As used in this chapter, unless other meaning is clearly indicated in the context:

(A) "Gas storage reservoir" or "storage reservoir" or "reservoir" means a continuous area of a subterranean porous sand or rock stratum or strata, any part of which or of the protective area of which, is within a coal bearing township, into which gas is or may be injected for the purpose of storing it therein and removing it therefrom, or for the purpose of testing whether such stratum is suitable for such storage purposes.

(B) "Gas" means any natural, manufactured, or by-product gas or any mixture thereof.

(C) "Reservoir operator" or "operator," when used in referring to the operator of a gas storage reservoir, means a person who is engaged in the work of preparing to inject, or who injects gas into, or who stores gas in, or who removes gas from, a gas storage reservoir, and who owns the right to do so.

(D)

(1) "Boundary," when used in referring to the boundary of a gas storage reservoir, means the boundary of such reservoir as shown on the map or maps thereof on file in the division of oil and gas resources management as required by this chapter.

(2) "Boundary," when used in referring to the boundary of a reservoir protective area, means the boundary of such reservoir protective area as shown on the map or maps thereof on file in the division as required by this chapter.

(E) "Reservoir protective area" or "reservoir's protective area" means the area of land outside the boundary of a gas storage reservoir shown as such on the map or maps thereof on file in the division as required by this chapter. The area of land shown on such map or maps as such reservoir protective area shall be outside the boundary of such reservoir, and shall encircle such reservoir and touch all parts of the boundary of such reservoir, and no part of the outside boundary of such protective area shall be less than two thousand nor more than five thousand linear feet distant from the boundary of such reservoir.

(F) "Coal bearing township" means a township designated as a coal bearing township by the chief of the division of mineral resources management as required by section 1561.06 of the Revised Code.

(G) "Coal mine" means the underground excavations of a mine that are being used or are usable or are being developed for use in connection with the extraction of coal from its natural deposit in the earth. "Underground excavations," when used in referring to the underground excavations of a coal mine, includes the abandoned underground excavations of such mine. It also includes the underground excavations of an abandoned coal mine if such abandoned mine is connected with underground excavations of a coal mine. "Coal mine" does not mean or include:

(1) A mine in which coal is extracted from its natural deposit in the earth by strip or open pit mining methods or by other methods by which individuals are not required to go underground in connection with the extraction of coal from its natural deposit in the earth;

(2) A mine in which not more than fourteen individuals are regularly employed underground.

(H) "Operator," when used in referring to the operator of a coal mine, means a person who engages in the work of developing such mine for use in extracting coal from its natural deposit in the earth, or who so uses such mine, and who owns the right to do so.

(I) "Boundary," when used in referring to the boundary of a coal mine, means the boundary of the underground excavations of such mine as shown on the maps of such mine on file in the division of mineral resources management as required by sections 1563.03 to 1563.05 and 1571.03 of the Revised Code.

(J) "Mine protective area" or "mine's protective area" means the area of land that the operator of a coal mine designates and shows as such on the map or maps of such coal mine filed with the division as required by sections 1563.03 to 1563.05 and 1571.03 of the Revised Code. Such area of land shall be outside of the boundary of such coal mine, but some part of the boundary of such area of land shall abut upon a part of the boundary of such coal mine. Such area of land shall be comprised of such tracts of land in which such coal mine operator owns the right to extract coal therefrom by underground mining methods and in which underground excavations of such coal mine are likely to be made within the ensuing year for use in connection with the extraction of coal therefrom.

(K) "Pillar" means a solid block of coal or other material left unmined to support the overlying strata in a coal mine, or to protect a well.

(L) "Retreat mining" means the removal of pillars and ribs and stumps and other coal remaining in a section of a coal mine after the development mining has been completed in such section.

(M) "Linear feet," when used to indicate distance between two points that are not in the same plane, means the length in feet of the shortest horizontal line that connects two lines projected vertically upward or downward from the two points.

(N) "Map" means a graphic representation of the location and size of the existing or proposed items it is made to represent, accurately drawn according to a given scale.

(O) "Well" means any hole, drilled or bored, or being drilled or bored, into the earth, whether for the purpose of, or whether used for:

(1) Producing or extracting any gas or liquid mineral, or natural or artificial brines, or oil field waters;

(2) Injecting gas into or removing gas from an underground gas storage reservoir;

(3) Introducing water or other liquid pressure into an oil bearing sand to recover oil contained in such sand, provided that "well" does not mean a hole drilled or bored, or being drilled or bored, into the earth, whether for the purpose of, or whether used for, producing or extracting potable water to be used as such.

(P) "Testing" means injecting gas into, or storing gas in or removing gas from, a gas storage reservoir for the sole purpose of determining whether such reservoir is suitable for use as a gas storage reservoir.

(Q) "Casing" means a string or strings of pipe commonly placed in a well.

(R) "Inactivate" means to shut off temporarily all flow of gas from a well at a point below the horizon of the coal mine that might be affected by such flow of gas, by means of a plug or other suitable device or by injecting water, bentonite, or some other equally nonporous material into the well, or any other method approved by an oil and gas resources inspector.

(S) "Gas storage well inspector" means the gas storage well inspector in the division.

(T) The verb "open" or the noun "opening," when used in clauses relating to the time when a coal mine operator intends to open a new coal mine, or the time when a new coal mine is opened, or the time of the opening of a new coal mine, or when used in other similar clauses to convey like meanings, means that time and condition in the initial development of a new coal mine when the second opening required by section 1563.14 of the Revised Code is completed in such mine.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.28, HB 153, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2011.

Effective Date: 06-14-2000 .