(The Center Square) — House Bill 205 has reached the Louisiana Senate as it seeks to provide for the operation of saltwater disposal wells in several parishes.
Of the many bills Rep. Danny McCormick, Oil City, is sponsoring, HB205 was received in the Senate on Tuesday and placed on the calendar for a second reading.
If the bill passes, it will affect Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, DeSoto, Red River and Webster parishes.
HB205 passed 96-0 in the House on Tuesday.
Present law gives authority to the commissioner of conservation to regulate disposal wells, which include saltwater disposal wells. The measure, if signed into law by Gov. Jeff Landry, would prohibit the commissioner from regulating disposal wells in specific parishes to a specific surface injection pressure of 0.5 pounds per vertical foot, measured from the surface to the point of injection.
According to a Legislative Fiscal Office Note looking at expenditures and revenues for the bill, the proposed law could increase costs for the Office of Conservation if they need to perform permit modifications. Since the bill limits the mandates to specific parishes, operators might require permit modifications.
Within the six parishes, there are 785 permitted saltwater disposal wells.
Saltwater disposal wells in the areas are used to safely dispose of the byproducts of oil and gas production, known as “produced water.” While the byproduct is mostly made up of salty water, it also has residual hydrocarbons and chemicals. Sometimes, the waste can have naturally occurring radioactive materials in it as well.
As the water is heavily polluted, it is deemed hazardous to the environment. The byproduct is injected thousands of feet into the ground away from fresh water. According to reports, the injected byproduct is under so much pressure where placed, it does not move through rock formations. The produced water eventually becomes trapped and evaporates.
Regulations are in place to ensure the injection of saltwater does not come into contact with drinking water.
Several bills currently in the Legislature could affect the Northwestern regions of Louisiana, including Caddo and Bossier parishes, apart from HB205. Recently, the Shreveport City Council voted in favor of four of them as they met to discuss the statewide legislation. The council expressed its support for Senate Bill 63, HB262, HB512, and SB189 via resolutions.
