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Idaho oil and gas rule package set for legislative hearings; department staff to present
Summary
Idaho Department of Lands staff told the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission that proposed amendments to IDAPA 20.07.02 will be presented to the Legislature this month, with hearings tentatively scheduled Feb. 19 (House) and Feb. 26 (Senate). No legislative decisions were reported at the meeting.
Division staff told the Idaho Oil and Gas Conservation Commission on Feb. 18 that proposed amendments to the state’s oil-and-gas conservation rules, IDAPA 20.07.02, are scheduled for legislative committee review later this month.
Shannon Chillette, division administrator for the Idaho Department of Lands, and James Thumb, the department’s oil and gas program manager, told commissioners the department completed negotiated rulemaking in 2024 and published a proposed rule in August 2024. Thumb said the department is tentatively scheduled to present the package to the House Resources and Conservation Committee on Feb. 19 and to the Senate Resources and Environment Committee on Feb. 26, pending final publication of committee agendas.
The update matters because the rule package governs conservation of oil and gas in Idaho and the Legislature must review proposed administrative rules before they take effect. Thumb told the commission the department performed three stakeholder meetings in April 2024, made minimal changes based on comments and secured the commission’s approval in November 2024 to send the pending rule to the Legislature.
Thumb said the Department of Lands will present on a docket that includes several department rule changes and that he expects to be the presenter at both committee hearings along with other department staff. He told commissioners that committee agendas have been changing and remain subject to final publication.
Commissioners did not take any formal action on the rule package during the Feb. 18 meeting. No committee outcomes were reported at the session; any final legislative action will be determined by the House and Senate committees and subsequent legislative processes.
Evidence cited: James Thumb, oil and gas program manager, gave the update and answered commissioners’ questions during the Feb. 18 meeting. The department’s file for IDAPA 20.07.02 and the committee dockets were referenced in the presentation.
