66-1105 Geothermal resource development; conditions; permit; Department of Natural Resources; adopt rules and regulations.
66-1105. Geothermal resource development; conditions; permit; Department of Natural Resources; adopt rules and regulations.Any person who desires to withdraw ground water within the State of Nebraska for geothermal resource development shall, prior to commencing construction of any wells, obtain from the Director of Natural Resources a permit to authorize the withdrawal, transfer, and further use or reinjection of such ground water. The Department of Natural Resources shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations governing the issuance of such permits, consistent with sections 66-1101 to 66-1106 and with Chapter 46, article 6. Such rules and regulations shall provide for consultation with the Department of Environmental Quality pursuant to the issuance of such permits and shall be compatible with rules and regulations adopted and promulgated by the Department of Environmental Quality under the Environmental Protection Act. Any geothermal fluids produced incident to the development and production of geothermal resources shall be reinjected into the same geologic formation from which they were extracted in substantially the same volume and substantially the same or higher quality as when extracted unless the permit issued in accordance with this section authorizes further uses or processing other than those incident to reinjection. SourceLaws 1982, LB 708, § 5; Laws 1993, LB 3, § 37; Laws 2000, LB 900, § 245. Cross ReferencesEnvironmental Protection Act, see section 81-1532.