an Oil
and Gas Technical Advisory Board, for oil and gas well
inspections, for enforcement and for penalties," further
providing for well permits.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 201(b) of the act of December 19, 1984
(P.L.1140, No.223), known as the Oil and Gas Act, is amended to
read:
Section 201. Well permits.
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(b) The permit application shall be accompanied by a plat
prepared by a competent engineer or a competent surveyor, on
forms to be furnished by the department, showing the political
subdivision and county in which the tract of land upon which the
well to be drilled is located, the name of the surface landowner
of record and lessor, the name of all surface landowners or
water purveyors whose water supplies are within 1,000 feet of
the proposed well location, the name of the owner of record or
operator of all known underlying workable coal seams, if any,
the acreage in the tract to be drilled, the proposed location of
the well determined by survey, the courses and distances of such
location from two or more permanent identifiable points or
landmarks on said tract boundary corners, the proposed angle and
direction of such well, if the well is to be deviated
substantially from a vertical course, the number or other
identification to be given the well, the workable coal seams, if
any, underlying the tract of land upon which the well is to be
drilled or altered, which are to be cased off in accordance with
section 207, and such information needed by the department to
administer this act. The applicant shall forward, by certified
mail, a copy of said plat to each political subdivision in which
the well is to be located, the surface landowner, all surface
landowners or water purveyors whose water supplies are within
1,000 feet of the proposed well location, the owner and lessee,
if any, of such coal seams, and every coal operator required to
be identified on the well permit application and shall submit
proof of such notification with the well permit application.
With respect to surface owners, notification shall be
accomplished under this section by sending notice to the persons
to whom the tax notices for said surface property are sent, as
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indicated in the assessment books in the county in which the
property is located. With respect to surface landowners or water
purveyors whose water supplies are within 1,000 feet of the
proposed well location, notification shall be made on forms and
in a manner prescribed by the department sufficient to identify,
for such persons, the rights afforded them under section 208 and
the advisability of taking their own predrilling or
prealteration survey. With respect to the political subdivision
in which the well is to be located, notification shall be made
on forms and in a manner prescribed by the department. If the
applicant submits to the department written approval of the
proposed well location by the political subdivision in which the
well is to be located, the surface landowner and the coal
operator, lessee or owner, if any, of the coal underlying the
proposed well location and no objections are raised by the
department within 15 days of filing or if no such approval has
been submitted and no objections are made to such proposed well
location within 15 days from receipt of such notice by the
political subdivision in which the well is to be located, the
surface landowner and the coal operator, lessee or owner, if
any, or by the department, the same shall be filed and become a
permanent record of such location, subject to inspection at any
time by any interested person.
* * *
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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