A. Under the conditions contained in this section, the Corporation Commission is authorized to allow multiunit horizontal wells in any targeted reservoir or in more than one targeted reservoir, or in a targeted reservoir and an adjacent common source of supply, upon an appropriate finding by the Commission of the necessity to comingle production from more than one targeted reservoir or an adjacent common source of supply in such multiunit horizontal well, in order to prevent waste and protect the correlative rights of the owners of oil and gas rights.
B. Ownership, Allocation of Costs, Commingled Production, and Proceeds.
The Commission shall require the allocation of the reasonable drilling, completion and production costs associated with such multiunit horizontal well to each of the affected units which the well actually penetrates within the completion interval and shall further require the allocation to each of the units affected by a multiunit horizontal well of the commingled production, and the proceeds from the sale thereof, from the completion interval of such multiunit horizontal well, with any allocation to be in a manner that will prevent waste and protect the correlative rights of the owners of the oil and gas rights in each of the affected units which the well actually penetrates within the completion interval.
1. The allocation factor for each affected unit shall be determined by dividing the length of the completion interval located within the affected unit by the entire length of the completion interval in the subject multiunit horizontal well. The Commission shall have the authority to adjust the allocation factors, based upon reasonable testimony and evidence presented to the Commission, if necessary to prevent waste and adequately protect the correlative rights of the owners of the oil and gas rights in each of the affected units.
2. Each party who participates as a working interest owner in a multiunit horizontal well shall own an undivided interest in all portions of the wellbore of the well and in the equipment on or in the well in the same ratio that the party's allocated portion of the total costs of the well and equipment bears to the total costs of the well and equipment. The ownership of undivided interest described in this paragraph shall not affect or prejudice the ownership of oil and gas rights of the affected owners outside of the targeted reservoir for the multiunit horizontal well.
3. A multiunit horizontal well shall be treated as a well in each of the affected units and shall be subject to all of the rules otherwise applicable to any other well in any of the affected units. In allowing a multiunit horizontal well, the Commission, under Section 87.1 of this title, may grant any necessary exceptions to the permitted well location tolerances in each of the affected units for the well and permit the well as an additional well in each of the affected units. When an owner has drilled or proposes to drill a multiunit horizontal well or wells and the owners of a present right to drill in any of the affected units have not agreed to pool their interests in the unit or units for the targeted reservoir, the Commission, under Section 87.1 of this title, may, upon the filing of a proper application therefor, require the owners to pool their interests in the targeted reservoir in each affected unit on a unitwide basis as to the respective unit in regard to the development involving the portion of the multiunit horizontal well or wells located within the affected unit. Furthermore, if the Commission has previously entered an order pooling the interests of owners in an affected unit in which a multiunit horizontal well or wells have been drilled or are proposed to be drilled, the Commission, under Section 87.1 of this title may, upon the filing of a proper application therefor, amend the pooling order to the extent necessary to have the pooling order cover the development involving the portion of the multiunit horizontal well or wells located within the affected unit.
4. The application shall include:
5. Production from the completion interval in the targeted reservoir from each of the affected units in which a multiunit horizontal well is completed may be commingled in the wellbore of the well and produced to the surface. The commingled production from a multiunit horizontal well shall be allocated to each of the affected units based upon the allocation factors approved by the Commission.
6. In granting an application for a multiunit horizontal well or wells, the Commission shall find, based on the testimony and evidence presented, that given the information and knowledge then available, the proposed multiunit horizontal well or wells will prevent waste, protect correlative rights and likely will aid in the full and efficient development of each of the affected units.
7. The wellbore royalty proceeds for a multiunit horizontal well shall be allocated to each affected unit by multiplying the royalty contribution factor of the unit by the wellbore royalty proceeds, with the resulting product being the royalty proceeds for that unit. Each royalty interest owner in an affected unit shall be entitled to receive the owner's proportionate royalty share of the allocated royalty proceeds for that unit.
8. The multiunit horizontal well shall be subject to the provisions of the Product Revenue Standards Act (PRSA). The operator of the multiunit horizontal well shall be the designated royalty distributor pursuant to the PRSA for the multiunit horizontal well, unless there is a diversity of operators in the affected units from which the multiunit horizontal well is producing and another operator in each of the affected units agrees to perform separately the PRSA royalty distribution functions for the unit.
C. Application, Notice and Retained Jurisdiction.
Application for approval of a multiunit horizontal well shall be in a form prescribed by the Commission. The application, and the notice of hearing on the application, shall be served no less than fifteen (15) days prior to the date of the hearing, by regular mail, upon each person or governmental entity having the right to share in production from each of the affected units covered by the application, as well as other persons or governmental entities required by the rules of the Commission. Upon approval of a multiunit horizontal well, the Commission shall retain jurisdiction over the well. The retained jurisdiction of the Commission set forth herein shall neither preclude nor impair the right of any affected party to obtain through the district courts of this state any remedy or relief available at law or in equity for injuries caused by any action or inaction of the applicant, operator or any other affected party.
Added by Laws 2011, c. 54, § 4, emerg. eff. April 13, 2011. Amended by Laws 2014, c. 400, § 2, emerg. eff. June 3, 2014; Laws 2017, c. 372, § 5.