Kansas regulators on Thursday reiterated their plan to hold a hearing later this month on a request by Midstates Energy to inject saltwater waste into two injection wells in eastern Douglas County.
In addition, though, the Kansas Corporation Commission denied a request to offer public comment at that hearing from a Mission Hills woman who has argued that the permitting process being used does not comply with federal rules under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The KCC regulates oil and gas production in Kansas in addition to regulating public utilities.
Midstates Energy filed the application in October, and a number of nearby residents quickly filed protests, arguing that the injection wells would pose an environmental hazard to underground drinking water supplies and the nearby Wakarusa River.
(Read more: LJWorld.com / Lawrence, Kansas)