The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) administers the Mineral Exploration program. The Mineral Exploration program is a separate program from NDEE’s Underground Injection Control (UIC) program and regulates under authority of different titles.

The Mineral Exploration program reviews and issues permits, conducts inspections, and performs compliance reviews for holes drilled, driven, bored, or dug for the specific purpose of mineral exploration. All mineral exploration permits are geared toward the protection of groundwater.

A mineral exploration hole is used for the exploration of potential mineral resources such as limestone, sand and gravel, or other minerals. All mineral exploration holes must be decommissioned immediately after the collection of geologic samples. Mineral exploration holes are regulated under Title 135 – Rules and Regulations for Mineral Exploration Holes.

Holes that are drilled for the production of a mineral resource using fluids to extract the resource are regulated as Class III injection wells and are governed by Title 122 – Rules & Regulations for Underground Injection and Mineral Production Wells.

Oil and gas exploration is excluded from the Mineral Exploration program and is regulated by the Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

Under the Mineral Exploration program, permitted facilities maintain financial responsibility to plug mineral exploration holes. Any mineral exploration hole permit application must contain a plugging plan to protect against ground water contamination from surface contamination, subsurface contamination, and commingling of aquifer fluids.

Resources about the Mineral Exploration permitting process are available on NDEE’s Mineral Exploration web page.