PRINTER'S NO. 1380
No. 1206 Session of 1991
INTRODUCED BY DALEY, LESCOVITZ, CAPPABIANCA, GIGLIOTTI, HALUSKA,
TRELLO, BELARDI, PETRARCA, HERMAN, STISH, PESCI, LAUGHLIN,
BILLOW, PISTELLA, ITKIN, D. R. WRIGHT, CORRIGAN, CIVERA,
TANGRETTI, JAROLIN, TELEK AND COLAIZZO, APRIL 22, 1991
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CONSERVATION, APRIL 22, 1991
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of December 18, 1984 (P.L.1069, No.214),
2 entitled "An act requiring coordination of coal mine and gas
3 well operators; authorizing Department of Environmental
4 Resources enforcement powers; and providing penalties,"
5 further providing for coordination of gas well drilling
6 through coal mines and for plugging certain gas wells.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. Sections 12 heading, (a) and (g) and 13(b) of the
10 act of December 18, 1984 (P.L.1069, No.214), known as the Coal
11 and Gas Resource Coordination Act, are amended to read:
12 Section 12. Coordination of gas well drilling through [active]
13 coal mines.
14 (a) When a proposed gas well is located above an active or
15 operating coal mine, then the owner of the coal mine may, within
16 ten days from the receipt by the department of the plat and
17 notice required by the Gas Operations Well-Drilling Petroleum
18 and Coal Mining Act, file objections, in writing, to such
19 proposed drilling with the department, setting out in detail the
1 ground or grounds upon which the objections are based.
2 * * *
3 (g) This section shall not apply to any [operating coal mine
4 when a gas well is proposed to be drilled through the mine] area
5 of an operating coal mine which is producing coal where the
6 proposed well will penetrate the underground workings in which
7 the department, pursuant to section 202 of the act of December
8 19, 1984 (P.L.1140, No.223), known as the Oil and Gas Act,
9 determines that the proposed well would unduly interfere with or
10 endanger the mine.
11 Section 13. Plugging gas wells penetrating workable coal seams.
12 * * *
13 (b) [Where] Notwithstanding the provisions of section 210 of
14 the act of December 19, 1984 (P.L.1140, No.223), known as the
15 Oil and Gas Act, where the owner or operator of the gas well
16 proposes to plug a gas well drilled prior to November 30, 1955,
17 or a gas well permitted after such date but not plugged in
18 accordance with the provisions of subsection (a), for the
19 purpose of allowing the mining through of the gas well, the gas
20 well shall be cleaned out to a depth at least 200 feet below the
21 coal seam in which the mining through is proposed and, unless
22 impracticable, to a point 200 feet below the lowest mineable
23 coal seam. Such gas well shall then be plugged in accordance
24 with subsection (a)(1), (2), (3) or (4), whichever shall be
25 applicable.
26 * * *
27 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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