                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

 SAFETY IN COALBED METHANE GAS, OIL, AND GEOPHYSICAL OPERATIONS (§ 45.2-1644)

The Director shall inspect permitted coalbed methane well and related facility
operations to ensure the safety of persons on permitted sites. If an inspection
reveals any hazardous condition that creates an imminent danger, the Director
shall issue a closure order pursuant to § 45.2-1629 requiring the area to be
cleared or the equipment removed from use, except for (i) work necessary to
continue to vent methane from an active underground mine if such work can be
done safely and (ii) any work necessary to correct or eliminate the imminent
danger. The Director shall lift the closure order when he finds that the
imminent danger has been corrected or eliminated. If an inspection reveals any
other condition that creates a risk to the safety or health of any person on the
permitted site, the Director shall notify the Department of Labor and Industry
for actions under Title 40.1, as applicable.

HISTORY: 1997, c. 421, § 45.1-361.42; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 387.