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Northwest Louisiana operators push for higher allowable injection pressures; bill deferred for further work
Summary
Industry witnesses told the committee that current allowable surface injection pressures (MASIPs) in Louisiana restrict commercial saltwater disposal wells and send water to Texas. Representative McCormick voluntarily deferred House Bill 205 after extended testimony and department discussion.
Industry witnesses representing commercial class II injection well operators and service companies told the House Natural Resources Committee on April 16 that Louisiana’s current allowable surface injection pressures (MASIPs) are lower than neighboring Texas and hinder disposal-well operations in northwest parishes.
Representative Robert McCormick introduced House Bill 205 to provide statutory direction for the operation of saltwater disposal wells in Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, DeSoto, Red River and Webster parishes and to set a standard surface injection gradient of 0.5 pounds per square inch per vertical foot (0.5 psi/ft), a level witnesses said is common in Texas.
"Approval of this bill will be instrumental and ultimately necessary because of the following: these wells provide the absolute necessary service to produce oil and gas," said Mark Moore of Approach Environmental. He and other witnesses argued that current MASIPs assigned by the state (commonly in the 0.15–0.25 psi/ft range in testimony) are too low for Northwest Louisiana geology and force companies to truck produced saltwater to Texas disposal wells.
Operators described economic and infrastructure impacts from long-haul truck traffic and cited investments that cannot operate under current pressure limits. Brian Snead of Bulldog Oilfield Services said he invested roughly $5,000,000 to build a commercial disposal facility and was unable to operate it at the MASIP initially assigned; he described months-long delays and repeated technical reviews.
Companies and technical witnesses presented fracture-modeling arguments intended to show that, for the region’s geology and specified confining layers (the Midway Shale was cited in testimony), injection at a 0.5 psi/ft gradient would not propagate fractures to underground sources of drinking water (USDWs). Jordy Babineau and other licensed geologists described modeling and monitoring practices, and they told lawmakers the permitting process in Louisiana is rigorous but inconsistent compared with neighboring states.
Blake Canfield, executive counsel for the Department of Energy and Natural Resources, told the committee the agency is working with industry and the sponsor to find a balanced approach that ensures USDW protection and meets EPA primacy obligations; the department noted the current regulatory calculation that ties allowable pressure to a percentage of the fracture pressure for the relevant formation and said exceptions and modeling are part of why permitting can be prolonged.
After extended testimony from operators and departmental discussion, Representative McCormick voluntarily deferred House Bill 205 to continue work with DENR and refine technical and statutory language. Industry witnesses and lawmakers said they expect further meetings to try to harmonize regional practice with public-safety protections.
