Chapter 55, OIL AND GAS

55-1,101. Definitions. (a) As used in K.S.A. 55-1,101 through 55-1,109, and amendments thereto: (1) "Gas gathering services" means the gathering or preparation of natural gas for transportation, including transportation to a main transmission line or to any exit tap on a gas gath…

55-1,102. Filing of rates and other information required; use of information; disclosure. (a) Each person offering gas gathering services in this state shall file with the commission copies of: (1) Rates paid for natural gas purchased at the wellhead by the person offering gas ga…

55-1,103. Limitations on manner of offering services and facilities. (a) Persons offering gas gathering services in this state, or facilities essential to provision of such services, shall provide, in a manner that is just, reasonable, not unjustly discriminatory and not unduly p…

55-1,104. Commission review of fees, terms, practices; complaint; procedure. (a) The commission, in its discretion, may at any time review a fee, term or practice being used by a person offering gas gathering services to ascertain whether a violation of K.S.A. 55-1,103 has occurr…

55-1,105. Rules and regulations. (a) The commission may adopt such rules and regulations as the commission determines necessary to improve access to gas gathering services or to improve market competition or protect the public interest in such services. (b) This section shall tak…

55-1,106. Exemptions from rate averaging or pricing systems. (a) The commission may exempt natural gas sold directly to a consumer from the wellhead before the gas enters a gathering system from rate averaging or pricing systems that apply to gas sold from a gas gathering system.…

55-1,107. Issuance of more than one certificate of convenience and necessity; exit fees prohibited. (a) In any retail natural gas service area where the commission has granted a certificate of convenience and necessity to sell natural gas at retail from a gas gathering system, th…

55-1,108. Contractual obligations, when amended. (a) Nothing in K.S.A. 55-1,101 through 55-1,107 shall be construed, or authorize the commission, to amend any contractual obligations between the person offering gas gathering services and the complainant unless the commission dete…

55-1,109. Notice of lack of capacity to serve required. If a public utility providing service from a gas gathering system determines that such utility lacks sufficient services or facilities to serve the needs of any person wishing to utilize such utility's services within such u…

55-1,110. Severability of act. If any provisions of this act or the application of this act to any person or circumstances is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of this act that can be given effect without the invalid provisions or appli…

55-1,111. Commission review of exit tap on gathering system, access, service, abandonment; procedure. The commission may, upon complaint by a party who has or seeks an exit tap on a gathering system, review disputes over access, service or abandonment, regarding exit taps on a ga…

55-1,115. Underground storage of hydrocarbons; corporation commission regulation of underground porosity storage of natural gas. (a) On or before July 1, 2002, the state corporation commission shall adopt rules and regulations governing underground porosity storage of natural gas…

55-1,116. Natural gas underground storage; fee fund. (a) There is hereby created in the state treasury the natural gas underground storage fee fund. (b) All moneys received by the state corporation commission as grants, gifts, bequests or state or federal appropriations for the p…

55-1,117. Underground storage of hydrocarbons; definitions; department of health and environment regulation of other underground storage. (a) As used in this section and K.S.A. 65-171d and 55-1,118 through 55-1,122, and amendments thereto: (1) "Company or operator" means any form…

55-1,117a. Department of health and environment regulation of underground crude oil storage. Not later than January 1, 2009, the secretary of health and environment shall adopt, pursuant to K.S.A. 55-1,117, and amendments thereto, rules and regulations governing underground crude…

55-1,118. Subsurface hydrocarbon storage fund. (a) (1) There is hereby established in the state treasury the subsurface hydrocarbon storage fund to administer the provisions of K.S.A. 55-1,117 through 55-1,122, and amendments thereto. Such fund shall be administered by the secret…

55-1,119. Penalties for violations of K.S.A. 55-1,117 or rules and regulations adopted thereunder. (a) The secretary or the director of the division of environment, if designated by the secretary, upon a finding that a person has violated any provision of K.S.A. 55-1,117, and ame…

55-1,120. Salt solution mining wells; abandonment, legal responsibility for. (a) For the purposes of this section: (1) "Person legally responsible" includes, but is not limited to: (A) Any current or former operator of the well, or successor, who has: (i) Knowingly abandoned the …

55-1,121. Salt solution mining well plugging fund. (a) There is hereby created in the state treasury the salt solution mining well plugging fund. Such fund shall be administered by the secretary in accordance with the provisions of this section and K.S.A. 55-1,120, and amendments…

55-1,122. Representatives of secretary; right of ingress and egress. (a) In performing investigations or administrative functions relating to surface and subsurface water pollution, soil pollution and public health or safety, the secretary or the secretary's duly authorized repre…

55-101. Natural gas for residents of platted land outside city; laying and maintenance of pipes. Whenever any tract of land not in an incorporated city shall be laid out in lots or other subdivisions as now required by law, the owner of such lands or his or her assigns is authori…

55-102. Control and management of oil and gas wells; unlawful acts, penalties; flaring, venting or use of gas permitted, when. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), it shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation having possession or control of any natural gas well, …

55-112. Transportation of gas; standards for. (a) Any person or persons, firm, company or corporation engaged in drilling for, piping, transporting, using or selling natural gas shall transport or conduct the same through materials listed under appendix B of 49 C.F.R. part 192 an…

55-114. Penalty for violation of K.S.A. 55-112. Any person or persons, firm, company or corporation violating any of the provisions of this act shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be fined in any sum not less than one hundred dollars ($100) or more …

55-143. Conservation fee fund; authorized expenditures; accounting procedures; reduction of fees and assessments, when. (a) There is hereby created in the state treasury the conservation fee fund. All deposits credited to the conservation fee fund shall be for the use of the stat…

55-150. Definitions. As used in this act unless the context requires a different meaning: (a) "Commission" means the state corporation commission. (b) "Contractor" means any person who acts as agent for an operator as a drilling, plugging, service rig or seismograph contractor in…

55-151. Application of intent to drill wells, required information; notification of surface owner; fee and contents; information to department of health and environment and county clerk; approval of application, when; conditions; compliance with rules and regulations. (a) Prior t…

55-152. Rules and regulations; recommendations of advisory committee; annual review of drilling methods. (a) The commission shall adopt such rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this act including provisions for the construction, operation and abandonment of …

55-153. Advisory committee on regulation of oil and gas activities. There is hereby established the advisory committee on regulation of oil and gas activities to be composed of 12 members. One member shall be appointed by each of the following associations: Kansas petroleum counc…

55-154. Certification of compliance with statutes and rules and regulations. The operator or the operator's designated agent shall certify in writing to the commission that all requirements of K.S.A. 55-151 and the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to K.S.A. 55-152 have been…

55-155. Licensure of operators and contractors; requirements; fees; transfers of operator responsibility; notification of surface owner. (a) Operators and contractors shall be licensed by the commission pursuant to this section. (b) Every operator and contractor shall file an app…

55-156. Protection of water prior to abandoning of well; penalty for noncompliance. Prior to the abandonment of any well which has been drilled, is being drilled or may hereafter be drilled, the operator shall protect usable groundwater or surface water from pollution and from lo…

55-157. Cementing in surface casing and additional pipe prior to testing, completion or abandonment of well; penalty for noncompliance. Prior to the testing, completion or abandonment of any well, an operator shall cement in the surface casing below the fresh water strata and sha…

55-158. Submission of bond logs and surveys; penalties. Operators, upon request of the commission, shall submit cement bond logs or other surveys for surface casing. Failure to submit such logs or surveys within a reasonable period of time as prescribed by the rules and regulatio…

55-159. Notification of commission prior to setting surface casing or plugging; inspections; penalty. Operators shall notify the commission prior to setting surface casing on or plugging of any well, in conformance with the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this act. An a…

55-160. Notification of commission prior to reentering plugged well; inspections. Every operator shall notify the commission at least 48 hours prior to the commencement of reentering or washing down any abandoned or plugged well. An agent of the commission may conduct on-site ins…

55-161. Investigation of abandoned wells; integrity tests; costs. The commission shall investigate abandoned wells, and, based on actual or potential pollution problems, may select abandoned wells to be drilled out by the commission in order to test the integrity of the plugs. Th…

55-162. Finding reasonable cause to believe that person has violated act or rules and regulations; hearing; procedure; order; immediate remedial action; reconsideration and judicial review; investigations; sealing of well; removal of seal, penalty. (a) Whenever the commission, fr…

55-164. Administrative penalties; procedure; costs and attorney fees; disposition of moneys. (a) In addition to any other penalty provided by law, the commission, upon finding that an operator or contractor has violated the provisions of this act or any rule and regulation or ord…

55-165. Maintenance of information on wells. The state corporation commission shall create and maintain a data base of all oil or gas wells in existence in this state. The data base shall include the location of each well and name, address and other information relevant to the id…

55-168. Insufficient moneys in abandoned oil and gas well fund; liabilities imposed on the conservation fee fund. Whenever there are insufficient moneys in the abandoned oil and gas well fund established pursuant to K.S.A. 55-192, and amendments thereto, to pay the liabilities of…

55-169. Kansas surface owner notice act; citation of act. K.S.A. 55-169 through 55-169b, and amendments thereto, may be cited as the Kansas surface owner notice act. History: L. 2009, ch. 127, § 1; July 1.

55-169a. Definitions. As used in this act and in K.S.A. 55-155, 55-173 and 55-151, and amendments thereto: (a) "Surface" or "surface estate" means a specific tract of land and improvements thereon created by and held in fee or other legal title under a deed or other instrument of…

55-169b. Authorization for rules and regulations. The state corporation commission, with input from the advisory committee on the regulation of oil and gas activities authorized under K.S.A. 55-153, and amendments thereto, shall adopt or amend such forms and rules and regulations…

55-171. Permit required for the storage or disposal of salt water, oil or refuse in surface ponds. The storage or disposal of salt water, oil or refuse in surface ponds resulting from oil and gas activities shall be prohibited unless a permit for such storage or disposal shall fi…

55-172. Salt water, oil or refuse from wells; prevention of escape. It shall be unlawful for any person having possession or control of any well drilled or being drilled for oil or gas, either as contractor, owner, lessee, agent or manager, or in any other capacity, to permit sal…

55-173. Notice prior to abandonment and plugging of wells; notification of surface owner. Before any work or procedure is commenced to abandon and plug any producing oil or gas well in this state, an oil and gas operator shall file a notice of intention to plug and abandon a well…

55-174. Penalty for failure to notify of intent to drill. (a) Any person, firm, association or corporation who fails to comply with the requirement to give notice to the state corporation commission of intent to drill a seismic, core or exploratory hole for the purpose of explora…

55-175. Appointment of agents by the commission. The commission shall appoint such agent or agents as may be necessary to represent them and to enforce the provisions of this act, and the rules and regulations adopted pursuant thereto. The commission shall designate an agent for …

55-176. Commission's costs assessed against operators and agents; disposition of moneys. (a) Subject to the provisions of K.S.A. 55-143, and amendments thereto, the commission shall assess operators or their designated agents for all or part of the actual costs and expenses incur…