This chapter shall be known as the "Oil and Gas Well Ordinance
of the City of Oil City."
For the purpose of this chapter, the following words and terms
shall have the scope and meaning hereinafter defined. All other technical
or gas and oil industry words or phrases used hereinafter and not
specifically defined shall have the meaning customarily attributable
to them by prudent operators in the oil and gas industry.
CITY
The City of Oil City.
LEASE
Any tract of land subject to an oil, gas and mineral lease
or other oil and gas development contract, or any unit composed of
several tracts and leases but operated as one lease, and any tract
of land in which the minerals are owned by an operator or someone
holding under it or him but which, due to a free royalty ownership,
is developed and operated on a separate tract.
NEW WELL
Any oil or gas well which has not been drilled to an existing
oil- or gas-bearing rock formation prior to the adoption of this chapter.
NONOPERATING WELL
Any well which is not currently being operated for the production
of gas or oil.
OPERATING WELL
Any well that is currently being operated for the production
of oil or gas.
PERMIT
A regulatory device used by the City to monitor the operation
and production of oil and gas wells within the City limits.
PERSON
Includes both the singular and plural and shall mean and
include any person, individual, firm, partnership, association, corporation,
club, society, cooperative, trust, municipal corporation or political
subdivision, whatsoever.
REWORKING
Any operation which changes the physical characteristics
of an existing operating or nonoperating oil or gas well, including
drilling deeper, shooting or hydrofracturing.
WASTE
Any product or by-product of the oil and/or gas drilling,
reworking or production process which, by its nature, can be harmful
or irritating to the social and/or physical environment. Examples
of "waste" include, but are not limited to, surface loss of oil, gas,
sludge, basic sediment and brine.
Any person who seeks to undertake reworking operations on an
existing, operating or nonoperating well shall, prior to any reworking,
notify the City Building Inspector of the intention to do so. Said
reworking site shall be maintained in such a manner so as to protect
the general public from hazards associated with the reworking process
and so as to minimize any potential environmental degradation.
All waste produced at an operating well lease shall be disposed
of in a proper manner. At no time shall any waste be transmitted onto
or into the streets or alleys of the City of Oil City, nor shall any
waste be dumped directly or indirectly into any sanitary or storm
sewer owned, operated or maintained by the City of Oil City.
All persons maintaining and operating oil and gas well(s) must
also meet any additional federal, state and local laws which pertain
to the operation of oil and gas wells.
Any applicant or person affected by a decision of the City Building
Inspector may, within 10 days of such decision, appeal to the Board
of Appeals, consisting of the five members of City Council, for review.
Such review shall be conducted during a specially scheduled meeting.
The Board of Appeals may affirm, reverse or modify the decision of
the City Building Inspector.
Any person violating any provision of this chapter shall, upon
conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay the costs of prosecution and
a fine not exceeding $300 and, in default of the payment of such costs
and fine, be committed to the Venango County jail for a period not
to exceed 30 days.