The Oil and Gas Council proposed amendments to Mo. Code Regs. Ann. tit. 10, §50-1 and §50-2. The proposed amendments would, among other things, clarify plugging methodology to meet industry standards, add definitions for observation wells and private domestic consumption, remove the requirement for blanket drilling permit requests to be part of an established production unit, and clarify that no fee is assessed for injection permit modifications. A hearing will be held September 6, 2018.

The Department of Conservation proposed to amend Cal. Code Regs. tit. 14, §1723.9 and §1760, and adopt §§1752, 1772, 1772.1, 1772.1.1 to .3, and 1772.2 to .4. The proposed amendments would ensure that wells are not allowed to become a potential conduit for contamination of groundwater, dilution of hydrocarbon resources, or leaking methane into the atmosphere, and require more rigorous testing of idle wells and observation wells, operator evaluations of idle wells, and engineering analyses for idle wells that have been idle for 15 or more years.