Iowa HF 843: A bill for an act relating to oil and gas production, including filing requirements, the authority of the department of natural resources, confidential information, and pooling orders.

Bill Text

House
File
843
-
Introduced

HOUSE
FILE
843

BY
COMMITTEE
ON
NATURAL

RESOURCES

(SUCCESSOR
TO
HSB
194)

(COMPANION
TO
SF
268
BY

KLIMESH)

A
BILL
FOR

An
Act
relating
to
oil
and
gas
production,
including
filing
1

requirements,
the
authority
of
the
department
of
natural
2

resources,
confidential
information,
and
pooling
orders.
3

BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
4

TLSB
2000HV
(1)
91

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H.F.
843

Section
1.
Section
458A.2,
Code
2025,
is
amended
by
adding
1

the
following
new
subsections:
2

NEW
SUBSECTION

.
01.
“Casing”
means
the
practice
of
3

providing
structural
integrity,
stability
for
unstable
geologic
4

formations,
and
formation
isolation,
allowing
for
pressure
5

control
via
blowout
preventer
equipment,
and
allowing
for
6

flowback
if
applicable.
7

NEW
SUBSECTION
.
2A.
“Correlative
rights”
means
the
8

opportunity
afforded
to
the
owner
of
each
property
in
a
pool
9

to
produce,
so
far
as
it
is
reasonably
practicable
to
do
so
10

without
waste,
a
just
and
equitable
share
of
the
oil
or
gas,
or
11

both,
in
the
pool.
12

NEW
SUBSECTION

.
5A.
“Exploratory
well”
means
a
well
drilled
13

beyond
the
known
producing
limits
of
a
pool.
14

NEW
SUBSECTION

.
20A.
“Well
log”
means
a
record
of
geologic
15

formations
penetrated
by
the
borehole
with
respect
to
both
time
16

and
depth
during
drilling
operations.
17

Sec.
2.
Section
458A.4,
subsection
1,
Code
2025,
is
amended
18

by
adding
the
following
new
paragraph:
19

NEW
PARAGRAPH

.
0b.
Every
person
acting
as
a
principal
or
20

agent
for
another
or
independently
engaged
in
the
production,
21

storage,
transportation,
except
by
railroad,
refining,
22

reclaiming,
treating,
marketing,
or
processing
of
oil
or
gas,
23

or
engaged
in
the
exploration
for
or
production
of
metallic
24

minerals
to
file
the
following
with
the
department
on
or
before
25

April
1
of
each
year:
26

(1)
The
name
under
which
the
business
is
being
operated.
27

(2)
The
name
and
contact
information
of
the
person,
28

business,
or
businesses
engaged
in
the
activity.
29

(3)
The
plan
of
organization.
30

(4)
For
a
corporation,
the
following
filings
apply:
31

(a)
The
law
under
which
the
corporation
is
chartered.
32

(b)
The
names
and
contact
information
for
any
person
acting
33

as
a
trustee.

34

(c)
The
names
of
the
manager,
agent,
or
executive.
35

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843

(d)
The
names
and
contact
information
of
all
officers.
1

(5)
The
names
and
contact
information
of
all
owners
if
the
2

business
is
conducted
under
an
assumed
name.
3

Sec.
3.
Section
458A.4,
subsection
1,
paragraph
b,
Code
4

2025,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
5

b.
The
making
and
filing
of
all
mechanical
well
logs
and
6

the
filing
of
directional
surveys
if
taken,
and
the
filing
of
7

reports
on
well
location,
drilling
,

and
production,
and
the
8

filing
free
of
charge
of
samples
and
core
chips
and
of
complete
9

cores
less
tested
sections
when
requested
in
the
department
10

within
six
months
after
the
completion
or
abandonment
of
the
11

well
,
unless
otherwise
extended
pursuant
to
section
458A.6A

;
12

Sec.
4.
Section
458A.4,
Code
2025,
is
amended
by
adding
the
13

following
new
subsection:
14

NEW
SUBSECTION

.
4A.
To
allow
for
variances
to
any
of
the
15

department’s
rules,
regulations,
or
orders.
A
variance
shall
16

be
granted
in
writing
by
the
director
without
a
hearing
upon
17

written
request
of
an
owner
or
applicant.
The
owner
or
the
18

applicant
requesting
the
variance
shall
demonstrate
that
it
has
19

made
a
good
faith
effort
to
comply
or
is
unable
to
comply
with
20

the
specific
requirements
contained
in
the
rules,
regulations,
21

or
orders
from
which
it
seeks
a
variance,
and
that
the
22

requested
variance
will
not
violate
the
basic
intent
of
this
23

chapter.
Upon
proper
submission
to
the
director,
the
director
24

shall
approve
or
deny
the
variance
request
within
fourteen
days
25

of
receipt.
The
director
shall
report
any
variance
granted
at
26

the
subsequent
hearing
or
otherwise
make
public
any
variance
27

granted.
28

Sec.
5.
NEW
SECTION

.
458A.6A
Confidential
information.

29

If
an
owner
seeks
to
submit
information
that
is
listed

30

as
confidential,
the
owner
will
confer
with
the
department
31

prior
to
submitting
the
information
to
verify
it
qualifies
32

as
confidential
pursuant
to
the
department’s
rules
or
33

otherwise
under
law.
If
the
information
is
determined
to

34

be
confidential,
the
owner
will
submit
hard
copies
of
the
35

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843

information
in
nonredacted
form
but
labeled
confidential
in
a
1

conspicuous
location
on
the
document.
Confidential
information
2

shall
be
maintained
as
confidential
and
held
without
public
3

access
for
a
period
of
five
years,
unless
otherwise
extended
4

by
the
director
for
good
cause.
Confidential
information
may
5

include
the
following:
6

1.
Monetary
amounts,
payment
terms,
drilling
obligations,
7

or
personal
information
listed
on
surface
use
a