A multistate group of oil and gas regulators released a 130-page report about underground natural gas storage that aims to be a resource and address risk management, state permitting, well drilling and construction, well integrity, reservoir integrity, monitoring, emergency response planning, and other issues.
The working group was organized in March 2016 by States First, a joint initiative of the Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission and the Ground Water Protection Council to collect information from participating US states and help improve underground gas storage and states’ other regulatory programs.
Underground gas storage installations generally have operated safely, but became an issue when a leak at Southern California Gas Co.’s Aliso Canyon facility near Los Angeles in late 2015 led to the evacuation of a nearby housing development before it was capped and contained.
“A lot of thought and expertise went into this report,” said Hal Fitch, the working group’s co-chair and division director for the oil, gas, and minerals division within Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality, as the report was released on May 8.
The report, “Underground Gas Storage Regulatory Considerations,” includes input from experts in academia, industry, nonprofit organizations, and other state and federal agencies.
Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].