H0962B0948A00639 DMS:MAC 05/22/23 #90 A00639
AMENDMENTS TO HOUSE BILL NO. 962
Sponsor: REPRESENTATIVE VITALI
Printer's No. 948
Amend Bill, page 1, lines 5 through 7, by striking out all of
said lines and inserting
Section 1. Section 3225(a)(1) introductory paragraph and
(iii) and (2) of Title 58 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
Statutes, amended July 19, 2022 (P.L.1622, No.96), are amended
to read:
Amend Bill, page 2, line 7, by inserting a bracket before
"amounts" where it occurs the second time
Amend Bill, page 2, line 8, by inserting a bracket after
"(ii)"
Amend Bill, page 2, lines 11 through 30; page 3, lines 1
through 14; by striking out all of said lines on said pages and
inserting
* * *
Amend Bill, page 3, line 15, by striking out the bracket
before "(iii)"
Amend Bill, page 3, line 16, by inserting a bracket before
"For"
Amend Bill, page 3, line 20, by striking out the bracket
before "The"
Amend Bill, page 3, lines 21 and 22, by striking out "] In"
Amend Bill, page 3, line 27, by striking out the bracket
before "(ii)"
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Amend Bill, page 4, line 1, by inserting a bracket before
"(B)"
Amend Bill, page 4, line 23, by inserting a bracket after
"period."
Amend Bill, page 4, lines 24 through 27, by striking out all
of said lines and inserting
(F) The department shall conduct a study of its
experience in implementing this section, report its
findings to the Governor and the General Assembly and
make recommendations for program amendments within 12
months of the effective date of this clause. The
report shall contain information relating to:
(I) the cost to the Commonwealth to plug
orphan and improperly abandoned wells;
(II) evaluation of industry trends relating
to compliance with plugging and reclamation
requirements under existing law;
(III) evaluation of the effectiveness of
existing enforcement authority in avoiding
improper abandonment, including civil penalty
authority and forfeiting oil and gas well bonds;
(IV) the system for reviewing operators'
requests for regulatory inactive status approval
and permit transfers and what impact approving
those actions under current requirements have on
future improper abandonment of active wells;
(V) the number of identified orphan and
improperly abandoned wells eligible for plugging;
(VI) any recommendation on effective
alternative financial assurance mechanisms,
including, but not limited to, increased bond
amounts for conventional oil and gas wells; and
(VII) the potential applicability of the
mechanisms to oil and gas wells drilled prior to
April 18, 1985.
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