Senate Bill No. 2194 Summary

• Establishes a postproduction royalty oversight program whereby the commissioner provides technical assistance and support to mineral owners, lease owners, and mineral companies regarding royalty payment issues.

• Authorizes the commissioner to contract with ombudsmen to assist with royalty payment matters and exempts these contracts from procurement requirements under chapter 54-44.4.

• Protects confidentiality of mineral owners, lease owners, and mineral companies receiving assistance by exempting their names from public records disclosure requirements.

• Requires the commissioner to submit program implementation expenses to the industrial commission for reimbursement and to provide biennial reports to the energy development and transmission committee by June 1st of even-numbered years.

• Amends the abandoned oil and gas well plugging and site reclamation fund to allow fund moneys to defray expenses of the postproduction royalty oversight program and the pipeline restoration and reclamation oversight program.