# Kentucky HB 677: AN ACT relating to energy production and byproduct management. Kentucky HB 677, AN ACT relating to energy production and byproduct management., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Jim Gooch Jr. (Republican); status became law, last action 2026-04-14 (became law without Governor's Signature (Acts Ch. 152)) (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB677-2026RS - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Kentucky HB 677 - State: Kentucky - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: AN ACT relating to energy production and byproduct management. - Status: became law - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-02-19 - Last action: 2026-04-14, became law without Governor's Signature (Acts Ch. 152) - Sponsor: Jim Gooch Jr. (Republican) - Cosponsors: 2 - Subjects: Coal, Energy, Environment And Conservation, Fuel, Minerals And Mining, Oil And Natural Gas, Pollution, Reports Mandated - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 3 (197 yes, 28 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 8 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - State-run CO2 storage permits: benefit, high. The Energy and Environment Cabinet runs Kentucky’s permit program for underground CO2 storage. Injection is allowed only with a permit. Permits require site studies, safe drilling materials, monitoring during and after injection, and money set aside to plug wells and handle emergencies. The Cabinet… - CO2 storage enforcement and rights: mixed, medium. Starting an appeal does not pause cabinet notices or orders. A hearing officer decides any request for temporary relief within days and only if the requester is likely to win and no health or environmental harm will occur. If the cabinet does not sue within 10 days after a written request, an affec… - Setbacks and local say on energy projects: mixed, medium. The law sets minimum distances: stacks and wind turbines must be 1,000 feet from adjoining property lines, and energy structures must be 2,000 feet from neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, and nursing homes. Coal and gas stacks follow these distances; solar and wind structures do too, and wind hubs… - Bonds and cleanup rules for power projects: mixed, medium. Applicants for merchant power projects must file a decommissioning plan and buy a bond equal to the higher of the engineer’s net‑present‑value cleanup cost or the local bond amount. The plan covers removing above‑ground and underground parts (unless the current landowner asks otherwise) and restori… - New rules for CO2 storage projects: mixed, medium. The law requires a Class VI permit and a state drilling permit for each well before you build or run a CO2 storage site. Applications must use Cabinet forms, show 75% pore-space consent, request pooling for up to 25%, and prove legal rights to 100% and surface access; review pauses for real ownersh… - Stronger bonds and post-build oversight: mixed, medium. Projects must carry strong decommissioning bonds from highly rated sureties, with 30‑day cancellation notice to owners and the Cabinet and a chance to cure. Landowners (or the Cabinet with their approval) can draw on the bond and complete the plan; the applicant pays cure costs. The party doing dec… - Operators must coordinate on shared wells: mixed, low. Oil and gas operators must send well applications to the sequestration operator, and the Cabinet will notify both. Non‑applicant operators have 15 days to object; the Cabinet holds a hearing within 10 days and may modify permits. In cost disputes over well work, the Cabinet decides who pays extra a… - Permits for transmission lines and CO2 pipelines: mixed, low. You must get a Public Service Commission construction certificate before building a nonregulated transmission line or a CO2 pipeline. File an application, pay the fee, and cover any consultant costs the board hires. Include maps, right‑of‑way limits, and distances: one mile for lines and 1,000 feet… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Jim Gooch Jr. (Republican), House - Cosponsor: J.T. Payne (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Wade Williams (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-04-01 | House | passed | pass | 61 | 28 | | | 2026-03-31 | Senate | 3rd reading, passed | pass | 38 | 0 | | | 2026-03-09 | House | 3rd reading, passed | pass | 98 | 0 | | ## Actions (25) - 2026-04-14: became law without Governor's Signature (Acts Ch. 152) - 2026-04-13: filed without Governor's signature with the Secretary of State - 2026-04-01: delivered to Governor - 2026-04-01: enrolled, signed by President of the Senate (House) - 2026-04-01: enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House (House) - 2026-04-01: passed 61-28 (House) - 2026-04-01: House concurred in Committee Substitute (1), Floor Amendment (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title) (House) - 2026-03-31: posted for passage for concurrence in Senate Committee Substitute (1), Floor Amendment (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title) (Senate) - 2026-03-31: to Rules (H) (House) - 2026-03-31: received in House (House) - 2026-03-31: 3rd reading, passed 38-0 with Committee Substitute (1), Floor Amendment (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title) (Senate) - 2026-03-31: posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Tuesday, March 31 2026 (Senate) - 2026-03-27: floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute (Senate) - 2026-03-26: 2nd reading, to Rules as a consent bill (Senate) - 2026-03-25: reported favorably, 1st reading, to Consent Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title) (Senate) - 2026-03-19: to Natural Resources & Energy (S) (Senate) - 2026-03-10: to Committee on Committees (S) (Senate) - 2026-03-10: received in Senate (Senate) - 2026-03-09: 3rd reading, passed 98-0 with Committee Amendment (1) (House) - 2026-03-06: posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Monday, March 09 2026 (House) - 2026-03-06: 2nd reading, to Rules (House) - 2026-03-05: reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Amendment (1) (House) - 2026-02-24: to Natural Resources & Energy (H) (House) - 2026-02-19: to Committee on Committees (H) (House) - 2026-02-19: introduced in House (House) ## Bill text - Current, 2026-04-01: [PDF](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/hb677/bill.pdf) - Introduced, 2026-03-09: [PDF](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/hb677/orig_bill.pdf) ## Related bills - HB 869: AN ACT relating to fiscal matters and declaring an emergency. (signed) - SB 197: AN ACT providing funding and establishing conditions for state government agencies and institutions, making an appropriation therefor, and declaring an emergen… (became law) - SB 133: AN ACT relating to the fiscal reporting of local entities. (signed) - HB 826: AN ACT relating to education. (signed) - HB 727: AN ACT relating to education and declaring an emergency. (signed) - SB 324: AN ACT relating to the entertainment industry. (signed) ## Sources - [Current (PDF)](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/hb677/bill.pdf) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/hb677/orig_bill.pdf) ## Related - [HB 869: AN ACT relating to fiscal matters and declaring an emergency.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB869-2026RS) - [SB 197: AN ACT providing funding and establishing conditions for state government agenc…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-SB197-2026RS) - [SB 133: AN ACT relating to the fiscal reporting of local entities.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-SB133-2026RS) - [HB 826: AN ACT relating to education.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB826-2026RS) - [HB 727: AN ACT relating to education and declaring an emergency.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB727-2026RS) - [SB 324: AN ACT relating to the entertainment industry.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-SB324-2026RS) - [Kentucky bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/kentucky/bills) - [Kentucky state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/kentucky) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KY-HB677-2026RS (as of 2026-11-01).