Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners admit they held another non-public meeting last week to discuss several related issues about the plugging of nonproducing natural gas wells as well as carbon sequestration wells. But the closed meeting also revealed another potential constitutional issue for the regulators because of a new state law passed in the recent legislative session.
The private meeting, attended by Commissioners Brian Bingman, Todd Hiett and Kim David, was held on August 13 and started at 2:30 p.m. and ended at 3:54 p.m.
All hands were on deck as the commissioners discussed the new state law created by SB 132 which requires operators to plug nonproducing natural gas wells but is also in conflict with a section of the Oklahoma Administrative Code, 165:10-11-3.
In a second part of the non-public meeting, Commissioners held a private discussion with staff about the Oil and Gas Conservation Division’s process with respect to abandoned wells.
There was also discussion of a recent meeting involving Jeremy Hodges, Director of the Commission’s Oil and Gas Conservation Division and Commissioner David with EPA Region 6 officials in Dallas about the Class VI carbon sequestration wells, Class II disosal wells, feedback from OCC field inspectors and “various jurisdictional issues.”
The commissioners also talked about potential impacts of PHMSA policy changes on the Pipeline Safety program and Southwest Power Pool transmission planning.
A lengthy list of staff members were on hand: Jeff Kline (Legal Advisor to Commissioner David), Erica O’Neal (Regulatory Assistant-Paralegal to Commissioner David), Jared Haines (Administrative Aide to Commissioner Bingman), Matt Mullins, (Delilberating Attorney to Commissioner Bingman), Louis Jackson (Advisor and Assistant to Commissioner Bingman), Nicole King (Legal Advisor to Commissioner Hiett), Jeremy Hodges (Director, Oil and Gas Conservation Division), Roger Pearman (Manager, Field Operations, Oil and Gas Conservation Division), Teryl Williams (General Counsel Regulatory), Paul Swigart (Director, Transportation Division), and Mark Willingham (Chief Legal Counsel, Transportation Division).