2019 California Code
Public Resources Code - PRC
DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS
CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation
ARTICLE 4 - Regulation of Operations
Section 3206.3.

(a) (1) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, on or before July 1, 2019, and annually thereafter until July 1, 2026, the supervisor shall, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, prepare and transmit to the Legislature a comprehensive report on the status of idle and long-term idle wells for the preceding calendar year. The report shall include all of the following:

(A) A list of all idle and long-term idle wells in the state by American Petroleum Institute identification number and indicating the operator, field, and pool.

(B) A list of all wells whose idle or long-term idle status changed in the preceding year by American Petroleum Institute identification number with the disposition and current status of each well.

(C) A list of orphan wells remaining, the estimated costs of abandoning those orphan wells, and a timeline for future orphan well abandonment with a specific schedule of goals. Idle and long-term idle wells that have become orphan wells shall be identified in the list. For the purposes of this report, an orphan well is a well that has no party responsible for it, leaving the state to plug and abandon it.

(D) A list of all operators with plans filed with the supervisor for the management and elimination of all long-term idle wells and the status of those plans.

(E) Any additional relevant information as determined by the supervisor.

(2) The report shall be made publicly available and an electronic version shall be available on the division’s internet website.

(b) For the report due on or before July 1, 2021, and each report thereafter, the division shall conduct inspections of production facilities attendant to long-term idle wells to ensure compliance with the requirements of this chapter. Information summarizing violations and pertinent findings in these inspections shall be included in the applicable report required to be prepared and transmitted pursuant to subdivision (a).

(c) Information on how to access the plans described in subparagraph (D) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) shall be on the division’s internet website.

(d) After July 1, 2026, the division shall continue to regularly provide updated information describing idle and long-term idle wells on the division’s internet website.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 774, Sec. 2. (SB 551) Effective January 1, 2020.)