SB1733 Summary

• Changes the article heading from "Production and Conservation" to "Oil and Gas Conservation Commission" and establishes the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission as an independent entity rather than under the Department of Environmental Quality.

• Creates the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Fund consisting of legislative appropriations and collected fees, with monies exempt from lapsing provisions and available for the commission's operations.

• Grants the commission authority to set drilling permit fees and hearing request fees by majority vote rather than fixing them by statute, and allows the commission to assess civil penalties for violations.

• Adds helium exploration, water injection wells, and production wells to the list of facilities exempt from aquifer protection permit requirements when designed to not discharge contaminants into an aquifer as determined by the commission.

• Transfers all equipment, records, personnel, and appropriated monies from the Department of Environmental Quality that previously supported the oil and gas conservation commission to the commission itself.