Cal. PRC § 6873 — California Code / Code prc / Division 6 / Part 2 / Chapter 3 / Article 4 / Section 6873
Section 6873
Status: in_force

When leasing tide or submerged lands or beds of navigable rivers or lakes, the commission shall prepare a form of lease which shall contain, in addition to other provisions deemed desirable and necessary by the commission, appropriate provisions contained in this chapter and the following:

(a) Each well drilled pursuant to the terms of the lease may be drilled or slant-drilled to and into the subsurface of the tide or submerged lands or beds of navigable rivers or lakes, covered by the lease from upland, riparian or littoral drill sites owned or controlled by the state or owned by or available, at any time, to the lessee, or from drill sites located upon any filled lands heretofore or hereafter filled, whether contiguous or noncontiguous to the riparian or littoral lands or uplands, or from any pier heretofore or hereafter constructed owned by or available to the lessee and available for such purpose, or from platforms or other fixed or floating structure in, on or over the tide or submerged lands or beds of navigable rivers or lakes, covered by the lease or otherwise available to the lessee.

(b) Such lease shall prohibit the pollution or contamination of the ocean, tidelands, or navigable rivers or lakes, and shall prohibit the impairment of and interference with bathing, fishing, or navigation in the waters of the ocean, any bay or inlet thereof, or any navigable river or lake, and shall prohibit the impairment of and interference with developed shoreline recreational or residential areas. In addition, no oil, tar, residuary product of oil, or any refuse of any kind from any well or works shall be permitted to be deposited on or pass into the waters of the ocean, any bay or inlet thereof, or any navigable river or lake.

This subdivision does not apply to the deposit on or passage into such waters of water not containing any hydrocarbons or vegetable or animal matter.

This subdivision does not prohibit the deposit on or passage into the waters of the ocean or any bay or inlet thereof of drill cuttings or drilling mud which are free of oil and materials that are deleterious to marine life if such activities are under authorization of a regional water quality control board.

(c) If the lessee, as disclosed by information submitted with his bid, proposes to drill one or more wells from filled lands, whether contiguous or noncontiguous to the riparian or littoral lands or uplands, or from any pier or from platforms or other fixed or floating structures to be constructed for such purpose, and if permission from any federal or state agency is legally required in order to construct any such filled land or structures, the lessee shall be allowed a reasonable time following the execution of the lease within which to secure the necessary permission from such federal and state agencies as shall be legally required, and, upon the securing of such permission, a further reasonable time, determined with regard to the nature of the filled lands or structure or structures to be constructed, within which to commence operations for the drilling of such well or wells. The drilling term of the lease shall be extended by the commission by a period equal to such reasonable time to secure such permission, and, if necessary, to the date to which the time to commence operations for the drilling of such well or wells has been extended.

(d) Any offshore filled lands or structure or structures constructed for the purpose of drilling pursuant to this section shall conform to the rules and regulations of the commission in effect at the time of invitation for bids in pursuance of which the lease is awarded. Drilling, whether from upland, riparian, littoral or offshore locations, shall be conducted in conformance with such rules and regulations in effect at the time of invitation for bids in pursuance of which the lease is awarded.

In the case of any existing lease of tide or submerged lands, the commission may, with the consent of the other party thereto, amend the same so as to contain or conform with subdivisions (a), (b), (c) and (d) hereof, or any of them, except that the provisions of said subdivision (d) when incorporated into such a lease by such an amendment shall refer to the rules and regulations in effect at the time such amendment is made rather than to those in effect at the time of invitation for bids in pursuance of which the lease is awarded and said subdivision (a) may not be incorporated into such a lease without also incorporating said subdivision (d) therein.