The Department
of Environmental Protection’s Office of Oil and Gas has launched a webpage that
contains information specifically related to horizontal drilling as defined by
the Horizontal Drilling Act that was passed by the state Legislature in
December.
As part of the Act, the Legislature required the DEP to
create the page so citizens could obtain information about the location of
proposed horizontal wells and give them the opportunity to comment on those
permit applications.
Currently, the page offers links to items that will be
further developed as permit applications are received by the agency. Links to
pages that allow citizens to submit or review comments about specific permit
applications, as well as a link to a tool that helps them find the location of
a proposed well, are included.
“The page will continue to grow and change as more permit
applications are submitted to the agency,” said James Martin, Chief of the
Office of Oil and Gas. “Soon, after we populate the site with applications that
have been received, people will be able to see a list with information such as
the applicant, where the well is located, the formation it targets, whether the
well has been completed and the date the permit was issued.”
Under the new legislation, one of the first steps
operators have to take is placing a Class II Legal notice in local newspapers
at least 10 days prior to submitting an application.
“As an added public notice option, people can go to this
page and sign up for an email notification whenever a permit is received or
issued by the Office of Oil and Gas,” Martin said.
The site can be found at:
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