Fracking well reporting requirement advances

Senators advanced a bill March 9 that would enhance disclosure and public notice regulations on injection wells.

LB1082, sponsored by Sen. Ken Schilz of Ogallala, would require commercial injection well operators to sample and analyze injected wastewater at least once per year and provide the resulting data to the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which regulates Nebraska’s oil and gas production.

The bill also would require the certification and monitoring of vehicles used to transport the wastewater and the periodic evaluation of an operator’s ability to pay the costs of shutting down a well.

The commission would be required to provide public notice of an injection well permit application to the county, city or village where the well would be located and could conduct public meetings to review them.

LB1082 also would remove language from the commission’s purpose statement encouraging it to promote development of the state’s oil and gas resources.

Senators voted 29-0 to advance the bill to select file.