reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4 - Regulation of Operations › Section 3236.6.

3236.6. The supervisor, or the supervisor’s designee, may recover from the owner or operator all response, prosecution, and enforcement costs incurred by the division arising from the administration and enforcement of this chapter. The supervisor may request, and a public prosecutor, the Attorney General, or an attorney for the division or department as part of a prosecution or negotiation, may allege a claim for, these costs and expenditures and shall deposit any recoveries into the Oil and Gas Environmental Remediation Account established pursuant to Section 3261.
(Added by Stats. 2023, Ch. 337, Sec. 8. (AB 631) Effective January 1, 2024.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4 - Regulation of Operations › Section 3238.

3238. (a) For oil and gas produced in this state from a well that qualifies under Section 3251 or that has been inactive for a period of at least the preceding five consecutive years, the rate of the charges imposed pursuant to Sections 3402 and 3403 shall be reduced to zero for a period of 10 years. The supervisor or district deputy shall not permit an operator to undertake any work on wells qualifying under Section 3251 unless the mineral rights owner consents, in writing, to the work plan.
(b) An operator who undertakes any work on a well qualifying under Section 3251 shall have up to 90 days from the date the operator receives written consent from the supervisor to evaluate the well. On or before the 90 day evaluation period ends, the operator shall file with the supervisor a bond or security in an amount specified in Section 3204, 3205, or 3205.1, in accordance with the requirements of whichever of those sections is applicable to the well, if the well operations are to continue for a period in excess of the 90-day evaluation period. The conditions of the bond shall be the same as the conditions stated in Section 3204.
(c) A party may plug and abandon a well that qualifies under Section 3251 by obtaining all necessary rights to the well. That party shall be subject to the requirements of this chapter as an operator of the well, file with the supervisor the appropriate bond or security in an amount specified in Section 3204, 3205, or 3205.1, and complete the abandonment. If the abandonment is not completed, the supervisor may act under Section 3226 to complete the work.
(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 272, Sec. 18. (AB 2729) Effective January 1, 2017.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.1 - Abandoned Wells › Section 3240.

3240. The supervisor, in cooperation with appropriate state and local agencies, shall conduct a study of abandoned oil and gas wells located in those areas of the state with substantial potential for methane and other hazardous gas accumulations in order to determine the location, the extent of methane gas and other hazardous gas accumulations, and potential hazards from the abandoned wells.
(Added by Stats. 1985, Ch. 924, Sec. 1. Effective September 24, 1985.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.1 - Abandoned Wells › Section 3241.

3241. The supervisor, in cooperation with appropriate state and local agencies, shall develop a strategy for extracting existing accumulations of methane gas and other hazardous gas from abandoned oil and gas wells in high-risk areas identified by the supervisor in order to protect the health and safety of the public. The strategy shall also provide plans for the management of methane gas and other hazardous gas from wells in high-risk areas where no accumulations are discovered in order to prevent future accumulations of methane gas and other hazardous gas.
(Added by Stats. 1985, Ch. 924, Sec. 1. Effective September 24, 1985.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.1 - Abandoned Wells › Section 3243.

3243. (a) On or before July 1, 2022, the supervisor shall establish a collections unit within the division.
(b) The collections unit shall be responsible for identifying persons responsible for charges under this chapter, locating assets belonging to those persons, and fully implementing all of the division’s authorities for collecting the amounts owed.
(c) (1) To the extent feasible, the division shall use existing resources and personnel in establishing a collections unit.
(2) The requirement imposed by paragraph (1) shall remain operative until January 1, 2027.
(Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 707, Sec. 4. (AB 896) Effective January 1, 2022.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.2 - Hazardous Wells and Facilities › Section 3250.

3250. The Legislature hereby finds and declares that hazardous and certain idle-deserted oil and gas wells and hazardous and deserted facilities, as defined in this article, are public nuisances and that it is essential, in order to protect life, health, and natural resources that those oil and gas wells and facilities be abandoned, reabandoned, produced, or otherwise remedied to mitigate, minimize, or eliminate their danger to life, health, and natural resources.
The Legislature further finds and declares that, although the abatement of such public nuisances could be accomplished by means of an exercise of the regulatory power of the state, such regulatory abatement would result in unfairness and financial hardship for certain landowners, while also resulting in benefits to the public. The Legislature, therefore, finds and declares that the expenditure of funds to abate such nuisances as provided in this article is for a public purpose and finds and declares it to be the policy of this state that the cost of carrying out such abatement be charged to this state’s producers of oil and gas as provided in Article 7 (commencing with Section 3400).
(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 652, Sec. 6. (SB 724) Effective January 1, 2018.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.2 - Hazardous Wells and Facilities › Section 3251.

3251. For the purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:
(a) “Deserted facility” means a production facility determined by the supervisor to be deserted under Section 3237 and for which there is no operator responsible for its decommissioning under Section 3237.
(b) “Decommission” has the same meaning and requirements, as applicable, as the definition established in Section 1760 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations.
(c) “Hazardous facility” means a production facility determined by the supervisor to be a potential danger to life, health, or natural resources and for which there is no operator determined by the supervisor to be responsible for its decommissioning under Section 3237.
(d) “Hazardous well” means an oil and gas well determined by the supervisor to be a potential danger to life, health, or natural resources and for which there is no operator determined by the supervisor to be responsible for its plugging and abandonment under Section 3237.
(e) “Idle-deserted well” means an oil and gas well determined by the supervisor to be deserted under Section 3237 and for which there is no operator responsible for its plugging and abandonment under Section 3237.
(Repealed and added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 652, Sec. 8. (SB 724) Effective January 1, 2018.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.2 - Hazardous Wells and Facilities › Section 3251.5.

3251.5. (a) Notwithstanding Section 3251, a well shall be deemed a hazardous well if it has been determined by the supervisor to pose a present danger to life, health, or natural resources and has been abandoned in accordance with the requirements of the division in effect at the time of the abandonment 15 or more years before the date of the supervisor’s determination that it poses such a danger.
(b) Reabandonment initiated by the supervisor shall not be affected by the timeline established in this section.
(Added by Stats. 1987, Ch. 1322, Sec. 2.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.2 - Hazardous Wells and Facilities › Section 3252.

3252. As used in this article, “natural resources” includes land, water, air, minerals, vegetation, wildlife, historical or aesthetic sites, or any other natural resource which, irrespective of ownership, contributes to the health, safety, welfare, or enjoyment of a substantial number of persons, or to the substantial balance of an ecological community.
(Added by Stats. 1976, Ch. 1090.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.2 - Hazardous Wells and Facilities › Section 3253.

3253. If any provisions of this article or the application thereof in any circumstances or to any person or public agency is held invalid, the remainder of this article or the application thereof in other circumstances or to other persons or public agencies shall not be affected thereby.
(Added by Stats. 1976, Ch. 1090.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.2 - Hazardous Wells and Facilities › Section 3255.

3255. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this division, the supervisor may order to be carried out, or may undertake, any of the following operations, as applicable, on any property in the vicinity of which, or on which, is located any well or facility that the supervisor determines to be a hazardous well, an idle-deserted well, a hazardous facility, or a deserted facility:
(1) Any inspection or tests necessary to determine what action, if any, would be appropriate to effectuate the purpose of this article.
(2) The abandonment of the well.
(3) The reabandonment of the well.
(4) The redrilling and production of an existing well for purposes of remedying, mitigating, minimizing, or eliminating danger to life, health, and natural resources.
(5) The drilling and production of a well for purposes of remedying, mitigating, minimizing, or eliminating danger to life, health, and natural resources.
(6) The decommissioning of hazardous or deserted facilities.
(7) Any other remedy or oilfield operation calculated to effectuate the purpose of this article.
(b) If, pursuant to this article, the supervisor orders that any operation be carried out with respect to a hazardous well, an idle-deserted well, a hazardous facility, or a deserted facility and that operation will, by virtue of the physical occupation or destruction of all or any part of the property or the extraction of oil or gas from the property, substantially interfere with the enjoyment of the property, the supervisor may acquire, as provided in Section 3256, a minimal interest in the property as is necessary to carry out the operation. No acquisition may be made pursuant to this subdivision unless the supervisor finds and determines that the public benefits to be derived therefrom in remedying, mitigating, minimizing, or eliminating danger to life, health, and natural resources will exceed the cost of the acquisition, irrespective of the manner in which the acquisition is to be funded.
(c) An order of the supervisor to carry out any of the operations listed in subdivision (a) may be appealed by the owner of the property pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with Section 3350), except that in the case of an emergency no stay of the supervisor’s order shall accompany the appeal.
(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 652, Sec. 9. (SB 724) Effective January 1, 2018.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.2 - Hazardous Wells and Facilities › Section 3256.

3256. (a) The division is hereby authorized to accept, and hold for and in the name of the state, by gift, exchange, purchase, negotiation, or eminent domain proceedings, any and all property or appurtenances of every kind and description thereto, including land, leases, easements, rights-of-way, oil, gas, or other mineral rights as the supervisor determines to be required and necessary to carry out operations to effect the purpose of this article.
(b) When the division cannot acquire any such necessary property or interest therein by agreement with the owner, any such property or interest therein authorized to be acquired under this article shall be acquired pursuant to provisions of the Property Acquisition Law (Part 11 (commencing with Section 15850) of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code); except that, notwithstanding any provision thereof, the division, in the name of and for the state, may take immediate possession and use of any property required to carry out operations to effect the purpose of this article after eminent domain proceedings are first commenced according to law in a court of competent jurisdiction, and thereupon giving such security as the court in which the proceedings are pending directs to secure to the owner of the property sought to be taken immediate compensation for the taking and any damage incident thereto, including damages sustained by reason of an adjudication that there is no necessity for taking the property.
(Added by Stats. 1976, Ch. 1090.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.2 - Hazardous Wells and Facilities › Section 3257.

3257. To effect the purpose of this article, the division is authorized to enter into agreements with any person, public agency, corporation, or other entity for the management or operation of property acquired or for the conduct of any operation ordered pursuant to this article.
(Added by Stats. 1976, Ch. 1090.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.3 - Oil and Gas Environmental Remediation Account › Section 3260.

3260. For purposes of this article, “account” means the Oil and Gas Environmental Remediation Account established under Section 3261.
(Repealed and added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 274, Sec. 3. (AB 2756) Effective January 1, 2017.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.3 - Oil and Gas Environmental Remediation Account › Section 3261.

3261. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, including the expenditure limitations of Section 3258, the division shall administer and manage the Oil and Gas Environmental Remediation Account, which is hereby established in the Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Administrative Fund.
(b) Moneys in the account shall be used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to plug and abandon oil and gas wells, decommission attendant facilities, or otherwise remediate sites that the supervisor determines could pose a danger to life, health, water quality, wildlife, or natural resources if there is no operator determined by the supervisor to be responsible for remediation pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 3237 or who is able to respond.
(Repealed and added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 274, Sec. 3. (AB 2756) Effective January 1, 2017.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.3 - Oil and Gas Environmental Remediation Account › Section 3262.

3262. The division may adopt regulations to implement this article.
(Repealed and added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 274, Sec. 3. (AB 2756) Effective January 1, 2017.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.4 - Regulation of Production Facilities › Section 3270.

3270. (a) The division shall, by regulation, prescribe minimum facility maintenance standards for all production facilities in the state. The regulations shall include, but are not limited to, standards for all of the following:
(1) Leak detection.
(2) Corrosion prevention and testing.
(3) Tank inspection and cleaning.
(4) Valve and gauge maintenance, and secondary containment maintenance.
(5) Other facility or equipment maintenance that the supervisor deems important for the proper operation of production facilities and that the supervisor determines are necessary to prevent damage to life, health, property, and natural resources; damage to underground oil and gas deposits from infiltrating water and other causes; loss of oil, gas, or reservoir energy; and damage to underground and surface waters suitable for irrigation or domestic purposes by the infiltration of, or the addition of, detrimental substances.
(b) An operator who constructs, acquires, maintains, or alters an oil well or a production facility shall comply with the standards prescribed pursuant to subdivision (a).
(c) In a form and at a time prescribed by the division in regulation, an operator shall notify the supervisor of the construction, alteration, or decommissioning of a production facility.
(d) An operator shall maintain at the production facility’s local office records of maintenance and repair operations, tests, and inspections, and shall provide the supervisor with access to these records at all times during normal business hours and with copies of the records immediately, upon request.
(Added by Stats. 2008, Ch. 562, Sec. 9. Effective January 1, 2009.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.4 - Regulation of Production Facilities › Section 3270.1.

3270.1. Within three months of its acquisition of a production facility or at the time of the initial production at its production facility, the facility operator shall file with the division a spill contingency plan.
(Added by Stats. 2008, Ch. 562, Sec. 9. Effective January 1, 2009.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.4 - Regulation of Production Facilities › Section 3270.2.

3270.2. The division shall inspect production facilities to ensure compliance with the standards prescribed in the regulations promulgated pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 3270.
(Added by Stats. 2008, Ch. 562, Sec. 9. Effective January 1, 2009.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.4 - Regulation of Production Facilities › Section 3270.3.

3270.3. In addition to any other remedy provided by law, the supervisor, upon his or her determination or that of the district deputy that a production facility is being operated in violation of the standards prescribed in subdivision (a) of Section 3270, may issue a cease and desist order to a production facility operator requiring the operator to cease operation until the operator demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the supervisor, that the violation has been corrected.
(Added by Stats. 2008, Ch. 562, Sec. 9. Effective January 1, 2009.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.4 - Regulation of Production Facilities › Section 3270.4.

3270.4. (a) In addition to the bonding requirements under Article 4 (commencing with Section 3200), for an operator with a history of violating this chapter or that has outstanding liabilities to the state associated with a well or production facility, the supervisor may require a life-of-well or life-of-production facility bond in an amount adequate to ensure all of the following:
(1) The proper plugging and abandonment of each well.
(2) The safe decommissioning of each production facility.
(3) The financing of spill response and incident cleanup.
(b) Upon the failure of an operator to properly plug and abandon a well, decommission a production facility, or perform the appropriate spill response and incident cleanup, the supervisor may levy on the bond to obtain money to pay the cost of the work.
(c) The supervisor may release a life-of-production facility bond upon the satisfactory decommissioning of a production facility, or when an operator has provided another valid life-of-production facility bond.
(d) The supervisor may release a life-of-well bond upon the satisfactory plugging and abandonment of all wells covered by the bond or when an operator has provided another valid life-of-well bond.
(e) Whenever an operator sells, assigns, transfers, conveys, exchanges, or otherwise disposes to another operator a well or production facility that is covered by a life-of-well bond or a life-of-production facility bond, the new operator shall replace the life-of-well or life-of-production bond, as applicable, and maintain the new bond for five years before it may be released by the supervisor.
(f) In lieu of the indemnity bond required by this section, the supervisor may accept a deposit given pursuant to Article 7 (commencing with Section 995.710) of Chapter 2 of Title 14 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure, excluding a deposit of money, bearer bonds, or bearer notes.
(g) The supervisor shall adopt regulations specifying the content, including the conditions, of the bond or other security instrument required by this section.
(Added by Stats. 2008, Ch. 562, Sec. 9. Effective January 1, 2009.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.4 - Regulation of Production Facilities › Section 3270.5.

3270.5. (a) (1) By January 1, 2018, the division shall review and evaluate, and update as appropriate, its existing regulations regarding all active gas pipelines that are four inches or less in diameter, located in sensitive areas, and 10 years old or older. The division shall make a written finding of its review and evaluation of these pipelines.
(2) In its review and evaluation, the division shall consider existing pipeline integrity, pipeline leak detection, and other pipeline assessment requirements imposed by other regulators to determine which of these forms of assessment meet the division’s needs.
(3) The regulations shall ensure the integrity and operation of these active gas pipelines pursuant to Sections 3106 and 3270.
(b) (1) By January 1, 2018, an operator of an active gas pipeline in a sensitive area shall submit to the division, as part of compliance with pipeline management plan requirements pursuant to Section 1774.2 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, an up-to-date and accurate map identifying the location of the pipeline and other up-to-date and accurate locational information of the pipeline as determined and in a format specified by the division.
(2) The division shall perform random periodic spot check inspections to ensure that the information submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) is accurately reported.
(3) The division shall maintain a list of active gas pipelines in sensitive areas.
(c) For purposes of this section, the following terms are defined as follows:
(1) “Active gas pipeline” means an inservice gas pipeline regardless of diameter that is within the division’s jurisdiction.
(2) “Sensitive area” means any of the following:
(A) An area containing a building intended for human occupancy, such as a residence, school, hospital, or business, that is located within 300 feet of an active gas pipeline and that is not necessary to the operation of the pipeline.
(B) An area determined by the supervisor to present significant potential threat to life, health, property, or natural resources in the event of a leak from an active gas pipeline.
(C) An area determined by the supervisor to have an active gas pipeline that has a history of chronic leaks.
(d) This section does not affect or limit the authority of the supervisor pursuant to Section 3106, 3270, or any other section of this code, or any regulation implementing those sections.
(Added by Stats. 2015, Ch. 601, Sec. 3. (AB 1420) Effective January 1, 2016.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.4 - Regulation of Production Facilities › Section 3270.6.

3270.6. Upon the discovery of a leak from an active gas pipeline that is within a sensitive area, as defined in Section 3270.5, the owner or operator of the pipeline shall promptly notify the division and the local health officer, or his or her designee, of the jurisdiction in which the leak is located.
(Added by Stats. 2015, Ch. 601, Sec. 4. (AB 1420) Effective January 1, 2016.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.5 - Interstate Cooperation in Oil and Gas Conservation › Section 3275.

3275. The Legislature of the State of California hereby ratifies and approves “The Interstate Compact to Conserve Oil and Gas,” and the amendment, extension, and renewal thereof, as set forth in Section 3276. The provisions of the compact shall become the law of this state upon the compact becoming operative as provided in Article VIII of the compact.
(Added by Stats. 1974, Ch. 1335.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.5 - Interstate Cooperation in Oil and Gas Conservation › Section 3277.

3277. The Governor is hereby designated as the official representative of the State of California on the Interstate Oil Compact Commission provided for in the compact ratified by this article. The Governor shall exercise and perform for the State of California all the powers and duties imposed by the compact upon the representative to the Interstate Oil Compact Commission. The Director of Conservation is hereby designated to be the assistant representative and he or she shall act as the official representative of the State of California on the Interstate Oil Compact Commission when the authority to so act is delegated to him or her by the Governor. In his or her absence, the State Oil and Gas Supervisor is hereby designated to be the assistant representative. The Executive Officer of the State Lands Commission is hereby designated to be the associate representative. In addition, both the assistant representative and the associate representative shall perform such other duties as the Governor may designate which are necessary to enable the State of California to cooperate fully in accomplishing the objectives of the compact.
(Amended by Stats. 1991, Ch. 701, Sec. 2.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.6 - Health Protection Zones › Section 3280.

3280. For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:
(a) “Area” means surface area, and all measurement of distances is on the surface of the land.
(b) “Health protection zone” means the area within 3,200 feet of a sensitive receptor. The measurement shall be made from the property line of the receptor unless the receptor building is more than 50 feet set back from the property line, in which case the measurement shall be made from the outline of the building footprint to 3,200 feet in all directions.
(c) “Sensitive receptor” means any of the following:
(1) A residence, including a private home, condominium, apartment, and living quarter.
(2) An education resource, including a preschool, school maintaining transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, daycare center, park, playground, university, and college. Where a university or college is the only sensitive receptor within 3,200 feet of the operator’s wellheads or production facilities, the university or college is not a sensitive receptor if the operator demonstrates to the division’s satisfaction that no building with nominal daily occupancy on the university or college campus is located within 3,200 feet of the operator’s wellheads or production facilities.
(3) A community resource center, including a youth center.
(4) A health care facility, including a hospital, retirement home, and nursing home.
(5) Live-in housing, including a long-term care hospital, hospice, prison, detention center, and dormitory.
(6) Any building housing a business that is open to the public.
(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 365, Sec. 2. (SB 1137) Effective date (January 1, 2023) suspended pursuant to referendum petition. Effective only if Ch. 365 is approved as a referendum measure at the November 5, 2024, election.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.6 - Health Protection Zones › Section 3281.5.

3281.5. (a) The Legislature finds and declares that development of oil and gas fields into nonfossil fuel production and injection and related uses, including, but not limited to, housing, recreation, and commercial development, may have plugged and abandoned wells or may require existing oil and gas wells to be plugged and abandoned, or replugged and abandoned, to current statutory and regulatory standards, and that the creation of health protection zones, and the related restrictions and requirements of this article, do not apply in the context of development for nonfossil fuel production and injection and related uses.
(b) Notwithstanding any contrary provisions of subdivision (a) of Section 3281, the division may approve notices of intention pursuant to Section 3203 to public and private entities who own, purchase, or lease land containing idle-deserted or previously plugged and abandoned wells for the purposes of those public and private entities plugging and abandoning, or replugging and abandoning, those oil and gas wells so development of nonfossil fuel production and injection and related uses can proceed. This may include, without limitation, a notice of intention to drill or rework an intercept well, if needed to plug and abandon or replug and abandon another well on the condition that the intercept well is itself plugged and abandoned. The public and private entities, as well as any lessees, tenants, or other occupants, shall not engage in oil or gas development or production or injection or related uses for which they have submitted a notice of intention pursuant to this subdivision.
(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 365, Sec. 2. (SB 1137) Effective date (January 1, 2023) suspended pursuant to referendum petition. Effective only if Ch. 365 is approved as a referendum measure at the November 5, 2024, election.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.6 - Health Protection Zones › Section 3285.

3285. (a) Every operator shall submit to the division by July 1, 2023, a sensitive receptor inventory and map that includes the following:
(1) A list of all sensitive receptors within 3,200 feet of an operator’s wellheads and production facilities by field. For each sensitive receptor listed, the operator shall provide all of the following:
(A) The distance from the sensitive receptor to each wellhead or production facility that is located within 3,200 feet of that specific receptor. The well shall be identified by API number, and the production facility shall also be explicitly identified. Latitude and longitude shall also be provided for the wellhead and production facility.
(B) The type of sensitive receptor.
(C) A map showing each sensitive receptor’s location in relation to the operator’s wellheads and production facilities.
(2) A statement from each operator based on their sensitive receptor inventory that provides the operator’s determination as to whether their wellheads and production facilities are located within 3,200 feet of a sensitive receptor. An operator who has identified sufficient sensitive receptors such that their entire operation is located within a health protection zone may cease adding new sensitive receptors to their inventory and make a determination that all of their wellheads and production facilities are located within a health protection zone.
(b) By July 1 of each year, all operators shall submit to the division a sensitive receptor inventory and map pursuant to subdivision (a) that is up to date, with information no more than 90 days old, and shall make a new determination regarding the location of each of their wellheads and production facilities within a health protection zone. If there have been no changes to the location of sensitive receptors in the 3,200 feet surrounding the operator’s wellheads and production facilities, the operator shall submit a statement that no changes to the determination are needed.
(c) The division shall review for completeness and accuracy no less than 30 percent of the inventories and associated maps submitted annually pursuant to this section. The division shall notify operators of any discrepancies in the submitted inventories and maps as determined by the division.
(d) The division shall make available to the public on its internet website all current sensitive receptor inventories and maps.
(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 365, Sec. 2. (SB 1137) Effective date (January 1, 2023) suspended pursuant to referendum petition. Effective only if Ch. 365 is approved as a referendum measure at the November 5, 2024, election.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.6 - Health Protection Zones › Section 3286.

3286. (a) Commencing January 1, 2027, and no less than annually on a date to be determined by the division, an operator with a wellhead or other production facility or facilities in a health protection zone shall provide at least the following information to the division by location in a format that complies with all requirements of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101–336) and its implementing regulations for online viewing:
(1) The number of and amounts of time the emissions detection system was not operating.
(2) The number of validated alarms, and the reasons for the alarms.
(3) The number of leaks that occurred, the time needed to repair the leak, and a brief description of the leak, including the impact on air quality and community exposure.
(4) The number of times the surrounding community was notified after a leak persisted for 48 hours.
(5) The number of times and length of time production and injection operations and other use of the facility were suspended due to leaks.
(6) Any baseline and postdrilling groundwater testing performed by location.
(b) The division shall make the information submitted by the operators available to the public on its internet website.
(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 365, Sec. 2. (SB 1137) Effective date (January 1, 2023) suspended pursuant to referendum petition. Effective only if Ch. 365 is approved as a referendum measure at the November 5, 2024, election.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.6 - Health Protection Zones › Section 3287.

3287. Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, on or before July 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, the division shall provide a legislative report to the applicable budget and policy committees regarding the implementation of health protection zones by the division. The reports shall include at least the following:
(a) The number and types of wells and attendant facilities in health protection zones by operator and field.
(b) The estimated population protected by the health protection zone.
(c) The status of leak detection and response plans by operation and location.
(d) The number and type of notices of intention approved in health protection zones and the reason the notices of intention received approval by operator and field.
(e) The number of sensitive receptor inventories and maps received by the division by operator and field.
(f) Aggregated information by operator and location of leaks detected and alarms associated with the leaks.
(g) The number of notices of violation issued by the division for dust control, excess noise and light, and other requirements pursuant to this article by operator and field.
(h) The number of orders issued by the supervisor pursuant to this article by operator and field.
(i) The number of times by operator and location that baseline and postdrilling groundwater testing was performed.
(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 365, Sec. 2. (SB 1137) Effective date (January 1, 2023) suspended pursuant to referendum petition. Effective only if Ch. 365 is approved as a referendum measure at the November 5, 2024, election.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.6 - Health Protection Zones › Section 3288.

3288. The division, the State Air Resources Board, and the State Water Resources Control Board may prescribe, adopt, and enforce any emergency regulations as necessary to implement, administer, and enforce its duties under this article. Any emergency regulation prescribed, adopted, or enforced pursuant to this article shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and, for purposes of that chapter, including Section 11349.6 of the Government Code, the adoption of the regulation is an emergency and shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare. Notwithstanding any other law, the emergency regulations adopted by the division, the State Air Resources Board, and the State Water Resources Control Board may remain in effect for two years from adoption.
(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 365, Sec. 2. (SB 1137) Effective date (January 1, 2023) suspended pursuant to referendum petition. Effective only if Ch. 365 is approved as a referendum measure at the November 5, 2024, election.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.6 - Health Protection Zones › Section 3289.

3289. (a) No provision of this article is a limitation on the authority or jurisdiction of the State Water Resources Control Board, the regional water quality control boards, the State Air Resources Board, or local air quality districts.
(b) This article does not prohibit a city, county, or city and county from imposing more stringent regulations, limits, or prohibitions on oil and gas development.
(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 365, Sec. 2. (SB 1137) Effective date (January 1, 2023) suspended pursuant to referendum petition. Effective only if Ch. 365 is approved as a referendum measure at the November 5, 2024, election.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.6 - Health Protection Zones › Section 3290.

3290. The State Air Resources Board, relevant local air districts, the State Water Resources Control Board, and relevant local water quality control boards shall enter into memoranda of understanding with the division to clearly delineate respective responsibilities for implementing and enforcing health protection zones. These memoranda of understanding shall be executed by June 1, 2023. The division may pursue additional memoranda of understanding with other state and local entities as needed.
(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 365, Sec. 2. (SB 1137) Effective date (January 1, 2023) suspended pursuant to referendum petition. Effective only if Ch. 365 is approved as a referendum measure at the November 5, 2024, election.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 4.6 - Health Protection Zones › Section 3291.

3291. This article does not diminish or alter the authority of the supervisor to deny, revoke, or suspend permits to meet the division’s purpose to protect public health and safety and environmental quality, including the reduction and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, or the supervisor’s repeated obligation pursuant to this division to supervise certain oil and gas related operations to prevent, as far as possible, damage to life, health, property, natural resources, or underground and surface waters suitable for irrigation or domestic purposes, among other reasons.
(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 365, Sec. 2. (SB 1137) Effective date (January 1, 2023) suspended pursuant to referendum petition. Effective only if Ch. 365 is approved as a referendum measure at the November 5, 2024, election.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 5 - Unreasonable Waste of Gas › Section 3300.

3300. The unreasonable waste of natural gas by the act, omission, sufferance, or insistence of the lessor, lessee or operator of any land containing oil or gas, or both, whether before or after the removal of gasoline from the gas, is opposed to the public interest and is unlawful. The blowing, release, or escape of gas into the air shall be prima facie evidence of unreasonable waste.
(Enacted by Stats. 1939, Ch. 93.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 5 - Unreasonable Waste of Gas › Section 3301.

3301. Whenever the supervisor finds that it is in the interest of the protection of oil or gas from unreasonable waste, the lessors, lessees, operators or other persons owning or controlling royalty or other interests in the separate properties of the same producing or prospective oil or gas field, may, with the approval of the supervisor, enter into agreements for the purpose of bringing about the cooperative development and operation of all or a part or parts of the field, or for the purpose of bringing about the development or operation of all or a part or parts of such field as a unit, or for the purpose of fixing the time, location, and manner of drilling and operating of wells for the production of oil or gas, or providing for the return of gas into the sub-surface of the earth for the purpose of storage or the repressuring of an oil or gas field. Any such agreement shall bind the successors and assigns of the parties thereto in the land affected thereby and shall be enforceable in an action for specific performance.
(Enacted by Stats. 1939, Ch. 93.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 5 - Unreasonable Waste of Gas › Section 3302.

3302. Upon complaint being made to the director by any person operating in any oil field that there is occurring or threatened an unreasonable waste of gas in any field or fields, and when a petition is filed with the director requesting that a hearing be held to consider whether such waste is occurring or threatened, if it appears to the director that there is probable cause for such complaint, he shall order the supervisor to hold such a hearing and to fix a time and place therefor. A hearing may also be ordered by the director on the application of the supervisor.
(Enacted by Stats. 1939, Ch. 93.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 5 - Unreasonable Waste of Gas › Section 3303.

3303. Notice of the time and place of the hearing shall be given by publication in a newspaper printed and published in the county in which the unreasonable waste of gas is alleged to be taking place or to be threatened. The notice shall specify the commonly accepted name or a general description of the field or locality. Publication shall be daily for five days prior to the time of the hearing. The supervisor shall also send notice by mail to each lessor, lessee, or operator, known to him, of any well in the field. Failure to send such written notice shall not affect the validity of the proceeding.
(Enacted by Stats. 1939, Ch. 93.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 5 - Unreasonable Waste of Gas › Section 3304.

3304. The place of hearing shall be in the county or in any of the counties in which the unreasonable waste of gas is alleged to be taking place or to be threatened.
(Enacted by Stats. 1939, Ch. 93.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 5 - Unreasonable Waste of Gas › Section 3305.

3305. At the hearing all persons interested are entitled to be heard and may present testimony either oral or written. All witnesses shall be sworn, and a transcript of the proceedings shall be kept by a stenographic reporter. All the provisions of this chapter in reference to the subpoenaing of witnesses and the taking of depositions are applicable to the hearing before the supervisor. On the request of the supervisor, a hearing officer in the Office of Administrative Hearings may assist and rule upon legal matters, but such officer shall not make the determination specified in Section 3306.
(Amended by Stats. 2004, Ch. 183, Sec. 287. Effective January 1, 2005.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 5 - Unreasonable Waste of Gas › Section 3306.

3306. Upon the conclusion of the hearing, the supervisor shall determine whether or not there is an unreasonable waste of gas in the field, in existence or threatened, and shall also determine the extent to which the waste of gas, occurring or threatened, is unreasonable.
(Enacted by Stats. 1939, Ch. 93.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 5 - Unreasonable Waste of Gas › Section 3307.

3307. If it appears that gas is being produced from any oil well or wells in quantities exceeding a reasonable proportion to the amount of oil produced from the same well or wells, even though it is shown that such excess gas is being used in the generation of light, heat, power, or any other industrial purpose, the supervisor shall hold that such excess production of gas is unreasonable waste.
(Amended by Stats. 1955, Ch. 1670.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 5 - Unreasonable Waste of Gas › Section 3308.

3308. If the waste of gas is found to be unreasonable, an order shall be made by the supervisor directing that the unreasonable waste of gas be discontinued or refrained from to the extent stated in the order. The sale or delivery of gas to another by a lessor, lessee, or operator shall be no defense, excuse, or reason for any lessor, lessee, or operator disobeying an order of the supervisor directing the discontinuance or curtailment of the production of the well or wells from which gas is being produced.
(Amended by Stats. 1955, Ch. 1670.)
2023 California Code › Public Resources Code - PRC › DIVISION 3 - OIL AND GAS › CHAPTER 1 - Oil and Gas Conservation › ARTICLE 5 - Unreasonable Waste of Gas › Section 3309.

3309. A copy of the supervisor’s order shall be posted in a conspicuous place upon the property affected, and the order shall become final 10 days after posting, unless it is appealed from as provided in Section 3350.
(Amended by Stats. 1981, Ch. 741, Sec. 15.)