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Read. Follow. Verify.Ohio HB 958 requires oil and gas well owners to disclose chemical use, maintains a public database, and enforces verification
Last action · June 3, 2026: Referred to Natural ResourcesSponsors: Derrick Hall and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
Ohio House Bill 958 alters chemical disclosure requirements for oil and gas well operations, requiring well owners to report specific chemical additives, trade names, concentrations, and fluid volumes to the state. The bill tasks the chief of the division of oil and gas resources management with maintaining a searchable public chemical disclosure database and instituting an annual wastewater testing verification process. Well owners must maintain these chemical records for at least two years and provide exact chemical compositions to medical professionals upon request in emergency diagnoses.
Local residents, property owners, and medical professionals gain direct access to chemical usage data and wastewater testing results for nearby oil and gas wells, while well owners face new compliance, record-keeping, and potential civil penalty rules.
- Ohio's division of oil and gas resources management regulates the development and operation of oil and gas wells within the state. context
- Trade secret protections in Ohio are governed under sections 1333.61 to 1333.69 of the Revised Code, allowing businesses to protect confidential commercial information. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
well owners
Well owners must compile and file detailed chemical additive disclosures, maintain records for at least two years, disclose trade secrets to medical professionals in emergencies, and face civil penalties for inaccurate reporting.
medical professionals
Medical professionals are entitled to receive exact chemical compositions from trade secret holders to diagnose or treat individuals affected by well incidents, provided they maintain confidentiality.
property owners
Property owners and adjacent property owners gain the statutory right to commence a civil action in the court of common pleas of Franklin county to challenge trade secret claims.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What information must well owners disclose about chemicals used in drilling?
Can well owners keep certain chemical formulas confidential?
How can medical professionals access confidential chemical information in an emergency?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Jun 3, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to Natural Resources
- Jun 2, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expanded Verification and Public Searchability
The bill bridges reporting gaps by creating a searchable public web database for chemical additives and mandating annual random wastewater testing to verify owner disclosures.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legislature.ohio.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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