Democratic Lawmakers Pushing for More Money to Communities with Injection Wells
From NGI:
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Two Democratic lawmakers from Northeast Ohio have introduced a bill that would see the communities they represent and others where injection wells are located receive more of the fees collected to dispose of oil and gas waste.
State Reps. Glenn Holmes and Mike O’Brien, both of Trumbull County, introduced House Bill (HB) 578 last week. Under the proposal, 37.5% of the out-of-district injection well fees collected by the state would be redirected to the municipalities and townships where the wells are located. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) regulates underground injection wells and collects all fees from the state’s operators.
Under current law, ODNR receives 5 cents/barrel for waste that’s been produced and injected inside a regulatory district. When the injected waste is produced outside of a regulatory district, but disposed inside it, ODNR collects 20 cents/barrel.
“All we are asking for is that ODNR and the injection well industry be good community partners in dealing with this very sensitive issue,” Holmes said. “We think it is only fair that the community see some type of remediation for the impacts of dumping in our communities. Furthermore, we need to explore the technologies to stop the need for injection wells altogether.”You can click here to read more of this story.
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