CHAMPION TWP., Ohio - Valley lawmakers are proposing new regulations on wells used to dispose of brine and chemicals produced as a by-product of the oil and gas exploration process known as fracking.

State Representative Sean O'Brien says House Bill 422 provides a road map for changes to regulate injection wells in Ohio.

Injection wells have been used for decades to send unwanted liquids deep below the surface of the earth.

However, injection wells have come under scrutiny in recent years, partly because of a possible link with seismic activity.

A 4.0 magnitude earthquake on New Year’s Eve 2011 resulted in the shutdown of an injection well in Youngstown operated by D&L Energy.

More recently, a 1.8 magnitude tremor in October 2014 caused one of two injection wells in Weathersfield Township to cease operations.

An injection well proposed along Route 7 in Brookfield brought out protestors opposed to it being drilled near school property.

Last April, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources temporarily shut down a well operated by KDA in Warren Township because operators were injecting fluids into the ground at higher than allowable limits.

On Tuesday, State Representatives Sean O'Brien and Mike O'Brien from Trumbull County, as well as John Patterson of Ashtabula County held a news conference to promote what they say is a common sense approach to regulating injection wells.

"The bill calls for a 2,000 foot minimum set back requirement for putting an injection well near a dwelling. It also would require real time monitoring of seismic activity so if there is a problem the Ohio Department of Natural Resources can take immediate action,” said Rep. Sean O’Brien. “G-P-S tracking devices would be required on trucks hauling brine so we can make sure the trucks are going where they say they are, and we can have real time verification.”

In addition, says O’Brien, there would be dye testing so a leak or spill would be identified and the problem could be corrected almost immediately.

Representative Mike O'Brien says the bill would mandate notification of county commissioners, village and township officials when applications for permits are made and would notify them of any accidents or spills that take place.  He says the stipulation provides transparency and information trustees and elected officials need since they are the ones answering questions from property owners.

Patterson says the law would prohibit an injection well from being placed in a 100 year flood plain, which he says is important to residents of Ashtabula, Portage, and other counties where injection wells are located or are being drilled.

“Many of our residents in Northern Trumbull and Ashtabula rely on wells for their consumption or for their farms, yet they have also leased property to the oil and gas industry to drill in the Utica Shale,” said Patterson. “They would like laws in place that balance safety of water, and wildlife, along with job creation and economic progress."

"We saw what took place at D&L and at KDA, and we are seeing more and more injection wells in Trumbull, Ashtabula, and Portage Counties so we must be proactive,” said Representative Sean O’Brien. “I believe there will be bipartisan support for House Bill 422 since both Democrats and Republicans are interested in protecting clean water, the environment, while preserving job creation.”

Obrien says lawmakers are working on the bill with regulatory agencies, trustees, elected officials, county engineers, environmental officials, and the oil and gas industry.