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Bill would require legislators be notified of hearings on wastewater injection well permits in their districts
Summary
Rep. Cameron Cooper introduced House Bill 1385 to require the Oil and Gas Commission to notify members of the General Assembly when the commission schedules a public hearing on a wastewater injection disposal well located in their legislative districts; committee voted to pass the bill.
Representative Cameron Cooper, R-District 57, introduced House Bill 1385 to require the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission to notify members of the General Assembly when the commission schedules a public hearing on a wastewater injection disposal well permit for a location in their districts.
Cooper said the measure grew from constituent concern after a disposal well was permitted and construction had begun in his district and in Senator Dismang’s district before local residents knew there would be a public hearing. “This is a very simple bill,” Cooper said, adding that the bill would add legislators to the commission’s existing notification list so members could share hearing information with constituents.
The bill responds to concerns about seismic activity tied to wastewater injection wells. Cooper told the committee that a disposal well in his area is near a recognized fault line close to the town of Enola and recalled earthquakes in North Central Arkansas in the 1980s that were linked to similar wells. He said an administrative moratorium now requires disposal-well permits to go before the full Oil and Gas Commission rather than being granted automatically by the commission director.
Under current practice, the Oil and Gas Commission posts notice in a newspaper and notifies the county judge. Cooper said many residents do not see newspaper notices, so HB 1385 would add notification to affected legislators and allow the commission to send those notifications by email rather than by written letter.
No members of the public signed up to speak for or against the bill, and no opposing remarks were recorded in committee. The committee received a motion to pass the bill from Senator Crowell with a second from Senator Letting; the committee voice-voted in favor and the motion passed.
The committee record shows the bill as passed out of committee. Representative Cooper closed the presentation at the end of the discussion.
