Louisiana toughens drilling safety rules

Two permanent rules changes and a new policy which combine to give Louisiana some of the most stringent oil and gas drilling safety rules in the country, according to Commissioner of Conservation James H. Welsh. The two new permanent rules, which were effective as of Dec. 20, track the federal government’s requirements on the drilling it regulates, and, as of Jan. 12, a new office policy bans wells within 1,000 feet of the crossing of Interstate highways over major waterways. The 1,000-foot ban includes such areas as the Interstate 10 crossing of the Sabine River, Calcasieu River, Atchafalaya Basin, Mississippi River, Lake Pontchartrain and Pearl River; the I-12 crossing of the Amite River; and the I-20 crossing of the Red, Ouachita, Tensas and Mississippi rivers, among others. Most oil- and gas-producing states have no rules addressing distance between drilling operations and roadways, and the few that do require no more than a 100-foot distance.