ND SB2339

Amends North Dakota Century Code section 38-08-04 to clarify the Industrial Commission's authority over oil and gas operations, including requirements for bonds, well logs, drilling practices, and production reporting.

Requires operators to furnish reasonable bonds with good and sufficient surety, but allows alternative forms of security such as collateral bonds, self-bonds, cash, or other commission-approved alternatives, or combinations thereof.

Establishes procedures for wells in abandoned-well status: wells not producing in paying quantities for one year must be returned to production, approved for temporary abandonment, or plugged and reclaimed within six months, or placed on a single-well bond equal to plugging and reclamation costs.

Permits forfeiture of well equipment and salable oil after one year of abandoned-well status, and allows surface owners to request review of temporarily abandoned status after seven years, with subsequent reviews available every two years.

Clarifies blanket bond requirements by mandating that wells subject to forfeiture and not in abandoned-well status be placed on individual single-well bonds with amounts based on recent plugging and reclamation operation costs.