The Director shall inspect permitted coalbed methane well and related facility operations to ensure the safety of persons on permitted sites. When the inspection reveals any hazardous condition that creates an imminent danger, the Director shall issue a closure order pursuant to § 45.1-361.27 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 it 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. When the 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.