Title 9 — Title 9

Any lease executed under the provisions of this division may authorize the lessee to pool or unitize the lease, the lands or minerals covered thereby or any part thereof with other lands, leases or mineral estates or parts thereof upon such terms as the Commissioner of Conservati…

Leases to Authorize Same. The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources is hereby authorized to execute upon such terms as he may approve: (1) Pooling or unitization agreements affecting oil, gas and other minerals or any one or more of them, on, in or under lands within…

Bids; Opening of Bids; Acceptance or Rejection of Bids. All lands proposed to be leased under the provisions of this division shall be leased only upon the basis of competitive bids. The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources shall obtain written, sealed competitive b…

for Necessary Legal Advertisement. All persons requesting the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources to advertise state lands for oil and gas lease purposes shall be required to pay for the necessary legal advertisements for such sales. History: (Acts 1963, No. 529, p…

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is hereby authorized to provide for a reasonable charge for its oil and gas lease tract charts, such charge to be based upon the cost of printing, handling and mailing by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Hi…

The revenues that shall accrue under the provisions of this division from rentals, royalties and all other sources subject to the cost of administration shall be the property of the department or institution to which said lands belong or in which said department or institution sh…

No such revenues shall be expended from such funds unless and to the extent appropriated by law. History: (Acts 1956, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 158, p. 224, §8.)

Promulgation, Etc., of Rules, Regulations or Orders Generally; Promulgation, Etc., of Emergency Rules, Regulations or Orders. (a) The board shall prescribe its rules of order or procedure in hearings or other proceedings before it under this article. (b) No rule, regulation or or…

Subpoenas Issued by Board. (a) The board or any member thereof is hereby empowered to issue subpoenas for witnesses, to require their attendance and the giving of testimony before it and to require the production of such books, papers and records in any proceeding before the boar…

The phrase “enhanced recovery methods” as used herein shall mean the increased recovery from a pool of oil or gas achieved by artificial means or by the application of energy extrinsic to the pool, including repressuring, cycling, pressure maintenance, injection, or any other enh…

In order to promote the conservation of oil and gas resources, prevent waste, avoid the drilling of unnecessary wells, allow the drilling of wells at optimum geologic locations, and protect correlative rights, the State Oil and Gas Board of Alabama upon its own motion may, or upo…

The board shall issue an order requiring such unit operation if it finds that: (1) Unit operation of the field or of any pool or pools or of any portion of a pool or combinations thereof within the field is reasonably necessary to prevent waste, to increase the ultimate recovery …

The order shall be fair and reasonable under all the circumstances, shall protect the rights of interested parties and shall include: (1) A description of the area embraced, termed the unit area, and a description of the pool or pools or portions thereof affected and lying within…

Revoked. An order requiring unit operation shall not become effective unless and until agreements incorporating the provisions of Section 9-17-83 have been signed or in writing ratified or approved by the owners of at least 66 2/3 percent in interest as costs are shared under the…

(a) The board, by entry of new or amending orders, may from time to time add to unit operations portions of pools not theretofore included and may add to unit operations new pools or portions thereof and may extend the unit area as required. Any such order, in providing for alloc…

When the contribution of a separately owned tract with respect to any unit pool has been established pursuant to subdivision (3) of Section 9-17-83, such contribution shall not be subsequently altered, unless the board shall find, after notice and hearing, that such contribution …

Tracts. The portion of unit production allocated to a separately owned tract within the unit area shall be deemed for all purposes to have been actually produced from such tract, and operations with respect to any unit pool within the unit area shall be deemed for all purposes to…

This article shall apply only to field or pool units and shall not apply to the unitization of interests within a drilling unit as may be authorized and governed under the provisions of Article 1 of this chapter. History: (Acts 1957, No. 352, p. 461, §8.)

The State Geologist shall be, ex officio, the State Oil and Gas Supervisor and shall perform all of the duties of and is hereby vested with all the powers imposed upon and vested in the State Oil and Gas Supervisor under and by the terms and provisions of this article. The State …

The Southern Interstate Nuclear Compact is hereby enacted into law and entered into by the state of Alabama with any and all states legally joining therein in accordance with its terms, in the form substantially as follows: “SOUTHERN INTERSTATE NUCLEAR COMPACT “Article I. Policy …

The Governor shall appoint one member of the Southern Interstate Nuclear Board as established by Article II of the compact. Said member shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor. If said member is the head of a regularly constituted department or agency of this state, he may de…

Board. The Board of Control of the Employees’ Retirement System of Alabama may make one or more contracts with the Southern Interstate Nuclear Board in order to further or facilitate the activities of the board pursuant to Article II (f) of the compact. No such contract shall tak…

Pursuant to Article III (a) of the compact, the board shall submit its budget of estimated expenditures to the Governor for presentation to the Legislature. History: (Acts 1961, Ex. Sess., No. 52, p. 1909, §4.)

Etc., Become Effective. Any supplementary agreement entered into pursuant to Article VI of the compact requiring the expenditure of funds or the assumption of an obligation to expend funds in addition to those already appropriated shall not become effective as to this state prior…

The departments, agencies and officers of this state and its subdivisions are hereby authorized to cooperate with the Southern Interstate Nuclear Board in the furtherance of any of its activities pursuant to the compact. History: (Acts 1961, Ex. Sess., No. 52, p. 1909, §6.)

The Legislature hereby enacts, and the State of Alabama hereby enters into, the Southern States Energy Compact with any and all states legally joining therein in accordance with its terms, in the form substantially as follows: “SOUTHERN STATES ENERGY COMPACT “Article I. Policy an…

Terms, Etc.; Designation of Deputy or Assistant. [Effective until October 1, 2026.] AMENDED BY ACT 2026-327, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2026. SEE ACT FOR REVISED LANGUAGE. (a) The Governor shall serve as one member of the Southern States Energy Board or may appoint another person to se…

Assumption of Obligations Not Effective. No supplementary agreement entered into pursuant to Article VI of the compact and requiring the expenditure of funds or the assumption of an obligation to expend funds in addition to those already appropriated shall become effective as to …

All departments, agencies and officers of this state and its political subdivisions are hereby authorized to cooperate with the Southern States Energy Board in the furtherance of any of its activities pursuant to the compact. History: (Acts 1980, No. 80-702, p. 1413, §5.)

The following words and phrases when used in this chapter shall for the purpose of this chapter have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this section, except in those instances where the context clearly indicates a different meaning: (1) CAVE. Any natural subterranean c…

Equipment Failure. (a) While engaged in cave related activities, no person or organization, or formal or informal group of persons in the company of other persons whether he or they be leading, accompanying, or in the area with the other person, shall be held liable for injuries …

It shall be unlawful and constitute a misdemeanor for any person, organization, firm or corporation, including an officer, agent or employee of any town or municipality to: (1) Maliciously break, break off, crack, carve upon, write, burn, damage, or otherwise mar or mark on, remo…

It shall be unlawful and constitute a misdemeanor for any person, organization, firm, corporation, including any officer, employee or agent of any town or municipality to risk the pollution of the underground water resources of the state by storing, dumping, disposing, or otherwi…

Violations of the misdemeanor provisions of this chapter shall incur the following penalties: (1) First offense: A Class C misdemeanor. (2) Second offense: A Class B misdemeanor. (3) Subsequent offenses: A Class A misdemeanor. History: (Acts 1988, No. 88-582, p. 909, §5.)

This chapter may be cited as the “Alabama Nonindigenous Aquatic Plant Control Act.” History: (Acts 1995, No. 95-767, p. 1813, §1.)

The following terms and phrases shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise: (1) AQUATIC PLANT. Any plant growing in, or closely associated with, the aquatic environment including, without limitation, floating, emersed, submersed, ditchbank an…

Prohibited. Any person who introduces, places, or causes to be introduced or placed, any nonindigenous aquatic plant into any public waters of the state shall be in violation of this chapter. For purposes of this section, the unintentional adherence to a boat or boat trailer of a…

Any person who possesses, through natural dispersion, an aquatic plant which is prohibited from being introduced or placed in a public water of the state pursuant to Section 9-20-3, and the possession poses neither danger or intent to further disperse the aquatic plant by means o…

The department shall establish, adopt, promulgate, modify, repeal, or suspend any rules, regulations, or standards as necessary for the proper administration, implementation and enforcement of this chapter. The rules, regulations, or standards shall include, without limitation, a…

Any person who violates this chapter, or any rule, regulation, or standard adopted pursuant to this chapter, shall be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor and shall be punished in accordance with Sections 13A-5-7 and 13A-5-12. History: (Acts 1995, No. 95-767, p. 1813, §6.)

No section of this chapter shall be construed as repealing any other laws of the state but shall be held and construed as ancillary and supplemental thereto. History: (Acts 1995, No. 95-767, p. 1813, §8.)

This chapter shall be known as the Alabama Aquatic Plant Management Act. History: (Act 2013-384, p. 1442, §1.)

The Legislature finds that the management and stewardship of aquatic plants is important to the State of Alabama. It is the intent of the Legislature that the management of aquatic plants in the waters of the Tennessee River be carried out under the general supervision and stewar…

For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) Board means the Alabama Board for Aquatic Plant Management and shall include the following members: a. The Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources or his or her des…

(a) This chapter creates the Alabama Board for Aquatic Plant Management with all of the following powers and duties: (1) Monitor and coordinate the management, treatment, and stewardship of aquatic plants in the waters of the Tennessee River and direct the research and planning r…

The board may do any of the following: (1) Accept donations and grants of funds and services from both public and private sources. (2) Contract or enter into agreements with public or private agencies or corporations for research and development of aquatic plant control methods o…

(a) The Aquatic Plant Management Fund is established. The fund shall be a non- reverting fund administered by the board and shall consist of all monies received by the board pursuant to this chapter. (b) Money received from any state fund, federal funds, or money received from an…

(a) This section constitutes the Aquatic Plant Management Program. (b) The amount of the Aquatic Plant Management Fund at the end of each fiscal year in excess of 10 percent of the total amount of the fund may be awarded for aquatic plant management. Allotments of the collections…