John (last name not specified in transcript), a program specialist with the Division of Oil, Gas and Mining's Underground Injection Control (UIC) program, told the Collaborative the program's "primary concern is to protect underground sources of drinking water." He outlined Class 2 history, permit review, key technical checks and operator obligations.

What regulators do: John walked the audience through the Class 2 permit lifecycle: submission and completeness checks, area-of-review (AOR) determination (a nominal half-mile radius around the proposed injection well to identify nearby wells needing mechanical-integrity review), public notice and a 30-day comment period, an "approval to convert" and on-site actions including plug-back or perforation at target intervals, packer installation, and a step-rate test. "One of the requirements we have in our construction of UIC wells is that packer can be at most 100 feet above where our perforations are," he said.

Testing and monitoring: John emphasized the program's preference for empirical downhole gauge data and described the step-rate test protocol: each step a minimum of 15 minutes, seven steps preferred, and the maximum allowable injection pressure is calculated from the intersection of lines on the step-rate plot (the parting/fracture pressure). He said field staff witness step-rate tests and that every injection well must perform a mechanical integrity test (MIT) at least every five years and whenever a workover or packer movement occurs.

Program scale and compliance: According to John, the state currently has 89 saltwater disposal wells and 719 enhanced oil recovery wells under UIC Class 2 oversight. He said applications require detailed area-of-review cross-sections, cement-bond logs and other evidence to verify cementing and well integrity; if mechanical-integrity concerns exist, the division can reject an application.

Ending: John said the division has moved to a Salesforce-based application portal and is revising rules to address purpose-built injection wells and modern operational practices; he said the division welcomes engagement with operators and emphasized the program's protective mandate for underground sources of drinking water.