A. The Corporation Commission is vested with jurisdiction, power, and authority, and it shall be its duty, to promulgate and enforce rules, and issue and enforce orders relating to seeping natural gas.

B. For purposes of this section, "seeping natural gas" shall mean natural gas which has migrated into, under, or around a structure at hazardous concentrations.

C. The jurisdiction, power, and authority of the Commission shall extend to responding to any occurrences of seeping gas and coordinating response efforts of private industry, state, county, municipal, and local government entities. The Commission is authorized to investigate seeping natural gas occurrences as provided for in this section and to order any person responsible for a facility which is found to be causing a seeping natural gas occurrence to abate the hazard.

D. The Commission is authorized to form emergency response teams to immediately respond to seeping natural gas occurrences as provided for in this section.

E. 1. When there is an occurrence of seeping natural gas, the Commission shall seek to abate the hazard by:

a.issuing an order to a responsible person pursuant to subsection C of this section, or

b.plugging a well if the source of the seeping natural gas is a well drilled for the exploration or production of oil or gas, including an injection or disposal well.

2. If the Commission is unable to abate the hazard of a seeping natural gas occurrence as provided for in paragraph 1 of this subsection, the Commission may expend funds from the Corporation Commission Plugging Fund as provided for in Section 180.10 of Title 17 of the Oklahoma Statutes for the cost of installing a system to divert natural gas away from a structure or otherwise abate the hazards.

3. The Commission may seek reimbursement of expenditures made by the Commission pursuant to this subsection from a responsible person who has not complied with an order issued pursuant to subsection C of this section. Any monies received as reimbursement shall be deposited to the credit of the Corporation Commission Plugging Fund.

4. The Commission shall promulgate rules defining the criteria for determining the eligibility of the owner of a structure for assistance pursuant to this subsection. Eligibility shall be determined based on the nature and extent of the hazard, the financial need of the owner of the structure, and other relevant factors.

F. The Commission shall not be responsible for damages to land or improvements resulting from the investigation of seeping natural gas occurrences as provided for in this section. Any person entering upon the land pursuant to the authority of the Commission under this section shall not be liable or held responsible for any damages resulting from operations reasonably necessary or proper for the investigation of the seeping natural gas occurrence or the abatement of associated hazards.

G. Any person entering upon the land to investigate or abate the associated hazards of a seeping natural gas occurrence, pursuant to the authority of the Commission under this section, shall not be held to have assumed responsibility for future abatement work on the land or be liable for damages or otherwise for conditions subsequently arising from or in connection with the land.

H. Nothing in this section shall relieve any person or persons otherwise legally responsible from any obligation to properly abate hazards associated with seeping natural gas.

I. The term "person" as used in this section means any individual, business association or corporation, partnership, governmental or political subdivision, public corporation, body politic and corporate public authority, trust or any other legal entity.

Added by Laws 2006, c. 252, § 5, eff. July 1, 2006. Amended by Laws 2007, c. 331, § 3, emerg. eff. June 4, 2007; Laws 2012, c. 304, § 217; Laws 2015, c. 314, § 2, eff. July 1, 2015.