Provides for the operation of saltwater disposal wells in the parishes of Bossier, Caddo, and Webster

House Bill 496 enacts a new subsection of Louisiana Revised Statutes 30:4(C)(16) that establishes minimum surface injection pressure thresholds for saltwater disposal wells in Bossier, Caddo, and Webster Parishes. The statute prohibits the Secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy from issuing rules, regulations, orders, or permits that limit maximum surface injection pressure for onsite or community saltwater disposal wells below specified minimum pressures based on well depth and injection volume. For wells deeper than 1,200 feet that inject less than 3,000 barrels per day, the minimum allowable pressure is 0.5 pounds per vertical foot; for deeper wells injecting 3,000 barrels or more per day, the minimum is 0.25 pounds per vertical foot; and for wells 1,200 feet or shallower, the minimum is 0.25 pounds per vertical foot. The statute does not apply to commercial saltwater disposal wells.

Operators holding existing permits that impose pressure limits lower than these newly established minimums are granted the right to submit permit modification requests to the Department of Conservation and Energy seeking compliance with the new statutory requirements. This provision creates an administrative pathway for affected permit holders to bring their operations into alignment with the revised regulatory standards without requiring them to surrender or reapply for their permits entirely. The modification process is administrative rather than requiring a full new permitting proceeding.

This legislation operates within the existing statutory framework of Louisiana's disposal well regulatory authority under R.S. 30:4, which grants the Secretary of the Department of Conservation and Energy general rulemaking and regulatory power over disposal wells including saltwater disposal wells. By enacting subsection (d), the legislation constrains the Secretary's discretion in this specific geographic area and for these particular well types, establishing statutory floor limits that supersede any more restrictive regulatory standards the Department might otherwise adopt. The carve-out for commercial disposal wells preserves the Department's regulatory flexibility for that category of operations.