On September 12, 2017, the Monroeville City Council unanimously passed an ordinance regulating seismic testing. The seismic ordinance establishes regulations for companies that are interested in doing seismic tests as part of field development procedures.
Key highlights from the ordinance include:
- Companies must obtain a one year permit and provide details about the company’s proposed testing area, traffic control plans, and information about the engineer or geologist supervising the project. The permit has a price tag of $1,000. Companies must also deposit $5,000 in escrow to cover expenses associated with the permit.
- Companies must notify property owners within 150 feet of testing 30 days prior to initiation. Companies must also notify property owners within 100 feet if vibrating tests and 300 ft of any explosive tests.
- Companies must have $500,000 bond to guarantee work completion and $2 million general liability insurance to protect the Municipality from all loss, damages, and costs arising from the permit holder’s operations.
Oil and gas exploration companies are unhappy about the increased regulations for seismic testing. Huntley and Huntley, an E&P company, expressed their opinion on the new regulation. Paul Burke, Vice President of Huntley and Huntley, told the impact a company that has been headquartered in Monroeville for decades and that approached the permitting process with the municipality for this seismic survey in an open and transparent manner.”
