The Ohio General Assembly has been busy this past week. Two pieces of legislation you might be interested in:
- Am. H.B. 473 - Designed to implement the Great Lakes Compact, HB 473 establishes permitting requirements for withdrawals and consumptive uses in the Lake Erie watershed that meet certain thresholds (e.g., 2.5 million gallons per day from a recognized navigation channel averaged over a 90-day period). While there are some exemptions, our industry is not generally exempt from this program. You can find a copy here. (Note - It includes amendments to R.C. 1501.30 et seq., regarding other diversions and consumptive uses that you should review as well.)
- Sub. S. B. 315 - SB 315 contains significant changes to Ohio's oil and gas conservation program. Among other things, it contains substantial disclosure requirements relating to hydraulic fracturing fluids, identification requirements regarding water sourcing and volumes used in production operations, and certain changes to Ohio's underground injection control program (i.e., Ohio's UIC brine disposal program). You can find a copy here.