Funding the DEP Office of Oil and Gas

The purpose of this bill is to provide stable and adequate funding to the Office of Oil and Gas of the DEP in order to oversee oil and gas wells' compliance with the law for the life of the wells. The Office currently is only funded by one-time fees generated by the applications for the permits for initial drilling of a well. It only has a reduced staff of 25 including only one inspector for every 5000 wells. The bill provides the funding by requiring an annual oversight fee of $100 for each well that is to be used for the functions of the Office of Oil and Gas with any excess to be used to plug orphaned wells.

ISSUES: Climate, Land & Wildlife, Pure Water

CWV Position: Supports

Status: Introduced 1/12/22; referred to Energy Committee