Kohring proposes streamlined shallow gas permitting

Petroleum News Alaska Staff

Rep. Vic Kohring, R-Wasilla, has introduced a bill to streamline permitting for shallow natural gas wells.

Kohring said in a statement that the bill would streamline the permitting process for drilling shallow coalbed methane wells.

“It's basically an apples to oranges comparison,” Kohring said in a statement. “The small operators should not be subjected to the same strict requirements that the operators on the North Slope are, and for good reason. The North Slope has much more complicated, more difficult types of wells to drill.”

Kohring said the bill would permit a shallow natural gas well application to bypass drilling regulations that do not apply to such well.

The bill, House Bill 69, was introduced Jan. 29. It would allow a member of the professional staff of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission designated by the commission to “approve a variance from the commission's regulations that apply to the well or field” without waiting for a hearing on the variance “where operations might be unduly delayed.”