Oil and gas: drilling.

Under existing law, the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources in the Department of Conservation regulates the drilling, operation, maintenance, and abandonment of oil and gas wells in the state. The State Oil and Gas Supervisor supervises the drilling, operation, maintenance, and abandonment of wells and the operation, maintenance, and removal or abandonment of tanks and facilities related to oil and gas production within an oil and gas field regarding safety and environmental damage. Existing law further requires a person who acquires the right to operate a well or production facility, whether by purchase, transfer, assignment, conveyance, exchange, or other disposition, to meet specific requirements before drilling operations. This bill would additionally require the operator prior to drilling, redrilling, or deepening operations to submit proof to the supervisor that the applicable regional water quality control board has approved the disposal method and location of wastewater disposal for the well. Existing law requires the supervisor, on or before the first day of October of each year, to make public a report on specified information. Existing law requires an operator of a well, on or before the end of each month, to file with the supervisor a statement for the last preceding calendar month detailing specified information. This bill would additionally require the supervisor to include information on the origin and total amount of freshwater used in each county for the production of oil and gas production, the disposal of wastewater from oil and gas production in each county, and the well casing failures in each county. The bill would additionally require the operator of a well to include in the statement information on the origin and total amount of freshwater used in each well or in each oil field if the operator has multiple wells within the oil field, and the disposal of wastewater. Because a violation of this requirement is a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would require the operator of a well, at least 30 days prior to commencing a hydraulic fracturing treatment, as defined, to provide a copy of the approved hydraulic fracturing treatment permit to specified surface property owners. The bill would authorize those property owners to request the applicable regional water quality control board to perform water quality sampling and testing on any water well suitable for drinking or irrigation purposes, as specified. The bill would require a notice of intent to drill, rework, or deepen a well where hydraulic fracturing will occur to include specified information. The bill would require, as a part of a notice of intent to drill, rework, or deepen a well where hydraulic fracturing will occur, the operation of a well to provide to the appropriate water quality control board a groundwater monitoring plan containing specified information for approval under specified circumstances. Because a violation of these requirements is a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.