27-651. Definitions In this article, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. " Commission" means the oil and gas conservation commission. 2. " Completion" or " completed well" means a well that has produced or is capable of producing geothermal resources or has been determined to be a dry hole, temporarily abandoned or plugged and abandoned, […]
27-652. Supervision by commission A. The commission shall so supervise the drilling, operation, maintenance and abandonment of geothermal resource wells as to encourage the greatest ultimate economic recovery of geothermal resources, to prevent damage to and waste from underground geothermal reservoirs, to prevent damage to or contamination of any waters of the state or any […]
27-653. Information; filing; confidentiality The commission shall collect all information regarding all wells drilled in the state for geothermal resources and necessary for the purpose of supervision of such wells. All such data shall be filed in the commission office and, upon request of the operator, shall be kept confidential for a period of not […]
27-654. Drilling bond; amount; responsibility A. The commission shall require every person who engages in the drilling, ownership or operation of a well, or the entering or deepening of an abandoned well, to file with the commission, on a form to be determined by the commission, a reasonable bond with good and sufficient security conditioned […]
27-655. Commission approval prior to operation; information; hearing The commission shall have jurisdiction over any stimulation, induction or creation of a geothermal resource. Prior to any operation involving the stimulation, induction or creation of a geothermal resource, or any combination thereof, approval of the commission must be obtained. All information deemed necessary by the commission […]
27-656. Rules and orders; hearing A. The commission shall adopt rules necessary for the proper administration and enforcement of this article. B. The commission shall comply with title 41, chapter 6 in adopting, modifying, renewing or extending rules under this article. C. Any order, or change, renewal or extension of an order, except as otherwise […]
27-657. Agent for process Every owner or operator of any well shall designate an agent who resides in this state upon whom may be served all orders, notices and processes of the commission or of any court of law. Every person so appointing an agent shall, within ten days after the termination of any such […]
27-658. Notice of sale or conveyance of well or land A. The owner or operator of any well shall notify the commission in writing on such form as the commission may direct of the sale, assignment, transfer or conveyance or exchange by the owner or operator of such well and the land owned or leased […]
27-659. Application to drill The owner or operator of any property, before commencing the drilling of a well or entering or deepening an abandoned well, shall file with the commission an application to drill, on a form prescribed by the commission, containing such information as may be required by the commission. Such application shall be […]
27-660. Safety requirements Any person engaged in the drilling of a well for geothermal resources in an area wherein fluids, gases or steam under high pressure are known to exist, or any person drilling a well for geothermal resources in any area where pressures are not known, shall case in a watertight manner the borehole […]
27-661. Drilling record; samples The owner or operator of any well shall keep, or cause to be kept, a log, core record and drilling history, copies of which shall be filed with the commission no later than thirty days following the completion of drilling the well. A complete set of samples of the drill bit […]
27-662. Monthly report The owner or operator of any well producing geothermal resources shall file with the commission on or before the twenty-fifth day of the next succeeding month a monthly producers report, setting forth the total production from each well and such other information as may be determined by the commission.
27-663. Unlawful interference; classification Any owner or operator or employee thereof who knowingly refuses to permit the commission to inspect a well or who knowingly hinders or delays enforcement of the provisions of this chapter, and every person, whether as principal agent, servant or employee, or otherwise, who violates or knowingly fails or refuses to […]
27-664. Cooperative development agreements; unitization Whenever the commission finds that it is in the interest of the protection of the geothermal resources of this state from unreasonable waste, the lessors, lessees, operators, owners or other persons holding or controlling royalty or other interest in separate properties within the same productive or prospectively productive geothermal area […]
27-665. Unitization; requirements A. No order of the commission creating a unit and prescribing the plan of unitization applicable thereto shall become effective unless and until the plan of unitization has been signed, or in writing ratified or approved by the owner or lessees of record of not less than sixty-three per cent of the […]
27-666. Pooling A. When two or more separately owned tracts of land are embraced within an established drilling unit, persons owning the drilling rights therein and the right to share in the production therefrom may agree to pool their interests and develop their lands as a drilling unit. If the persons do not agree to […]
27-667. Relationship of geothermal resources to water laws A. Geothermal resources and their development shall be exempt from the water laws of this state unless either: 1. Such resources are commingled with surface waters or groundwaters of this state. 2. Such development causes impairment of or damage to the groundwater supply. B. In the development […]
27-668. Leasing state lands for development of geothermal resources A. The department may lease state lands for the development of geothermal resources and sell geothermal resource leases as provided in this article. B. The department may prescribe rules and regulations necessary and appropriate to carry out the purposes of this section and to protect the […]
27-669. Designation of known geothermal resource areas The department may determine and designate the known geothermal resource areas. The determinations and designations shall be published twice in a newspaper of general circulation in this state, the last publication to be not less than five days from the first date of publication. The determinations and designations […]
27-670. Lease of state lands; application; call for bids; publication; withdrawal of lands from leasing A. Applications for leases shall be in writing addressed to the department and shall contain a description of the lands sufficient to identify them, the name and address of the applicant and shall be accompanied by a filing fee of […]
