S13392016 Regular Session✓ Signed into law

Amends existing law regarding applications for permits or certain authorizations to drill or treat wells; to provide that the Department of Lands shall have specified responsibilities associated with spacing units and unit operations; to revise provisions regarding the integration of tracts and integration orders and to provide for the confidentiality of certain information; and to revise and to set forth provisions and procedures associated with rulemaking, complaints, application for orders, petitions, orders and appeals.

OIL AND GAS - Amends existing law regarding applications for permits or certain authorizations to drill or treat wells; to provide that the Department of Lands shall have specified responsibilities associated with spacing units and unit operations; to revise provisions regarding the integration of tracts and integration orders and to provide for the confidentiality of certain information; and to revise and to set forth provisions and procedures associated with rulemaking, complaints, application for orders, petitions, orders and appeals.

OIL AND GAS

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

This bill streamlines the administrative permitting process for the oil and gas industry, providing certainty and clarity for developers, state agencies and members of the public who own mineral interests. Currently, a single oil and gas application in Idaho can take over 400 days to process. That same type of application would be considered and processed in 45 to 60 days in other states. The bill seeks to address that problem by clarifying the permitting process for drilling permits. The bill also brings Idaho's administrative processes into alignment with other producing states by creating a predictable decision-making framework, by setting clear timelines and by clarifying expectations for applications before the Oil and Gas Commission.