HB2688 S JUDICIARY AMT

O’Neill 7888

            The Committee on the Judiciary moved to amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting therefor a new title, to read as follows:

            Eng. Com. Sub. for House Bill No. 2688--A Bill to amend and reenact §11-13A-3a, §22C-9-1, §22C-9-2, §22C-9-3, §22C-9-4 and §22C-9-5 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; and to amend said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §22C-9-7a, all relating to oil and gas conservation; requiring the Tax Commissioner to study, and propose rules relating to, oil and gas severance taxation on a first purchaser basis; reconstituting the membership of the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission; providing for the unitization of interests in drilling units in connection with horizontal oil or gas wells generally; setting forth application requirements; establishing the standard of review; providing for unit orders; requiring notice and timeliness; providing for hearings; addressing oil and gas produced from horizontal wells, vertical wells and unconventional reservoirs; requiring royalties be paid on all substances emitted from the borehole; providing for declaration of public policy and legislative findings; limiting the liability of non-consenting owners in certain circumstances; granting additional authority to the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission; providing for the award of unitization consideration in certain circumstances; providing for dispute resolution; providing for treatment of interests of unknown and unlocatable interest owners, including moneys payable thereto; establishing procedures where certain information shall be deemed confidential; exempting certain information from disclosure under the Freedom of Information law; providing that horizontal well unit orders to not grant or affect surface rights; authorizing contemporaneous permit applications; providing for reunification of interests of unknown and unlocatable interest owners with surface owners in certain circumstances and providing procedures therefor; providing for conflict resolution; adding new definitions; and modifying existing definitions.

Adopted

Rejected