Ohio Rev. Code § 1571.05
Whenever an operator of a gas storage reservoir is notified by the operator of a coal mine as provided in division (C) or (D) of section 1571.03 of the Revised Code, that part of the boundary of the mine is, or within nine months is intended or expected to be, within two thousand linear feet of a well that is drilled through the horizon of the mine and into or through the storage stratum or strata of the reservoir within the boundary of the reservoir or within its protective area, the reservoir operator shall plug or recondition the well as in this section prescribed.
Whenever the operator of a coal mine considers that the use of a well such as in this section described, if used for injecting gas into, or storing gas in, or removing gas from, a gas storage reservoir, would be hazardous to the safety of persons or property on or in the vicinity of the premises of the coal mine or the reservoir or well, the coal mine operator may file with the division objections to the use of the well for such purposes, and a request that a conference be held as provided in section 1571.10 of the Revised Code, to discuss and endeavor to resolve by mutual agreement whether or not the well shall or shall not be used for such purposes, and whether or not the well shall be reconditioned, inactivated, or plugged. The request shall set forth the mine operator's reasons for such objections. If no approved agreement is reached in the conference, the gas storage well inspector shall within ten days after the termination of the conference, file with the chief a request that the chief hear and determine the matters considered at the conference as provided in section 1571.10 of the Revised Code. Upon conclusion of the hearing, the chief shall find and determine whether or not the safety of persons or of the property on or in the vicinity of the premises of the coal mine, or the reservoir, or the well requires that the well be reconditioned, inactivated, or plugged, and shall make an order consistent with that determination, provided that the chief shall not order a well plugged unless the chief first finds that there is underground leakage of gas therefrom.
The plugging or reconditioning of each well described in a notice from a coal mine operator to a reservoir operator as provided in division (B) of section 1571.03 of the Revised Code, which must be plugged or reconditioned, shall be completed within such time as the gas storage well inspector may fix in the case of each such well. The plugging or reconditioning of each well described in a notice from a coal mine operator to a reservoir operator as provided in division (C) of section 1571.03 of the Revised Code, which must be plugged or reconditioned, shall be completed by the time the well, by reason of the extension of the boundary of the coal mine, is within two thousand linear feet of any part of the boundary of the mine. The plugging or reconditioning of each well described in a notice from a coal mine operator to a reservoir operator, as provided in division (D) of section 1571.03 of the Revised Code, which must be plugged or reconditioned, shall be completed by the time the well, by reason of the opening of the new mine, is within two thousand linear feet of any part of the boundary of the new mine. A reservoir operator who is required to complete the plugging or reconditioning of a well within a period of time fixed as in this division prescribed, may prior to the end of that period of time, notify the division and the mine operator from whom the reservoir operator received a notice as provided in division (B), (C), or (D) of section 1571.03 of the Revised Code, in writing by certified mail or electronic format, that the completion of the plugging or reconditioning of the well referred to in the notice will be delayed beyond the end of the period of time fixed therefor as in this section provided, and that the reservoir operator requests that a conference be held for the purpose of endeavoring to reach an agreement establishing a date subsequent to the end of that period of time, on or before which the reservoir operator may complete the plugging or reconditioning without incurring any penalties for failure to do so as provided in this chapter. If such a reservoir operator sends to such a mine operator and to the division a notice and request for a conference as in this division provided, the reservoir operator shall not incur any penalties for failure to complete the plugging or reconditioning of the well within the period of time fixed as in this division prescribed, unless the reservoir operator fails to complete the plugging or reconditioning of the well within the period of time fixed by an approved agreement reached in the conference, or fixed by an order by the chief upon a hearing held in the matter in the event of failure to reach an approved agreement in the conference.
Whenever, in compliance with this division, a well is to be plugged by a reservoir operator, the operator shall give to the division notice thereof, as many days in advance as will be necessary for the gas storage well inspector or a deputy mine inspector to be present at the plugging. The notification shall be made on blanks furnished by the division and shall show the following information:
If the reservoir operator plugs the well without the gas storage well inspector or a deputy mine inspector being present to supervise the plugging, the reservoir operator shall send to the division and to the coal mine operator a copy of the report of the plugging of the well, including in the report:
The report shall be signed by the operator or the operator's agent who plugged the well and verified by the oath of the party so signing. For the purposes of this section, a deputy mine inspector may take acknowledgements and administer oaths to the parties signing the report.
Whenever, in compliance with this division, a well is to be reconditioned by a reservoir operator, the operator shall give to the division notice thereof as many days before the reconditioning is begun as will be necessary for the gas storage well inspector, or a deputy mine inspector, to be present at the reconditioning. No well shall be reconditioned if an inspector of the division is not present unless permission to do so has been granted by the chief. The reservoir operator, at the time of giving notice to the division as in this section required, also shall send a copy of the notice by certified mail or electronic format to the coal mine operator, if any, who sent to the reservoir operator the notice as provided in division (B), (C), or (D) of section 1571.03 of the Revised Code, in order that the coal mine operator or the coal mine operator's designated representative may attend and observe the manner in which the reconditioning of the well is done.
If the reservoir operator reconditions the well when the gas storage well inspector or a deputy mine inspector is not present to supervise the reconditioning, the reservoir operator shall make written report to the division describing the manner in which the reconditioning was done, and shall send to the coal mine operator a copy of the report by certified mail or electronic format.
When a well that is to be reconditioned as required by this section has been reconditioned for use in the operation of the reservoir prior to the time prescribed in this section, and on the basis of the data, information, and other evidence available it is determined that at the time the well was so reconditioned the requirements prescribed in this division were met, and that there is no evidence of underground leakage of gas from the well, and that the reconditioning is sufficiently effective to prevent underground leakage from the well, the obligations imposed upon the reservoir operator by this section as to reconditioning the well shall be considered fully satisfied. Any operator of a coal mine any part of the boundary of which is, or within nine months is expected or intended to be, within two thousand linear feet of the well may at any time raise a question as to whether the reconditioning of the well is sufficiently effective to prevent underground leakage of gas therefrom, and the issue so made shall be determined by a conference or hearing as provided in section 1571.10 of the Revised Code.
If the gas storage well inspector at any time finds that a well that is drilled through the horizon of a coal mine and into or through the storage stratum or strata of a reservoir within the boundary of the reservoir or within its protective area is located within the boundary of the coal mine or within two thousand linear feet of the mine boundary, and was drilled prior to the time the statutes of this state required that wells be cased, and that the well fails to meet the casing and equipping requirements prescribed in this division, the gas storage well inspector shall promptly notify the operator of the reservoir thereof in writing, and the reservoir operator upon receipt of the notice shall promptly recondition the well in the manner prescribed in this division for reconditioning wells, unless, in a conference or hearing as provided in section 1571.10 of the Revised Code, a different course of action is agreed upon or ordered.
If at any time within the period of time during which testing of a reservoir is in progress, any part of the reservoir or of its protective area comes within any part of the boundary of a coal mine, the operator of the reservoir shall promptly send notice to that effect by certified mail or electronic format to the operator of the mine, the division of oil and gas resources management, and the division of mineral resources management.
R.C. § 1571.05