Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2482 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R10336 SLB-D
2	2	By: Reynolds H.B. No. 2482
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to oil and gas operations; increasing fees.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Section 81.067(c), Natural Resources Code, is
10	10	amended to read as follows:
11	11	(c) The fund consists of:
12	12	(1) proceeds from bonds and other financial security
13	13	required by this chapter and benefits under well-specific plugging
14	14	insurance policies described by Section 91.104(c) that are paid to
15	15	the state as contingent beneficiary of the policies, subject to the
16	16	refund provisions of Section 91.1091, if applicable;
17	17	(2) private contributions, including contributions
18	18	made under Section 89.084;
19	19	(3) expenses collected under Section 89.083;
20	20	(4) fees imposed under Section 85.2021;
21	21	(5) costs recovered under Section 91.457 or 91.459;
22	22	(6) proceeds collected under Sections 89.085 and
23	23	91.115;
24	24	(7) interest earned on the funds deposited in the
25	25	fund;
26	26	(8) oil and gas waste hauler permit application fees
27	27	collected under Section 29.015, Water Code;
28	28	(9) costs recovered under Sections 89.043(c-1) and
29	29	[Section] 91.113(f);
30	30	(10) hazardous oil and gas waste generation fees
31	31	collected under Section 91.605;
32	32	(11) oil-field cleanup regulatory fees on oil
33	33	collected under Section 81.116;
34	34	(12) oil-field cleanup regulatory fees on gas
35	35	collected under Section 81.117;
36	36	(13) fees for a reissued certificate collected under
37	37	Section 91.707;
38	38	(14) fees collected under Section 91.1013;
39	39	(15) fees collected under Section 89.088;
40	40	(16) fees collected under Section 91.142;
41	41	(17) fees collected under Section 91.654;
42	42	(18) costs recovered under Sections 91.656 and 91.657;
43	43	(19) fees collected under Section 81.0521;
44	44	(20) [fees collected under Sections 89.024 and 89.026;
45	45	[(21)] legislative appropriations;
46	46	(21) [(22)] any surcharges collected under Section
47	47	81.070;
48	48	(22) [(23)] fees collected under Section 91.0115;
49	49	(23) [(24)] fees collected under Subchapter E,
50	50	Chapter 121, Utilities Code;
51	51	(24) [(25)] fees collected under Section 27.0321,
52	52	Water Code;
53	53	(25) [(26)] fees collected under Section 81.071; and
54	54	(26) [(27)] money collected under Section 81.021.
55	55	SECTION 2. Section 85.2021(a), Natural Resources Code, is
56	56	amended to read as follows:
57	57	(a) With each application or materially amended application
58	58	for a permit to drill, deepen, plug back, or reenter a well, the
59	59	applicant shall submit to the commission a nonrefundable fee of:
60	60	(1) $2,000 [$200] if the total depth of the well is
61	61	2,000 feet or less;
62	62	(2) $2,250 [$225] if the total depth of the well is
63	63	greater than 2,000 feet but less than or equal to 4,000 feet;
64	64	(3) $2,500 [$250] if the total depth of the well is
65	65	greater than 4,000 feet but less than or equal to 9,000 feet;
66	66	(4) $3,000 [$300] if the total depth of the well is
67	67	greater than 9,000 feet.
68	68	SECTION 3. Subchapter A, Chapter 89, Natural Resources
69	69	Code, is amended by adding Section 89.004 to read as follows:
70	70	Sec. 89.004. ACTIVE STATUS. For the purposes of this
71	71	chapter, an inactive well that is not permitted as a disposal or
72	72	injection well may not be considered to be active again until:
73	73	(1) the well has reported production of at least 10
74	74	barrels of oil for oil wells or 100 MCF of gas for gas wells each
75	75	month for at least three consecutive months; or
76	76	(2) the well has reported production of at least one
77	77	barrel of oil for oil wells or at least one MCF of gas for gas wells
78	78	each month for 12 consecutive months.
79	79	SECTION 4. Subchapter B, Chapter 89, Natural Resources
80	80	Code, is amended by adding Section 89.013 to read as follows:
81	81	Sec. 89.013. DUTY OF COMMISSION. The commission shall
82	82	monitor wells in this state to ensure that operators and
83	83	nonoperators comply with the requirements of this subchapter.
84	84	SECTION 5. Section 89.022(a), Natural Resources Code, is
85	85	amended to read as follows:
86	86	(a) On [Except as provided by Section 89.023, on] or before
87	87	the date the operator is required to renew the operator's
88	88	organization report required by Section 91.142, an operator of an
89	89	inactive well must plug the well in accordance with statutes and
90	90	commission rules in effect at the time of plugging.
91	91	SECTION 6. Section 89.043, Natural Resources Code, is
92	92	amended by adding Subsections (c-1) and (g) to read as follows:
93	93	(c-1) Costs recovered under Subsection (c) shall be
94	94	deposited to the credit of the oil and gas regulation and cleanup
95	95	fund.
96	96	(g) The commission shall establish a goal of plugging at
97	97	least 1,400 wells per year under this section.
98	98	SECTION 7. Section 91.1013(a), Natural Resources Code, is
99	99	amended to read as follows:
100	100	(a) With each application for a fluid injection well permit,
101	101	the applicant shall submit to the commission a nonrefundable fee of
102	102	$500 [$200]. In this section, "fluid injection well" means any well
103	103	used to inject fluid or gas into the ground in connection with the
104	104	exploration or production of oil or gas other than an oil and gas
105	105	waste disposal well regulated by the commission pursuant to Chapter
106	106	27, Water Code.
107	107	SECTION 8. Section 91.1041(a), Natural Resources Code, is
108	108	amended to read as follows:
109	109	(a) A person required to file a bond, letter of credit, or
110	110	cash deposit under Section 91.103 who operates one or more wells may
111	111	file a bond in an amount equal to $10 [$2] for each foot of well
112	112	depth for each well. The amount of the bond, letter of credit, or
113	113	cash deposit shall be adjusted every three years based on the
114	114	percentage change in the consumer price index or actual plugging
115	115	costs. In this subsection, "consumer price index" means the
116	116	consumer price index for all urban consumers for all items and for
117	117	all regions of the United States combined, as determined by the
118	118	United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, or,
119	119	if that index is discontinued or superseded, a similar index
120	120	selected or calculated by the comptroller.
121	121	SECTION 9. Section 91.1042, Natural Resources Code, is
122	122	amended by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (a-1) to
123	123	read as follows:
124	124	(a) A person required to file a bond, letter of credit, or
125	125	cash deposit under Section 91.103 may file a blanket bond in the
126	126	amount of $100,000 to cover all wells for which a bond, letter of
127	127	credit, or cash deposit is required [as follows:
128	128	[(1) a person who operates 10 or fewer wells shall file
129	129	a $25,000 blanket bond;
130	130	[(2) a person who operates more than 10 but fewer than
131	131	100 wells shall file a $50,000 blanket bond; and
132	132	[(3) a person who operates 100 or more wells shall file
133	133	a $250,000 blanket bond].
134	134	(a-1) The commission may require an additional blanket bond
135	135	in an amount not to exceed $10 per foot for each idle well. The
136	136	amount of the blanket bond shall be adjusted every three years based
137	137	on the percentage change in the consumer price index or actual
138	138	plugging costs. In this subsection:
139	139	(1) "Consumer price index" means the consumer price
140	140	index for all urban consumers for all items and for all regions of
141	141	the United States combined, as determined by the United States
142	142	Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, or, if that index
143	143	is discontinued or superseded, a similar index selected or
144	144	calculated by the comptroller.
145	145	(2) "Idle well" means a well that is not producing,
146	146	injecting, or disposing in an economically significant manner.
147	147	SECTION 10. Sections 89.022(b), 89.023, 89.024, 89.025,
148	148	89.026, 89.027, 89.028, and 89.029, Natural Resources Code, are
149	149	repealed.
150	150	SECTION 11. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.