Bill Text: CA SB406 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Oil and gas: operations: notice of intention: investigations: data availability.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-10-08 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 727, Statutes of 2021. [SB406 Detail]
Download: California-2021-SB406-Amended.html
Amended
IN
Senate
April 05, 2021 |
Introduced by Senator Stern |
February 12, 2021 |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
Under existing law, the Geologic Energy Management Division in the Department of Conservation regulates the drilling, operation, maintenance, and abandonment of oil and gas wells in the state. Existing law requires the operator of a well to file a written notice of intention to commence drilling with, and prohibits any drilling until approval is given by, the State Oil and Gas Supervisor or district deputy. Existing law requires the
notice to contain the pertinent data the supervisor requires on printed forms supplied by the division or on other forms acceptable to the supervisor.
This bill would require the form for the notice to clearly identify whether the well is a critical well, as defined.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program:Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares the following:SEC. 2.
The heading of Article 3 (commencing with Section 690) of Chapter 2 of Division 1 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:
Article
3. Division of Oil and Gas Geologic Energy Management Division
SEC. 3.
Section 3108.5 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:3108.5.
On or before ____, the supervisor shall make all public information collected or maintained by the division, including well records, well logs, notices of intention, notices of violation, supplementary notices, field reports, inspections, correspondence, and other materials readily available to the public on its internet website. All online materials shall be organized by well, operator, or project, and searchable.SEC. 4.
Section 3115 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:3115.
On or before ____, the division shall develop and implement an education and outreach program to provide training to local governmental entities on materials collected and maintained by the division related to oil and gas operations.SEC. 5.
Section 3203.5 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:3203.5.
(a) The division shall modify its forms used to evaluate notices of intention and supplementary notices under Section 3203 to include information on the expiration date or other conditions placed upon any local government permits or other authorization such as a conditional use permit necessary to operate the well or production facility. Any notice that does not include this information shall be deemed incomplete.SEC. 6.
Section 3213 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:3213.
The history shall show the location and amount of sidetracked casings, tools, or other material, the depth and quantity of cement in cement plugs, the shots of dynamite or other explosives, all acid treatmentSEC. 7.
Section 3227 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:3227.
(a) The owner of any well shall file with the supervisor, on or before the last day of each month, for the last preceding calendar month, a statement, in the form designated by the supervisor, showing all of the following:SEC. 8.
Section 3235 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:3235.
(a) The supervisor may upon A
The
SEC. 9.
Section 3412 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:3412.
On or beforeSEC. 10.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.(a)The operator of any well, before commencing the work of drilling the well, shall file with the supervisor or the district deputy a written notice of intention to commence drilling. Drilling shall not commence until approval is given by the supervisor or the district deputy. If the supervisor or the district deputy fails to give the operator written response to the notice within 10 working days from the date of receipt, that failure shall be considered as an approval of the notice and the notice, for the purposes and intents of this chapter, shall be deemed a written report of the supervisor. If operations have not commenced within 24 months of receipt of the notice, the notice shall be deemed canceled, the notice shall not be extended, and the
cancellation shall be noted in the division’s records. The notice shall contain the pertinent data the supervisor requires on printed forms supplied by the division or on other forms acceptable to the supervisor. The form for the notice shall clearly identify whether the well is a critical well, as defined in Section 1720 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, or a successor regulation. The supervisor may require other pertinent information to supplement the notice.
(b)After the completion of any well, this section also applies as far as may be, to the deepening or redrilling of the well, any operation involving the plugging of the well, or any operations permanently altering in any manner the casing of the well. The number or designation of any well, and the number or designation specified for any well in a notice filed as
required by this section, shall not be changed without first obtaining a written consent of the supervisor.
(c)If an operator has failed to comply with an order of the supervisor, the supervisor may deny approval of proposed well operations until the operator brings its existing well operations into compliance with the order. If an operator has failed to pay a civil penalty, remedy a violation that it is required to remedy to the satisfaction of the supervisor pursuant to an order issued under Section 3236.5, or to pay any charges assessed under Article 7 (commencing with Section 3400), the supervisor may deny approval to the operator’s proposed well operations until the operator pays the civil penalty, remedies the violation to the satisfaction of the supervisor, or pays the charges assessed under Article 7 (commencing with Section
3400).