Oil and gas: Underground Injection Control Program: exempt aquifers.

The federal Safe Drinking Water Act regulates certain wells as Class II wells, as defined. Under existing federal law, the authority to regulate Class II wells in California is delegated to the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources in the Department of Conservation. Under existing law, the division implements the Underground Injection Control Program pursuant to this federal delegation. The federal act prohibits certain well activities that affect underground sources of drinking water, unless those sources are located in an exempted aquifer. Existing federal law authorizes a state delegated with the responsibility of regulating Class II wells to propose that an aquifer or a portion of an aquifer be an exempted aquifer and authorizes the United States Environmental Protection Agency to approve the proposal if the aquifer or a portion of the aquifer meets certain criteria. Existing law, until March 1, 2019, requires the division to notify the relevant policy committees of the Legislature before submitting a proposal for an exempted aquifer determination to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Commencing January 1, 2020, and until March 1, 2020, this bill would require the division to notify the relevant policy committees of the Legislature before submitting a proposal for an exempted aquifer determination to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.