{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-17-17-53","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 17, § 17-53","heading":"Promulgation of rules - Plugging wells","body":"A. The Corporation Commission is hereby authorized to\n\npromulgate rules for the plugging of all wells subject to its\n\njurisdiction. All wells shall be plugged under the direction and\n\nsupervision of Commission employees as may be prescribed by the\n\nCommission. Provided, however, the Commission shall not order any\n\noil well to be plugged or closed if the well is located on an\n\notherwise producing oil lease as defined by the Commission, unless\n\nsuch well poses an imminent threat to the public health and safety\n\nwhich shall be determined by the Commission after conducting a\n\npublic hearing on the matter.\n\nB. 1. Any operator responsible for idle gas wells shall plug\n\nor produce from such wells that have not produced gas for a\n\nconsecutive time period of twenty (20) years or more prior to the\n\neffective date of this act pursuant to the following schedule:\n\na. not later than July 1, 2028, the operator shall reduce\n\nits number of idle gas wells by at least twenty-five\n\npercent (25%),\n\nb. not later than July 1, 2031, the operator shall reduce\n\nits number of idle gas wells by at least fifty percent\n\n(50%), and\n\nc. not later than July 1, 2035, the operator shall plug\n\nor produce from all remaining idle gas wells.\n\n2. Any operator with an idle gas well that has not produced gas\n\nfor a consecutive time period of less than twenty (20) years prior\n\nto the effective date of this act or with a gas well that is deemed\n\nan idle gas well on and after the effective date of this act shall\n\nhave ten (10) years from the effective date of this act to either\n\nplug or produce from the well.\n\nC. Nothing in this section shall be construed to allow an\n\nalteration or modification of the time frames prescribed in\n\nsubsection B of this section following the sale, lease, or transfer\n\nof an idle gas well. The time frame commencing under subsection B\n\nof this section shall be continual in nature.\n\nD. The operator, owner, or other responsible parties may be\n\ngranted an exception to the provisions of subsection B of this\n\nsection for an idle gas well by demonstrating good cause to the\n\nCommission. Good cause may include, but is not limited to, evidence\n\nregarding the gas well’s future use for production, injection,\n\ncarbon storage, and geothermal energy generation, pursuant to\n\nCommission rules.\n\nE. As used in this section:\n\n1. “Idle gas well” means a nonproducing gas well with respect\n\nto which there has been no commercial production (i.e., from which\n\nthere has been no sale of natural gas) for the preceding ten (10)\n\nyears; and no reasonable case of good cause is made by the named\n\noperator for its future use, including, without limitation, for\n\nproduction, injection, carbon storage, and geothermal energy\n\ngeneration;\n\n2. “Nonproducing well” means a well that was drilled for the\n\npurpose of producing hydrocarbons and that is currently shut-in or\n\ntemporarily abandoned;\n\n3. “Shut-in” means a well that is completed, not producing, but\n\nis mechanically capable of production and has requisite surface\n\nfacilities; and\n\n4. “Temporarily abandoned” means a well that is completed, not\n\nproducing, and is not shut-in.\n\nF. The Commission shall promulgate rules to effectuate the\n\nprovisions of this section and establish any necessary enforcement\n\nmeasures.","path":["OK Code","Title 17"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os17.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"12b6f686a2fa725b6443724899060736836715e08787f3cb9a303cffb46c14f1","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-17-17-525","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-17-17-53.1"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}