On March 6, 2013, an Ohio citizen submitted a petition (“Petition”) to U.S. EPA requesting the agency publish a formal determination that Ohio’s oil and gas law violates the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (“EPCRA”). The Petition asserts that the oil and gas industry exemption from complying with EPCRA is unlawful because the information required to be reported under the state oil and gas law fails to satisfy the emergency planning information required to be reported annually under EPCRA. The Petition also requests that U.S. EPA take enforcement action against oil and gas companies that continue to operate in violation of EPCRA.
