Burgum signs bills on spill reporting, new department

BISMARCK—Gov. Doug Burgum signed a bill Friday, April 7, that changes the threshold for reporting oil spills that are contained on well pads, a proposal that a landowner group urged him to veto.

House Bill 1151 will no longer require oil companies to report oil and produced water spills of up to 10 barrels, or 420 gallons, if the spills are contained on the location.

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Also Friday, Burgum signed Senate Bill 2327, which separates the Environmental Health Section from the North Dakota Department of Health, creating a standalone Department of Environmental Quality.

"In the spirit of reinventing government, this new agency maintains existing staffing and program levels while giving our environmental team the autonomy it needs to be more efficient, flexible and better able to implement federal regulations, Burgum said.

Read more: http://www.inforum.com/news/government/4247551-burgum-signs-bills-spill-reporting-new-department

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