Oil and gas production: water use: reporting.

Under existing law, the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources in the Department of Conservation regulates the drilling, operation, maintenance, stimulation, and abandonment of oil and gas wells in the state. Existing law requires the owner of any well to file with the State Oil and Gas Supervisor a monthly statement that provides certain information relating to the well, including what disposition was made of the water produced from each field. Existing law provides that a person who fails to comply with specific laws relating to the regulation of oil or gas operations, including failing to furnish a report or record, is guilty of a misdemeanor. This bill would require the statement to the supervisor to include the source and volume of any water reported, including water used to generate or make up the composition of any injected fluid or gas, as provided, and would require that information to be reported on a quarterly basis. The bill would also require the statement to include additional information, including the treatment of water and the use of treated or recycled water in oil and gas field activities, as provided, and would require that information to be reported on a quarterly basis. The bill would require the division, among other things, to use a standardized form or format to facilitate reporting and to use noncustom software, as feasible, to implement online reporting by the operator of specified information. Because a violation of the bill's reporting requirements by an owner or operator would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.