The Director shall hold confidential all logs, surveys, and reports relating to the drilling, completion, and testing of a well that are filed by a gas or oil operator under this chapter for a period of 90 days after the completion of the well or 18 months after the total depth of the well has been reached, whichever occurs first. Upon receipt of a gas, oil, or geophysical operator‘s written request, the Director shall hold confidential such information concerning an exploratory well or corehole for a period of two years after completion of the well or four years from the date such well or hole reaches total depth, whichever occurs first. The Director, for good cause shown by the gas, oil, or geophysical operator, may annually extend the period of time for which information regarding exploratory drilling is held confidential. However, the Director shall upon request provide a copy of any survey or log for strata through the lowest coal seam to the coal owner.

Terms Used In Virginia Code 45.2-1606

  • Coal owner: means any person who owns, leases, mines and produces, or has the right to mine and produce a coal seam. See Virginia Code 45.2-1600
  • Coal seam: includes a stratum of less than 20 inches in thickness if it (i) is being commercially worked or (ii) in the judgment of the Department could foreseeably be commercially worked and will require protection if a well is drilled through it. See Virginia Code 45.2-1600
  • Exploratory well: means any well drilled to (i) find and produce gas or oil in an unproven area, (ii) find a new reservoir in a field previously found to be productive of gas or oil in another reservoir, or (iii) extend the limits of a known gas or oil reservoir. See Virginia Code 45.2-1600
  • Gas or oil operator: means any person who operates or has been designated to operate any gas or oil well or gathering pipeline. See Virginia Code 45.2-1600
  • Geophysical operator: means a person who has the right to explore for gas or oil using ground-disturbing geophysical exploration. See Virginia Code 45.2-1600
  • Log: includes electrical survey records or electrical survey logs. See Virginia Code 45.2-1600
  • Oil: means natural crude oil or petroleum and other hydrocarbons, regardless of gravity, that are produced at the well in liquid form by ordinary production methods and are not the result of condensation of gas after it leaves the underground reservoir. See Virginia Code 45.2-1600
  • Well: means any shaft or hole sunk, drilled, bored, or dug into the earth or into underground strata for the extraction, injection, or placement of any gaseous or liquid substance or any shaft or hole sunk or used in conjunction with such extraction, injection, or placement. See Virginia Code 45.2-1600

1990, c. 92, § 45.1-361.6; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 387.

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