Ohio Dept of Natural Resources: Recent Regulatory Notices, Rule Announcements and Updates


ODNR regulatory news:

NOTICE TO WELL OWNERS re: tubular goods (3/31/2015)—

The requirements of R.C. 1509.16 became effective March 31, 2015. The statute was enacted by Am. Sub. H.B. 59 of the 130th General Assembly. Well owners are required to file a disclosure form with the Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management that specifies the country of manufacture for tubular goods initially used in a production operation on or after March 31, 2015 unless that country cannot be determined. Tubular goods are defined as seamless or welded steel pipe used in drilling for oil and gas and include casing, tubing, drill pipe, couplings, and drill collars.

The division, in consultation with members of the oil and gas and steel industries, developed Form 15 that is to be used to report the total length of each tubular good used in wells drilled on and after March 31, 2015. Beginning in calendar year 2016, well owners must file the form with the division on or before March 31. On the form, the well owner must report the length of all casing, tubing, drill pipe and drill collars used in wells drilled in the previous calendar year and the country in which each of those goods was manufactured.

Copies of Form 15 can be found on the division's website at: http://oilandgas.ohiodnr.gov/industry/electronic-forms

Electronic submittal can be sent to: O&G.Tubulars@dnr.state.oh.us

Fax submittal can be sent to: 614-265-6910

Submittal by mail can be sent to:
Ohio Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management
2045 Morse Road-Building F-2
Columbus, OH 43229-6693

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HORIZONTAL WELL SITE CONSTRUCTION RULE ANNOUNCEMENT (3/24/2015)

ODNR's Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management is proposing new rules that address the design and construction of horizontal well sites. There will be a public hearing at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Building E-1 Assembly Center at 2045 Morse Road in Columbus, Ohio 43229 on April 23, 2015 starting at 10:00 a.m. At the hearing, any person affected by the proposed rule may present their comments orally or in writing. For more information about the proposed rule, or to view the proposed rule, click here. To sign up for future notifications about rule progress and opportunities for input, click here.

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State Updates Water Well Sealing Document (4/7/2015)
The State Coordinating Committee on Ground Water has updated the technical guidance document for sealing unused water wells.

In 2013, a workgroup was formed to re-write/edit the original document. This document is the product of the workgroup. The workgroup consisted of representatives from the drilling industry, the major grout manufacturers, and state agencies dealing with ground water. Monthly meetings were held for 13 months to revise the original 1996 technical guidance document. Some of the key changes include:

  • A table (Table 1) that lists different types of wells, the regulatory agency, if regulated, and the applicable regulation or guidance (page 2).
  • An appendix that contains associated links to the OAC or ORC (Appendix 2).
  • An emphasis on hiring or at least consulting a contractor before sealing a well. (Any well owner can seal their own well.)
  • The Preparation for Sealing section (pages 13-19) was expanded to include a table of possible concerns and the corresponding state or federal agency that may have information. A new Procedure Planning sub-section (pages 18-19) was created that lists all the items that should be in the plan before the well is sealed.
  • The cement-based grouts section (pages 20-26) was expanded to include a discussion on situations where bentonite grouts are not effective due to water quality conditions in the well to be sealed.
  • The General Sealing Procedures section (page 31) was expanded and the steps were numbered.
  • The specific well sealing procedures for dug wells and bucket auger wells were separated because ODH has different sealing procedures for these types of wells.
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