West Virginia geothermal regulation bill passes House Judiciary deliberation

Illustration of subsurface temperatures at 7.5 kilometers in West Virginia (source: SMU)

The House Judiciary Committee of West Virginia Legislature has approved House Bill 4098 which gives the Department of Environmental Protection regulatory oversight over geothermal development. The bill will require the department to create a permitting system and to establish rules for geothermal drilling and site reclamation after a well has been abandoned.

The momentum for this legislation is a response to a research being done by West Virginia University, as we reported. This research will include drilling of a well to a depth of about 15,000 feet or 4,500 meters. This will be to evaluate the potential of a geothermal energy supply for heating of the university campus.

House Energy and Manufacturing Committee chief counsel Robert Akers has indicated that the permit for the university will initially become pending under the new regulatory bill.

As part of the regulatory oversight granted by the bill, the department can issue civil penalties from $100 to $500 for each rule under the bill. Amendments have also been made to the bill to exclude geothermal heating and cooling pump systems for private residential areas and farm buildings. Thus, the bill only applies to wells drilled to thousands of feet.

Source: Charlestone Gazette-Mail