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Committee backs tiered surety bonds for oil and gas operators
Summary
House Bill 13‑69 would replace a flat $25,000 surety bond with a tiered schedule tied to number of wells; the committee gave the bill unanimous support.
The House Energy and Natural Resources Committee unanimously approved House Bill 13‑69, a measure that would replace the current flat $25,000 surety bond for oil and gas operators with a tiered bond schedule based on the number of wells an operator holds.
Representative Boles, who presented the bill, said the measure "creates a tier system for surety bonds" so that operators with one to 10 wells would post a $25,000 total bond rather than $25,000 per well, and that higher tiers would require larger bonds. Boles said he had worked with industry associations and that the bill had passed the House unanimously in a prior year.
Committee members did not engage in extended debate. The committee recorded a 9‑aye, 0‑nay vote and the chair declared the bill passed out of committee. The transcript does not include the specific tier amounts for higher categories or a fiscal estimate; Boles said the associations are “on board” and that he expects Senate support.
If enacted, the bill would change the bond calculation method used to guarantee operators meet plugging and remediation obligations; the committee did not address implementation timing or administrative rules in the hearing.
