Video & Transcript Research : 'drills'
Page 9 of 104
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Oct 15th, 2025
Radioactive & Hazardous Materials Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- Then, the Mining and Minerals Division (MMD) issues the drilling permits.
- So, there's a lease and then there are drilling permits.
- I just want to be really clear that it starts with leasing and goes through drilling.
- There was no horizontal drilling or anything like that.
- That much produced water and oil and gas drilling.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Legislative Health and Human Services Jul 21st, 2025
Legislative Health & Human Services Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- I also want to note that we can go through, like our previous page, we can also drill down by county
- And we can see even drill down into further of that.
- So we've tried to drill down who we know is at least active licenses and can only work in New Mexico,
- Drilling down to the specialty and to the county, this is a tool that I believe we need to sustain and
- We do have, we can drill down by specialty, so it might be that senior medicine is a specialty.
KY
Kentucky 2025 Regular Session
Interim Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Energy (10-16-25)
Transcript Highlights:
- We've developed materials that are used in drilling muds, one of those being nanosized diamond.
- It allows you to drill more rapidly at lower temperatures. Joule heating of materials.
- We've developed materials that are used in drilling muds. One of those being nanosized diamond.
- It allows you to drill more rapidly at lower temperatures. Jewel heating of materials.
- <00:32:54.000>
at <00:32:54.240>lower drill more rapidly uh at lower drill more rapidly
Keywords:
Meeting Start 00:00
Attendance Roll Call 01:58
Approval of Minutes 03:05
Member Comments 03:18
Nanotechnologies in Energy 06:20, 958, all
Summary:
The committee met and approved the minutes, then heard announcements and introductions from members and guests, including an invitation to an East Kentucky trail ride opening and welcomes for new EPIC and Kentucky Coal Association representatives and several constituents. After the opening business, the committee turned to a presentation on nanotechnology and energy applications by Rodney Andrews of the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research.
Andrews explained how nanoscale materials behave differently because of their size and surface area, and described uses in consumer products, batteries, solar panels, catalysts, coatings, sensors, and energy storage. Members asked about the relationship between nanomaterials and coal, and Andrews said carbon nanotubes can be made from coal-derived hydrocarbons, which members noted as an opportunity for Kentucky’s coal and manufacturing sectors. He also discussed work on improved solar coatings, more stable perovskites, fuel-processing catalysts, hydrogen storage, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel, electromagnetic shielding, and conductive yarns and fabrics.
The presentation also covered more advanced applications such as thermoelectric textiles, power transmission materials, thermal transport composites for aerospace, nanofluids for cooling, and fusion reactor shielding. In the final discussion, members raised questions about electromagnetic pulse protection and quantum computing; Andrews said the materials discussed could absorb and spread energy and that shielding applications may help with EMPs, while quantum computing remains limited by extremely low operating temperatures. No formal votes were taken beyond approval of the minutes.
HI
Transcript Highlights:
- themselves weren't given the option to have a well drilled for them for water.
- themselves weren't given the option to have a well drilled for them for water.
- themselves weren't given the option to have a well drilled for them for water.
- <03:03:36.560>
for to DW dwell drill for to DW dwell drill for water<03:03:39.000>for< - <03:03:46.479>
for the option to have a a well drilled for the option to have a a well drilled
AL
Alabama 2025 Regular Session
Alabama Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee Mar 19th, 2025
Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development
Transcript Highlights:
- Some drilling operations...
- Some drilling operations currently aren't required to have a license, such as geotechnical, geothermal
- bill also sets up an unrestricted license where you would be able to do all of this plus water well drilling
Keywords:
food trucks, mobile vendors, health inspection, fire safety, state law, regulation, food service, business license, subdivision, transfer of land, immediate family, exemption period, county regulations, Sweet Home Alabama Tourism Investment Act, tourism rebate, tax rebate, sales tax rebate, lodging tax rebate, transactional taxes, tourism development
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Environment & Energy May 18th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- The Grays Harbor Carbon Safe was a well drilling project, which was going to capture and sequester...
- Grays Harbor Carbon Safe was a well drilling project, which was going to capture and sequester CO2 from
- The Shine Carbon Safe was also a well drilling project, which was going to capture CO2 from compressor
- So Representative Dye, there are strict rules from the EPA that require that you cannot even drill one
- of these wells, get a permit to drill one of these wells, until you've proven that the aquifer that
Summary:
The committee held an interim work session focused first on carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS), then on hazardous waste and extended producer responsibility (EPR). On the CCUS topic, industry and nonprofit presenters described point-source capture, direct air capture, mineralization, and geologic sequestration, emphasizing Washington’s basalt formations and state trust lands as strong candidates for storage. They argued that CCUS can help hard-to-abate industrial sectors, support jobs and investment, and provide a pathway for compliance, while also noting the need for clearer permitting, subsurface rights, pipeline authority, and storage infrastructure. Ecology and Commerce staff explained current state policy touchpoints, including Cap-and-Invest offsets and exemptions for permanently stored CO2, the public comment process underway to define “thousand-year” permanence, and how CCUS might fit within the Clean Energy Transformation Act without counting emitting generation as non-emitting. Some presenters supported more state action and primacy over federal permitting, while others warned about costs, energy use, uncertain capture performance, and the need to ensure real net greenhouse gas reductions and long-term liability protections.
Members asked about public meetings, whether mineralized carbon would qualify as exempt under the Climate Commitment Act, the timeline for Ecology guidance, aquifer and water-quality concerns, energy intensity of capture systems, and liability if storage later proves problematic. Responses said Ecology’s guidance process is already underway, public meetings will be virtual, mineralized carbon would likely qualify if it meets the permanence standard, and EPA rules require storage in deep saline formations below drinking water aquifers. Industry speakers said capture energy use varies by source and concentration, and one presenter noted that some states use trust funds funded by injectors to address long-term liability.
The second half of the session shifted to hazardous waste and EPR. Ecology staff reviewed existing product stewardship programs for electronics, paint, batteries, and mercury lights, and described moderate risk waste and household hazardous waste management in Washington. They highlighted that E-Cycle and PaintCare are producer-funded, that the battery stewardship program will begin in 2027, and that the mercury lamp program is in transition after its prior stewardship organization exited, prompting enforcement notices and a pending replacement plan. Ecology recommended best practices for future EPR programs, including clear producer and product definitions, full producer funding, convenience standards, annual reporting, and strong agency enforcement and plan approval authority. Local government speakers from King County and Douglas County described rising collection costs, equity and access barriers, rural travel distances, and the need for stable funding and flexible local implementation. King County said it collected over 3 million pounds of hazardous products in 2025 and supports EPR as a way to shift costs from ratepayers to producers, while Douglas County emphasized that rural residents will participate when services are accessible and that future systems should account for geography and local infrastructure.
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Oregon-Washington Legislative Action Committee Dec 15th, 2025
Joint Oregon-Washington Legislative Action Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- This uses a drill to mix cement with the existing soil that's in place and strengthen the soil as well
- We are conducting some additional drilling because we already have some, but we'd like to understand
- But we, as to understand soil conditions, engineers will take cranes out and use a drill mechanism to
- And so what we'll see out on the water are barges with cranes using their rigs to do this drilling.
- Maybe regarding the geotechnical drilling: you said our soil is extremely deep.
Summary:
The Joint Oregon-Washington Legislative Action Committee met for a work session and public hearing on the Interstate 5 bridge replacement program. Program staff outlined major milestones, including the recent biological opinion, the Coast Guard’s opening of a public comment period on the Navigation Impact Report, expected decisions in early 2026 on navigational clearance and the final supplemental environmental impact statement, and a possible amended record of decision in 2026. They also discussed the Bridge Investment Program grant amendment deadline, the need for an initial finance plan, and ongoing community outreach and contractor engagement. Greg Johnson announced he was stepping down as program administrator, and Carly Francis introduced herself as interim administrator.
A large portion of the meeting focused on design and cost questions. Staff said the program is studying fixed and movable spans, single- and double-deck configurations, and one versus two auxiliary lanes, with final recommendations to be made through the federal environmental process. They said the Coast Guard’s decision is central to what bridge configuration is permittable and to the timing of the updated cost estimate, which has not yet been released. Members pressed for more detail on cost drivers, potential impacts to businesses upriver, and whether the states would need to seek additional funding. Staff said they had reached agreements with four impacted river users, but the underlying evaluation materials are protected and not publicly releasable.
The committee also reviewed transit-related questions. Staff explained that light rail remains part of the modified locally preferred alternative and that ridership and operations estimates are being updated using federal modeling methods. They said projected opening-day transit operations and maintenance costs have dropped from an earlier estimate of $21.8 million to about $10.3 million annually because the current model assumes lower frequency, with Oregon and Washington shares split by geography and fare recovery. Members raised concerns about TriMet’s financial stability and the need for a funding plan by fall 2027, ahead of a planned federal transit funding application in fall 2028.
During public testimony, several speakers criticized the delay in releasing a new cost estimate and argued the project scope should be reduced if costs continue to rise. Testifiers from City Observatory and the Just Crossing Alliance said the project appears to be avoiding bad news, urged the committee to consider scope reductions, and questioned whether the active transportation and freeway components align with the project’s core purpose. The meeting ended with thanks to Johnson for his service and a transition to public hearing testimony.
FL
Florida 2026 5th Special Session
FL House Floor Session - 2025-03-26 (3:00PM Session)
Florida House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- When I was going to public schools years ago, I remember us having to do fire drills and tornado drills
- , but now we have our children I remember us having to do fire drills and tornado drills, but now we
- have our children doing gun drills.
- But let's drill down on that for just a second.
- We literally do drills about what happens if a bad guy comes in and tries to hurt my five-year-old.
Summary:
The House convened for opening-day business, with prayer, a moment of silence for Captain Bill Guston, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum established. The Speaker outlined a budget message emphasizing reduced spending and a proposed permanent 0.75% sales tax cut, and the chamber then received the Governor’s veto message on portions of HB 5001. Members moved to reinstate several vetoed appropriations, including the Florida Senior Veterans and Crisis Fund, Rockledge Advanced Water Treatment Phase 1, the Department of Corrections automated staffing/time management system, and Baldwin sewer and water main work; each reinstatement passed unanimously.
The House also adopted a special order calendar and special amendment procedures for the General Appropriations Act and related bills. On the special order calendar, several bills passed unanimously or near-unanimously, including Lucy’s Law on boating safety (CS/CS/CS/HB 289), HB 735 on water access facilities, HB 11 on municipal water and sewer utility rates, CS/CS/HB 85 on hazardous walking conditions, and CS/HB 157 on service of process. These measures focused on boating safety, water infrastructure, utility-rate fairness, school walking safety, and procedural civil-law updates.
A major floor debate centered on HB 6017, which would repeal Florida’s “Free Kill Law” limiting wrongful-death damages in medical negligence cases. Supporters described the bill as a long-awaited justice measure for families who lost adult children or unmarried relatives to medical malpractice, while opponents were not recorded in the final vote tally; the bill passed 104-6 after extensive emotional testimony from sponsors and affected families. The chamber also heard a lengthy, highly divided debate on HB 759, which would lower the firearm purchase age from 21 to 18. Supporters argued the current law is inconsistent with adult rights and responsibilities and cited constitutional precedent, while opponents emphasized Parkland, youth gun violence, and public-safety concerns; the transcript ends during continued debate on that bill, with no final vote shown.
TX
Texas 89th Regular
Senate Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding Aug 8th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- These kids and these people in these camps will actually drill or have a lengthy conversation on the
- No different than kids going to a hallway during a tornado drill with their head between their knees.
- It can be done, it can be done with thought and planning, but you will be required to drill, and TDEM
- We may send it to parents afterward and ask them to inform us if their child was exposed to a drill.
- Essentially, we want to know if they actually participated in the drill.
LA
Transcript Highlights:
- Members, this bill sets up the task force on advanced drilling to study the impact of CCS on mineral
- So we don't have any actual technical data or any regulations on how we would handle drilling through
- Like in Texas, we drilled through CO2 floods and other things like that.
- Okay, so one of them is closed loop, where you drill into a hot spot and you use the closed loop of a
- It drills down into Medicaid information and requires them to provide more information.
Bills:
HB410, HR310, HR314, HR316, HR317, HR321, HR275, HR276, HR279, HR282, HR286, HR289, HR292, HR295, HR302, HR319, HR307, HR273, SCR59, SCR61, SCR62, SCR68, SCR69, SCR70, SCR54, SCR55, SCR64, SCR75, HCR32, HB776, HB42, HB119, HB159, HB302, HB1017, HB1028, SB217, SB283, HB953, SB208, HR74, HB998, HB901, HR20, HCR65, HCR71, HCR98, HB284, HB306, HB341, HB366, HB393, HB458, HB577, HB603, HB605, HB614, HB625, HB646, HB733, HB752, HB773, HB798, HB911, HB955, HB996, HB1035, HB1069, HB1113, HB1140, HB1180, HB1191, HB1240, HB1255, SB82, SB89, SB97, SB123, SB237, HB36, HB74, HB75, HB258, HB259, HB414, HB459, HB784, HB848, HB956, HB1095, HB1220, HB1252, SB469, SB479
Keywords:
recording, privacy, notification, direct conversation, law enforcement, first responder, penalties, oil and gas, orphan wells, inactive wells, shut-in wells, marginal wells, plugging and abandonment, well decommissioning, site remediation, site restoration, Oilfield Site Restoration, OSR program, financial security, bonding
ND
North Dakota 2026 1st Special Session
Tax Reform and Relief Advisory Committee Mar 17th, 2026 at 09:30 am
Transcript Highlights:
- The newly drilled wells in Oklahoma are subject to a 5% rate for the first 36 months of production.
- Is the analysis based on the cost of the well drilling based on those depths?
- All the lines on this graph are drilling rig counts in the various states, and with the exception of
- I've heard drilling... Could you walk through a little bit of the other scenarios?
- I've heard drilling new wells right adjacent and fracking it, and how that plays into this?
Summary:
The committee met to continue its tax reform and relief study agenda, approved the December 3, 2025 minutes, and announced a new subcommittee to examine property tax statement issues with counties, auditors, and the tax office. Representative Headland was named chair, Senator Rummel vice chair, and Representatives Dressler and Dr. Dr. and Senator Patton were also assigned. The chair noted the group may need an additional meeting and thanked staff and attendees.
A major portion of the meeting focused on economic development incentives. The Department of Commerce presented on the Renaissance Zone program and TIF districts, describing Renaissance Zones as locally tailored tools that combine local property tax relief with state income tax incentives. Commerce said the program has supported thousands of projects since 1999 and cited examples from Beach and Mandan showing increases in property and taxable value, business retention, housing, and downtown revitalization. Committee members raised concerns that smaller rural communities often lack the staff and expertise to apply, and Commerce said it provides outreach through conferences, office hours, and one-on-one assistance. League of Cities and local officials from Bismarck and Ellendale echoed the capacity issue, discussed how the programs have worked in their communities, and suggested possible reforms or more targeted support for small towns. Ellendale’s mayor also described two TIF districts, one for industrial infrastructure in Oaks and one for housing infrastructure tied to a data center project in Ellendale.
The committee then turned to stripper oil taxation. The Tax Department gave a comparison of oil and gas tax structures in selected states, noting that most have some form of stripper or marginal well provision, while Alaska does not appear to have a specific stripper-well exemption. Members asked for more detail on definitions and North Dakota’s annual adjusted rate. The Department of Mineral Resources followed with a detailed presentation on North Dakota stripper wells, explaining the statutory thresholds, the 12-consecutive-month production test, and the fact that once a well qualifies it remains on stripper status even if production later rises. DMR said about 11,332 stripper wells are active, representing roughly 54% of wells and about 16% of state production, and emphasized that stripper status can extend well life, preserve tax revenue, and reduce orphaned wells. Committee members and industry witnesses discussed refracs, the economics of keeping marginal wells active, and the competitive disadvantage created by North Dakota’s oil price discount. No votes were taken on these informational items.
HI
Hawaii 2026 Regular Session
WAL Public Hearing - Tue Feb 3,2026 @ 9:00 AM HST
Transcript Highlights:
- And sometimes it's because they talked to the water supply, who said, "Yes, we can serve you if you drill
- if you drill a well." if you drill a well."
- that's what they want to do and drill that's what they want to do and drill mount<01:09:17.199><
- Uh, but for a seawater desalination plant, we're drilling like over a thousand feet deep uh into the
- Uh, but for a seawater desalination plant, we're drilling like over a thousand feet deep uh into the
Summary:
The Committee on Water and Land met on February 3, 2026, and heard testimony on several bills, with the chair emphasizing a two-minute limit and noting that bills would die if the hearing ran past noon. For HB 1848, the Commission on Water Resource Management and the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development both supported the measure with technical, non-substantive amendments. Testimony focused on requiring early consultation about water availability in district boundary amendment petitions, with water officials explaining that the petitioner should submit a written statement reflecting consultation and that the goal was to identify water constraints earlier in the development process. The Land Use Commission’s representative opposed the bill, arguing that water availability is already addressed through existing environmental review and agency consultation, that the issue had been raised and rejected before, and that the proposal could create unnecessary delay or litigation.
The committee then heard HB 1728 on rainwater catchment systems. The Commission on Water Resource Management said it acknowledged the bill’s intent but deferred to counties and other regulatory agencies, including the Department of Health, on regulatory implications. Hawaii Realtors testified in support. No vote was taken during the portion of the hearing shown.
For HB 1652 on storm water management systems, the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association opposed the bill, arguing it would weaken protections created by Act 281 (“Sharkey’s Law”) and increase drowning risk for children by exempting certain water features from safety requirements. The American Council of Engineering Companies of Hawaii supported the bill, saying the language clarifies and better balances child safety with practical green stormwater infrastructure, including depth-based limits and exemptions for certain agricultural ponds. The Hawaii Farm Bureau also supported the agricultural pond exemption, saying such ponds are used for irrigation, livestock, and fire control and are generally away from the public. A private testifier, Allison Schaers, opposed the bill and described her daughter’s drowning in a detention basin, arguing that poor maintenance can turn stormwater features into dangerous hazards. The hearing ended without any recorded committee action or vote in the excerpt provided.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Thank you very much, so you know the drill by now, two minutes to tell us. about you. Thank you.
- We did drills, you know, test.
- Do you do anything like, any kind of drills for, maybe even unannounced drills for schools?
- type drill. Yes our schools are required to conduct a litany of drills annually.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
IC - Water and Natural Resources Nov 17th, 2025
Water & Natural Resources Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- And we still have to drill to get the copper.
- Many years ago, the whale field was drilled in the Lake Arthur area.
- There was a problem with the drilling. The drilling did not happen with local people.
- Whenever they drilled all those wells, 13 farms lost their water.
- You just need to have some validation points with well drilling. Let's go to the next slide.
OK
Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session
Energy and Natural Resources Oversight Apr 13th, 2026 at 03:00 pm
Energy
Transcript Highlights:
- It depends on where those wells are drilled to, whether that's an option.
- And you say short bill, but basically, it's for different aquifers requiring different drillings.
- landowner to make an exception to this based on the board rules if it is the only place that he's able to drill
- we see a groundwater possible exposure to being contamination or something like that from a well drilling
Bills:
SB3, SB1346, SB1509, SB1928, SB2028, SB2071, SB2110, SB2117, SB2127, SB2134, SB259, SB1191, SB1246, SB1314, SB1439, SB1613, SB1930, SB1976, SB330, SB2069, SB2095, SB3, SB1346, SB1509, SB1928, SB2028, SB2071, SB2110, SB2117, SB2127, SB2134, SB259, SB1191, SB1246, SB1314, SB1439, SB1613, SB1930, SB1976, SB330, SB2069, SB2095
Keywords:
industrial hemp, program licensing, agriculture, cannabinoids, state regulation, water infrastructure, wastewater, investment program, loans, local government, SB1509, groundwater, water wells, well spacing, water rights, Oklahoma Water Resources Board, OWRB, basin, subbasin, maximum annual yield
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Adding "veteran and military status" to Human Rights Act 2/25/26
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- So, because our drill time and our annual training don't qualify as federal service, we don't necessarily
- because<00:03:23.360>
our <00:03:24.159>um <00:03:24.640>our <00:03:25.200>drill - /c><00:03:25.599>
time <00:03:26.159>and <00:03:26.400>our because our um our drill - time and our because our um our drill time and our annual<00:03:27.040>
training <00:03:27.599
MN
Transcript Highlights:
- <00:09:23.680>
The about things like drilling, right? - The about things like drilling, right?
- The perpetrators move in and out drills.
- the work that we've done around drills the work that we've done around drills has<00:10:48.560><
- >
to <00:10:51.040>there's has found that drills tend to there's has found that drills
Keywords:
education finance, safe schools revenue, school safety, charter schools, funding, safe schools, school security, school levy, pupil units, safe schools aid, cooperative units, intermediate school district, school resource officer, peace officer liaison, sheriff liaison, drug abuse prevention, gang resistance education, violence prevention, suicide prevention, mental health services
Summary:
The committee first adopted the March 3rd minutes by voice vote after Representative Lee moved them and there was no discussion. Members then reviewed hearing rules on decorum, safety, and participation before taking testimony from Dr. James Densley and Dr. Jillian Peterson of the Violence Prevention Project Research Center at Hamline University.
The presenters summarized research on mass shootings and K-12 school shootings, drawing on a database of homicides in school settings from 2000 to 2025 and a smaller set of 15 K-12 mass shooting cases. They said school shooters are usually insiders, most often current or former students, and typically young males. They described common patterns including a noticeable crisis before attacks, perpetrators viewing the shooting as a final act, studying prior shooters online, and “leakage” in which most tell someone in advance. They also emphasized that many perpetrators use unsecured firearms from family members and argued that prevention should combine reporting systems, behavioral threat assessment, counseling, mentoring, secure storage, and other layered interventions rather than rely on a single solution.
The presenters also discussed broader violence trends in the Twin Cities, saying much school violence is spillover from community violence and that pandemic-era disruptions and weakened trust in institutions contributed to serious violence. They cited a national survey finding that exposure to gun violence is associated with PTSD, anxiety, depression, and fear of public spaces, especially among young people. During member questions, Representative Wam asked for clarification on the data set and the rural/small-town share of the survey sample.
US
US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session
US House Floor Proceedings (Wednesday, December 3, 2025)
US Federal House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- team regulation and unarmed drill team exhibition.
- team regulation and unarmed drill team exhibition.
- team regulation and unarmed drill team exhibition.
- team regulation and unarmed armed drill team regulation and unarmed drill<01:05:37.520>
team < - They placed drill team exhibition.
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
House - Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Jan 29th, 2026 at 08:32 am
House Energy, Environment & Natural Resources
Transcript Highlights:
- employers and regulators to address hazardous conditions, such as active methane leaks, before allowing drilling
- so far, despite heroic attempts by people all across the world, AI data centers and oil and gas drilling
- And the other thing is that there's another example, and that is unsafe proximity of drilling.
- So the amendment supports or provides the guidance and guardrails against any type of drilling around
- sensitive areas. ...and guardrails against any type of drilling around sensitive areas of schools, for
LA
Louisiana 2026 Regular Session
House Select Committee on Homeland Security May 26th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- We drilled—it was in the drilling business. We drilled shallow wells.
- We've drilled thousands of wells and hundreds of thousands of feet. And it's drill.
- Really need all the things you encounter when you're drilling.
- Really need all the things you encounter when you're drilling.
- Anyone who's ever drilled through that can attest to that.
Summary:
The committee first heard an update on the Northwest Louisiana earthquake cluster. Laura Sori of the Department of Conservation and Energy said the agency has inspected Class II injection wells within 12 miles of the earthquakes, found no permit violations, and is requiring monthly reporting of daily injection data. LSU and Tulane researchers explained that the swarm includes about 50 earthquakes detected by USGS since December 2025, including a 4.9 magnitude event on March 5, and that better monitoring is needed because Louisiana has very limited seismic station coverage. Dr. Cynthia Ebinger said her temporary array has detected more small quakes than USGS, that the pattern looks more like a swarm than normal aftershocks, and that the data suggest pressure changes in the subsurface, though no definitive cause was identified. Keith Hall of LSU described how other states responded to suspected induced seismicity with more monitoring, more frequent reporting, injection limits or moratoria, and “traffic light” systems that escalate regulatory responses as seismicity increases. Members asked about depths, fault locations, possible links to injection or fracking, and whether more monitoring and data-sharing should be pursued; several speakers said Louisiana likely needs a denser monitoring network and more structured data collection. A Texas geoscientist, William Berger, also testified that Texas uses large-scale data analysis and AI to study injection-related seismicity and argued for secure sharing of operator data to improve forecasting and risk management.
The committee then took testimony on UAV and drone incursions over Barksdale Air Force Base. GOSEP said the incident was logged in WebEOC and the common operating picture, but that Barksdale did not request direct GOSEP resources and that the matter was handled through law enforcement channels. Louisiana State Police and the FBI said they were limited in what they could disclose, but confirmed multiple drone sightings on the morning and evening of March 9 and continued monitoring for several days. State Police said they have created a task force with the Police Chiefs Association, Sheriffs Association, GOSEP, and LSP, and that officers are receiving FBI-related training to help detect and, where authorized, mitigate drones. Members discussed whether the activity was nefarious, what counts as an incursion, and the need for better public education about drone restrictions near military and critical infrastructure sites. No formal action was taken, but members said the issue will continue to be tracked alongside pending legislation.
Finally, the committee received a one-year update on the merger of GOSEP with the Louisiana National Guard and Military Department. Major General Thomas Freelieu and Brigadier General Jason Maffus said the merger has reduced GOSEP from seven divisions to three, shifted administrative functions to the Military Department, and produced about $10.5 million in first-year cost avoidance. They said the agency has modernized its common operating picture, returned staff to in-person work, and continued statewide preparedness exercises. Freelieu highlighted Guard missions including cyber expansion, the new Air National Guard cyber squadron at Jackson Barracks, modernization of the 159th Fighter Wing, and ongoing support for homeland security missions in New Orleans and Washington, D.C. Maffus said GOSEP’s core mission remains emergency preparedness, response, and recovery, and that the merger is intended to make state support to parishes faster and more efficient.