CHAPTER 1505: DIVISION OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

The division of geological survey:

(A) Shall collect, study, and interpret all available information pertaining to the geomorphology, stratigraphy, paleontology, mineralogy, and geologic structure of the state and shall publish reports on the same;

(B) Shall collect, study, and interpret all available data pertaining to the origin, distribution, extent, use, and valuation of mineralogical and geological raw materials and natural resources such as: clays, coals, building stones, gypsum, limestones and shales for cement and other uses, petroleum gas, brines, saline deposits, molding sands, and other natural substances of use and value, excluding only those pertaining to water usable as such for agricultural, industrial, commercial, and domestic purposes, but not excluding other rock fluids such as natural and artificial brines and oil-well fluids;

(C) Shall make special studies and reports of resources of geological nature within the state which in its discretion are of current or potential economic or educational significance;

(D) May examine the technological processes by which mining, quarrying, or other extracting processes may be improved, or by which materials now uneconomical to exploit may be extracted and used commercially for the public welfare;

(E) Shall make, store, and have available for distribution maps, diagrams, profiles, and geologic sections portraying the geological characteristics and topography of the state, both of general nature and of specific localities;

(F) May, or at the request of other agencies of the state government shall, advise and consult with representatives of those agencies on problems of geological nature.

Effective Date: 10-01-1953

The chief of the division of geological survey may:

(A) Negotiate and enter into contracts with agencies of the United States government or any other public or private agency or individual for the performance of portions of the prescribed duties of the division or for the prosecution of co-operative projects within the assigned duties of the division;

(B) Receive, in behalf of the state, gifts of specimens, instruments, and equipment, or of published or unpublished documents or manuscripts, or of money in appreciation of services rendered in connection with work of public nature, to enlarge or expedite the prescribed work of the division;

(C) Enter, either in person or by assistants, upon lands, private or public, in the necessary discharge of his prescribed duties.

Effective Date: 10-01-1953

The chief of the division of geological survey may investigate, survey, interpret, and report matters relating to the geological or mineralogical conditions of the state, or technologies pertaining to them, and may accept and retain geological records on a confidential basis, so that industry, commerce, education, public health, and recreation may be advanced.

Effective Date: 05-03-1990

(A) Any person, firm, or corporation who, for hire, or by its own forces for economic use or exploration, drills, bores, or digs within the state a well for the production or extraction of any gas or liquid, excluding only water to be used as such but including natural or artificial brines and oil-filled waters, or who drills wells to explore geological formations, shall keep a careful and accurate log of such activity and report the same together with the production test results in such form as is designated by the division of geological survey to the chief of the division of geological survey.

(B) The division may file such well logs and establish and observe such regulations regarding their availability and use as will meet the legitimate requirements of the owner or lessee of the well. Personnel of the division of may examine any such well during its construction to confirm the accuracy of the log and to collect samples of the cores, chips, or sludge.

Effective Date: 10-01-1953

Effective Date: 07-01-1963

The chief of the division of geological survey in the discharge of his duties under section[s] 1505.01 to 1505.08, inclusive, of the Revised Code, may call to his assistance, temporarily, any engineers or other employees in any state department, or in the Ohio state university, or other educational institutions financed wholly or in part by the state, for the purpose of making studies, surveys, maps, and plans for erosion projects.

Such engineers and employees shall not receive any additional compensation over that which they receive from the departments by which they are employed, but they shall be reimbursed for their actual necessary expenses incurred while working under the direction of the chief on erosion projects.

Effective Date: 11-02-1961

Subject to the limitation set forth in section 1505.08 of the Revised Code, the director of natural resources, with the approval of the director of environmental protection, the attorney general, and the governor, may issue permits and make leases to parties making application for permission to take and remove sand, gravel, stone, and other minerals or substances from and under the bed of Lake Erie, either upon a royalty or rental basis, as he determines to be best for the state. Permits shall be issued for terms of not less than one year nor more than ten years, and leases shall be for a term of years or until the economic extraction of the mineral or other substance covered thereby has been completed. Such taking and removal shall be within certain fixed boundaries that do not conflict with the rights of littoral owners. Upon request from the holder of a permit, it shall be canceled, but in the case of any permit or lease, any equipment or buildings owned by the permittee or lessee shall be held as security by the director of natural resources for payment of all rentals or royalties due the state at the time of cancellation.

No person shall remove sand, gravel, stone, or other minerals or substances from and under the bed of Lake Erie without first obtaining a permit or lease therefor from the director.

The director of natural resources may, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, adopt, amend, and rescind rules for the administration, implementation, and enforcement of this section.

Effective Date: 03-15-1989

Any action taken by the chief of the division of geological survey under sections 1505.01 to 1505.08, inclusive, of the Revised Code, shall not be deemed in conflict with certain powers and duties conferred upon and delegated to federal agencies, and to municipal corporations and other state agencies under Section 7 of Article XVIII, Ohio Constitution, or as provided by sections 721.04 to 721.11, inclusive, of the Revised Code.

Effective Date: 11-02-1961

There is hereby created in the state treasury the geological mapping fund, to be administered by the chief of the division of geological survey. The fund shall be used exclusively for the purposes of performing the necessary field, laboratory, and administrative tasks to map and make public reports on the geology and mineral resources of each county of the state. The source of moneys for the fund shall include, but not be limited to, the mineral severance tax as specified in section 5749.02 of the Revised Code. The chief may seek federal or other moneys in addition to the mineral severance tax to carry out the purposes of this section. If the chief receives federal moneys for the purposes of this section, he shall deposit those moneys into the state treasury to the credit of a fund which shall be created at that time by the controlling board to carry out those purposes. Other moneys received by the chief for the purposes of this section in addition to mineral severance tax and federal moneys shall be credited to the geological mapping fund.

Effective Date: 07-01-1985

The chief of the division of geological survey shall prepare and publish for public distribution annual reports that shall include all of the following:

(A) A list of the operators of mines, quarries, pits, or other mineral resource extraction operations in this state;

(B) Information on the location of and commodity extracted at each operation;

(C) Information on the employment at each operation;

(D) Information on the tonnage of coal or other minerals extracted at each operation along with the method of extraction;

(E) Information on the production, use, distribution, value, and other facts relative to the mineral resources of the state that may be of public interest.

Each operator engaged in the extraction of minerals shall submit an accurate and complete annual report, on or before the last day of January each year, to the chief of the division of geological survey on forms provided by the chief and containing the information specified in divisions (A) to (E) of this section for the immediately preceding calendar year. The chief of the division of mineral resources management may use all or portions of the information collected pursuant to this section in preparing the annual report required by section 1561.04 of the Revised Code.

No person shall fail to comply with this section.

Effective Date: 06-14-2000

There is hereby created in the department of natural resources the Ohio geology advisory council consisting of seven members to be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. No more than four of the members shall be of the same political party. Members shall be persons who have a demonstrated interest in Ohio geology and mineral resources and whose expertise reflects the various responsibilities of the division of geological survey. The council shall include at least one representative from each of the following: the oil and gas industry, the industrial minerals industry, the coal industry, hydrogeology interests, environmental geology interests, and an institution of higher education in this state. The chief of the division may participate in the deliberations of the council, but shall not vote.

Within ninety days after the effective date of this section, the governor shall make initial appointments to the council. Of the initial appointments, three shall be for a term ending one year after the effective date of this section, three shall be for a term ending two years after the effective date of this section, and one shall be for a term ending three years after the effective date of this section. Thereafter, terms of office shall be for three years, with each term ending on the same day of the same month as did the term that it succeeds. Members may be reappointed. The governor may remove any member at any time for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office. Vacancies shall be filled in the manner provided for original appointments. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy prior to the expiration date of the term for which his predecessor was appointed shall hold office as a member for the remainder of that term. A member shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of his term until his successor takes office or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first.

Serving as an appointed member on the council does not constitute holding a public office or position of employment under the laws of this state and does not constitute grounds for removal of public officers or employees from their offices or positions of employment.

Members shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties from moneys appropriated to the division.

The council annually shall select from its members a chairman and a vice-chairman. The council shall hold at least one meeting each calendar quarter and shall keep a record of its proceedings, which shall be open to public inspection. Special meetings may be called by the chairman and shall be called upon the written request of two or more members. A majority of the members constitutes a quorum. The division shall furnish clerical, technical, legal, and other services required by the council in the performance of its duties.

The council shall do all of the following:

(A) Advise the chief of the division of geological survey in carrying out the duties of the division under this chapter;

(B) Recommend policy and legislation with respect to geology, resource analysis, and management that will promote the economic and industrial development of the state while minimizing threats to the natural environment of the state;

(C) Review and make recommendations on the development of plans and programs for long-term, comprehensive geologic mapping and analysis throughout the state;

(D) Recommend ways to enhance cooperation among governmental agencies having an interest in Ohio geology to encourage wise use and management of the geology and mineral resources of the state. To this end, the council shall request nonvoting representation from appropriate governmental agencies.

Effective Date: 05-03-1990

(A) Whoever violates section 1505.07 of the Revised Code shall be fined not less than one thousand nor more than two thousand dollars on a first offense; on each subsequent offense, the person shall be fined not less than two thousand nor more than five thousand dollars.

(B) Whoever violates section 1505.10 of the Revised Code shall be fined not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars on a first offense; on each subsequent offense, the person shall be fined not less than one thousand nor more than two thousand dollars. Notwithstanding any section of the Revised Code relating to the distribution or crediting of fines for violations of the Revised Code, all fines imposed under this division shall be paid into the geological mapping fund created in section 1505.09 of the Revised Code.

Effective Date: 03-18-1999