Ohio Code 1509.074 – Analysis and disposition of material resulting from construction, operation, or plugging of a horizontal well
(A) With regard to material that results from the construction, operation, or plugging of a horizontal well, all of the following apply:
Terms Used In Ohio Code 1509.074
- Another: when used to designate the owner of property which is the subject of an offense, includes not only natural persons but also every other owner of property. See Ohio Code 1.02
- Gas: means all natural gas and all other fluid hydrocarbons that are not oil, including condensate. See Ohio Code 1509.01
- Horizontal well: means a well that is drilled for the production of oil or gas in which the wellbore reaches a horizontal or near horizontal position in the Point Pleasant, Utica, or Marcellus formation and the well is stimulated. See Ohio Code 1509.01
- Oil: means crude petroleum oil and all other hydrocarbons, regardless of gravity, that are produced in liquid form by ordinary production methods, but does not include hydrocarbons that were originally in a gaseous phase in the reservoir. See Ohio Code 1509.01
- Person: includes any political subdivision, department, agency, or instrumentality of this state; the United States and any department, agency, or instrumentality thereof; any legal entity defined as a person under section 1. See Ohio Code 1509.01
- Production operation: means all operations and activities and all related equipment, facilities, and other structures that may be used in or associated with the exploration and production of oil, gas, or other mineral resources that are regulated under this chapter, including operations and activities associated with site preparation, site construction, access road construction, well drilling, well completion, well stimulation, well site activities, reclamation, and plugging. See Ohio Code 1509.01
- state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59
- Waste: includes all of the following:
(1) Physical waste, as that term generally is understood in the oil and gas industry;
(2) Inefficient, excessive, or improper use, or the unnecessary dissipation, of reservoir energy;
(3) Inefficient storing of oil or gas;
(4) Locating, drilling, equipping, operating, or producing an oil or gas well in a manner that reduces or tends to reduce the quantity of oil or gas ultimately recoverable under prudent and proper operations from the pool into which it is drilled or that causes or tends to cause unnecessary or excessive surface loss or destruction of oil or gas;
(5) Other underground or surface waste in the production or storage of oil, gas, or condensate, however caused. See Ohio Code 1509.01
- Well: includes a stratigraphic well. See Ohio Code 1509.01
(1) Except as provided in division (A)(2) of this section, the owner shall determine the concentration of radium-226 and of radium-228 in representative samples of the material if the material is technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material. The owner shall provide for the collection and analysis of the representative samples of the material. The collection and analysis of the representative samples shall be performed in accordance with requirements approved by the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management. The owner shall not remove the material from the location associated with the production operation of the horizontal well until the analysis is complete and the results are available. However, the owner may do one of the following:
(a) Temporarily store the material in an area adjacent to the location associated with the production operation of the well while the results from the analysis of the representative samples are pending if the material is located in an area that is designated by the division of oil and gas resources management and the owner complies with all conditions imposed by the chief;
(b) Prior to the collection of representative samples under division (A)(1) of this section, transport the material to a location for which a permit or order has been issued under division (C) of section 1509.22 of the Revised Code. The owner shall provide for the collection of representative samples of the material at that location in accordance with that division and shall temporarily store the material at that location while the results from the analysis are pending.
(2) The owner is not required to determine the concentration of radium-226 and of radium-228 of the material that is technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material if any of the following applies:
(a) The material is reused in the horizontal well from where it originated or is transferred to another site for reuse in a horizontal well. For purposes of division (A)(2)(a) of this section, a material is reused if the material is used in a substantially similar manner as it was originally used.
(b) The owner disposes of the material at an injection well for which a permit has been issued under section 1509.22 of the Revised Code.
(c) The owner uses the material in association with a method of enhanced recovery for which a permit has been issued under section 1509.21 of the Revised Code.
(d) The material is transported out of the state for lawful disposal. The owner shall retain records that substantiate the lawful disposal and provide them to the chief upon request.
(3) Except as provided in division (A)(2) of this section, the owner shall transport and dispose of material that is technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material in accordance with all applicable laws.
(4) If the material is not technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material and the material has come in contact with a refined oil-based substance, the owner shall do one of the following:
(a) If the material is removed from the location associated with the production operation of the well or from a location specified in a permit or order issued under division (C) of section 1509.22 of the Revised Code, dispose of the material at a solid waste facility that is authorized to accept the material in accordance with Chapter 3734 of the Revised Code and rules adopted under it;
(b) If the material is removed from the location associated with the production operation of the well or from a location specified in a permit or order issued under division (C) of section 1509.22 of the Revised Code, beneficially use the material in accordance with rules adopted by the director of environmental protection under section 3734.125 of the Revised Code;
(c) If the material is not removed from the location associated with the production operation of the well, recycle or reuse the material with the approval of the chief.
(5) If the material is not technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material and the material has not come in contact with a refined oil-based substance, the material may be used at the location associated with the production operation of the horizontal well or at another location associated with a production operation.
(B) An owner who has obtained results under division (A)(1) of this section shall keep and maintain the results for a period of three years. In addition, the owner shall provide a copy of the results to the chief upon request.
(C) As used in this section:
(1) “Technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material” has the same meaning as in section 3748.01 of the Revised Code.
(2) “Owner” includes a person that is an authorized agent of an owner.