WEST virginia legislature
2022 regular session
Introduced
Senate Bill 480
By Senators Smith, Phillips, and Clements
[Introduced January 25, 2022;
referred
to the Committee on Energy, Industry, and Mining; and then to the Committee on
Finance]
A BILL to amend and reenact §22-6-2 and §22-6-29 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all relating to the Office of Oil and Gas of the Department of Environmental Protection; establishing annual oversight fee for wells producing more than 10,000 cubic feet of gas per day; and providing that those fees, if not used for other purposes, may be moved to the Oil and Gas Reclamation Fund.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
ARTICLE 6. OFFICE OF OIL AND GAS; OIL AND GAS WELLS; ADMINISTRATION; ENFORCEMENT.
§22-6-2. Secretary – powers and duties generally; department records open to public; inspectors.
(a) The secretary shall have as his or her duty the supervision of the execution and enforcement of matters related to oil and gas set out in §22-6-1 et seq., §22-6A-1 et seq., §22-8-1 et seq., §22-9-1 et seq., §22-10-1 et seq., and §22-21-1 et seq. of this code.
(b) The secretary is authorized to propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of §29A-3-1 et seq. of this code necessary to effectuate the above stated purposes.
(c) The secretary shall have full charge of the oil and gas matters set out in §22-6-1 et seq., §22-6A-1 et seq., §22-8-1 et seq., §22-9-1 et seq., §22-10-1 et seq., and §22-21-1 et seq. of this code. In addition to all other powers and duties conferred upon him or her, the secretary shall have the power and duty to:
(1) Supervise and direct the activities of the Office of Oil and Gas and see that the purposes set forth in §22-6-2(a) and §22-6-2(b) of this code are carried out;
(2) Determine the number of supervising oil and gas inspectors and oil and gas inspectors needed to carry out the purposes of §22-6-1 et seq., §22-6A-1 et seq., §22-8-1 et seq., §22-9-1 et seq., §22-10-1 et seq., and §22-21-1 et seq. of this code and appoint them as such. All appointees must be qualified civil service employees, but no person is eligible for appointment until he or she has served in a probationary status for a period of six months to the satisfaction of the secretary;
(3) Supervise and direct such oil and gas inspectors and supervising inspectors in the performance of their duties;
(4) Make investigations or inspections necessary to ensure compliance with and to enforce the provisions of §22-6-1 et seq., §22-6A-1 et seq., §22-8-1 et seq., §22-9-1 et seq., §22-10-1 et seq., and §22-21-1 et seq. of this code;
(5) Prepare report forms to be used by oil and gas inspectors or the supervising inspector in making their findings, orders, and notices upon inspections made in accordance with §22-6-1 et seq., §22-6A-1 et seq., §22-8-1 et seq., §22-9-1 et seq., §22-10-1 et seq., and §22-21-1 et seq. of this code;
(6) Employ a hearing officer and such clerks, stenographers, and other employees as may be necessary to carry out his or her duties and the purposes of the Office of Oil and Gas and fix their compensation;
(7) Hear and determine applications made by owners, well operators, and coal operators for the annulment or revision of orders made by oil and gas inspectors or the supervising inspector, and to make inspections, in accordance with the provisions of §22-6-1 et seq., §22-6A-1 et seq., §22-8-1 et seq., and §22-9-1 et seq. of this code;
(8) Cause a properly indexed permanent and public record to be kept of all inspections made by the secretary or by oil and gas inspectors or the supervising inspector;
(9) Conduct research and studies as the secretary shall deem necessary to aid in protecting the health and safety of persons employed within or at potential or existing oil or gas production fields within this state, to improve drilling and production methods, and to provide for the more efficient protection and preservation of oil and gas-bearing rock strata and property used in connection therewith;
(10) Collect a permit fee
of $400 for each permit application filed other than an application for a deep
well, horizontal wells regulated pursuant to §22-6A-1 et seq. of this
code, or a coalbed methane well; and collect a permit fee of $650 for each permit
application filed for a deep well: Provided, That no permit application
fee is required when an application is submitted solely for the plugging or
replugging of a well, or to modify an existing application for which the
operator previously has submitted a permit fee under this section. All
application fees required hereunder are in lieu of and not in addition to any
fees imposed under §22-11-1 et seq. of this code relating to discharges
of stormwater but are in addition to any other fees required by the provisions
of §22-6-1 et seq. of this code: Provided, however, That upon a
final determination by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
regarding the scope of the exemption under section Section 402(l)(2)
of the federal Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1342(l)(2)), which determination
requires a “national pollutant discharge elimination system” permit for
stormwater discharges from the oil and gas operations described therein, any
permit fees for stormwater permits required under §22-11-1 et seq. of this
code for such operations may not exceed $100;
(11) (12) Perform all other duties which are
expressly imposed upon the secretary by the provisions of this chapter;
(12) (13) Perform all duties as the permit issuing
authority for the state in all matters pertaining to the exploration,
development, production, storage, and recovery of this state’s oil and gas;
(13) (14) Adopt rules with respect to the issuance,
denial, retention, suspension, or revocation of permits, authorizations, and
requirements of this chapter, which rules shall assure that the rules, permits,
and authorizations issued by the secretary are adequate to satisfy the purposes
of §22-6-1 et seq., §22-6A-1 et seq., §22-7-1 et seq., §22-8-1 et seq., §22-9-1
et seq., §22-10-1 et seq., and §22-21-1 et seq. of this
code particularly with respect to the consolidation of the various state and
federal programs which place permitting requirements on the exploration,
development, production, storage, and recovery of this state’s oil and gas; and
(14) (15) Perform such acts as may be necessary or
appropriate to secure to this state the benefits of federal legislation
establishing programs relating to the exploration, development, production,
storage, and recovery of this state’s oil and gas, which programs are assumable
by the state.
(d) The secretary shall have authority to visit and inspect any well or well site and any other oil or gas facility in this state and may call for the assistance of any oil and gas inspector or inspectors or supervising inspector whenever such assistance is necessary in the inspection of any such well or well site or any other oil or gas facility. Similarly, all oil and gas inspectors and supervising inspectors shall have authority to visit and inspect any well or well site and any other oil or gas facility in this state. Such inspectors shall make all necessary inspections of oil and gas operations required by §22-6-1 et seq., §22-6A-1 et seq., §22-8-1 et seq., §22-9-1 et seq., §22-10-1 et seq., and §22-21-1 et seq. of this code; administer and enforce all oil and gas laws and rules; and perform other duties and services as may be prescribed by the secretary. The inspectors shall note and describe all violations of §22-6-1 et seq., §22-6A-1 et seq., §22-8-1 et seq., §22-9-1 et seq., §22-10-1 et seq., and §22-21-1 et seq. of this code and promptly report those violations to the secretary in writing, furnishing at the same time a copy of the report to the operator concerned. Any well operator, coal operator operating coal seams beneath the tract of land, or the coal seam owner or lessee, if any, if said owner or lessee is not yet operating said coal seams beneath said tract of land, may request the secretary to have an immediate inspection made. The operator or owner of every well or well site or any other oil or gas facility shall cooperate with the secretary, all oil and gas inspectors and the supervising inspector in making inspections or obtaining information.
(e) Subject to the provisions of §29B-1-1 et seq. of this code, all records of the office shall be open to the public.
§22-6-29. Operating permit and processing fund; special reclamation fund; fees.
(a) There is hereby
continued within the Treasury of the State of West Virginia the special fund
known as the Oil and Gas Operating Permit and Processing Fund, and the
secretary shall deposit with the state State Treasurer to the
credit of such special fund all fees collected under §22-6-2(c)(10) and
§22-6-2(c)(11) of
this code.
The Oil and Gas Operating Permit and Processing Fund shall be administered by the secretary for the purposes of carrying out the provisions of this chapter. Fees collected under §22-6-2(c)(11) of this code not used for other purposes may be moved to the Oil and Gas Reclamation Fund that is continued in §22-6-29(b) of this code at the discretion of the Chief of the Office of Oil and Gas.
The secretary shall make an annual report to the Governor and to the Legislature on the use of the fund, and shall make a detailed accounting of all expenditures from the Oil and Gas Operating Permit and Processing Fund.
(b) In addition to any
other fees required by the provisions of §22-6-1 et seq. of this code,
every applicant for a permit to drill a well shall, before the permit is
issued, pay to the secretary a special reclamation fee of $150 for each
activity for which a well work application is required to be filed: Provided,
That a special reclamation fee shall not be assessed for plugging activities. Such
The special reclamation fee shall be paid at the time the application
for a drilling permit is filed with the secretary and the payment of such
the reclamation fee shall be a condition precedent to the issuance of
said permit.
There is hereby continued
within the Treasury of the State of West Virginia the special fund known as the
oil and gas reclamation fund Oil and Gas Reclamation Fund, and
the secretary shall deposit with the state State Treasurer to the
credit of such the special fund all special reclamation fees
collected. The proceeds of any bond forfeited under the provisions of §22-6-1 et
seq. of this code shall inure to the benefit of, and shall be deposited in,
such oil and gas reclamation fund the Oil and Gas Reclamation Fund.
The oil and gas
reclamation fund Oil and Gas Reclamation Fund shall be administered
by the secretary. The secretary shall cause to be prepared plans for the
reclaiming and plugging of abandoned wells which have not been reclaimed or
plugged or which have been improperly reclaimed or plugged. The secretary, as
funds become available in the oil and gas reclamation fund Oil and
Gas Reclamation Fund, shall reclaim and properly plug wells in accordance
with said plans and specifications and in accordance with the provisions of
§22-6-1 et seq. of this code relating to the reclaiming and
plugging of wells and all rules promulgated thereunder. Such The funds
may also be utilized for the purchase of abandoned wells, where such purchase
is necessary, and for the reclamation of such abandoned wells, and for any
engineering, administrative, and research costs as may be necessary to properly
effectuate the reclaiming and plugging of all wells, abandoned or otherwise.
The secretary may avail the division of any federal funds provided on a matching basis that may be made available for the purpose of reclaiming or plugging any wells.
The secretary shall make an
annual report to the Governor and to the Legislature setting forth the number
of wells reclaimed or plugged through the use of the Oil and Gas Reclamation
Fund provided for herein. Such The report shall identify each
such reclamation and plugging project, state the number of wells reclaimed or
plugged thereby, show the county wherein such wells are located, and shall make
a detailed accounting of all expenditures from the Oil and Gas Reclamation
Fund.
All wells shall be reclaimed or plugged by contract entered into by the secretary on a competitive bid basis as provided for under the provisions of §5A-3-1 et seq. of this code and the rules promulgated thereunder.