324.61501 Definitions.

Sec. 61501.

    Unless the context requires a different meaning, the words defined in this section have the following meanings when used in this part:

    (a) "Department" means the department of environmental quality.

    (b) "Field" means an underground reservoir or reservoirs containing oil or gas, or both. Field also includes the same general surface area that is underlaid or appears to be underlaid by at least 1 pool. Field and pool have the same meaning if only 1 underground reservoir is involved. However, field, unlike pool, may relate to 2 or more pools.

    (c) "Fund" means the oil and gas regulatory fund created in section 61525b.

    (d) "Gas" means a mixture of hydrocarbons and varying quantities of nonhydrocarbons in a gaseous state which may or may not be associated with oil, and includes those liquids resulting from condensation.

    (e) "Illegal container" means a receptacle that contains illegal oil or gas or illegal products.

    (f) "Illegal conveyance" means a conveyance by or through which illegal oil or gas or illegal products are being transported.

    (g) "Illegal oil or gas" means oil or gas that has been produced by an owner or producer in violation of this part, a rule promulgated under this part, or an order of the supervisor issued under this part.

    (h) "Illegal product" means a product of oil or gas or any part of a product of oil or gas that was knowingly processed or derived in whole or in part from illegal oil or gas.

    (i) "Market demand" means the actual demand for oil or gas from any particular pool or field for current requirements for current consumption and use within or outside the state, together with the demand for such amounts as are necessary for building up or maintaining reasonable storage reserves of oil or gas or the products of oil or gas.

    (j) "Oil" means natural crude oil or petroleum and other hydrocarbons, regardless of gravity, that are produced at the well in liquid form by ordinary production methods and that are not the result of condensation of gas after it leaves the underground reservoir.

    (k) "Owner" means the person who has the right to drill a well into a pool, to produce from a pool, and to receive and distribute the value of the production from the pool for himself or herself either individually or in combination with others.

    (l)  "Pool" means an underground reservoir containing a common accumulation of oil or gas, or both. Pool includes a productive zone of a general structure that is completely separated from any other zone in the structure, or is declared to be a pool by the supervisor of wells.

    (m) "Producer" means the operator, whether owner or not, of a well or wells capable of producing oil or gas or both in paying quantities.

    (n) "Product" means any commodity or thing made or manufactured from oil or gas, and all derivatives of oil or gas, including refined crude oil, crude tops, topped crude, processed crude petroleum, residue treated crude oil, residuum, gas oil, naphtha, distillate, gasoline, casing-head gasoline, natural gas gasoline, kerosene, benzine, wash oil, waste oil, lubricating oil, and blends or mixtures of oil or gas or any derivatives of oil or gas whether enumerated or not.

    (o) "Supervisor" or "supervisor of wells" means the department.

    (p) "Tender" means a permit or certificate of clearance, approved and issued or registered under the authority of the supervisor, for the transportation of oil or gas or products.

    (q) "Waste" in addition to its ordinary meaning includes all of the following:

    (i) "Underground waste", as those words are generally understood in the oil business, and including all of the following:

    (A) The inefficient, excessive, or improper use or dissipation of the reservoir energy, including gas energy and water drive, of any pool, and the locating, spacing, drilling, equipping, operating, or producing of a well or wells in a manner to reduce or tend to reduce the total quantity of oil or gas ultimately recoverable from any pool.

    (B) Unreasonable damage to underground fresh or mineral waters, natural brines, or other mineral deposits from operations for the discovery, development, and production and handling of oil or gas.

    (ii) "Surface waste", as those words are generally understood in the oil business, and including all of the following:

    (A) The unnecessary or excessive surface loss or destruction without beneficial use, however caused, of gas, oil, or other product, but including the loss or destruction, without beneficial use, resulting from evaporation, seepage, leakage, or fire, especially a loss or destruction incident to or resulting from the manner of spacing, equipping, operating, or producing a well or wells, or incident to or resulting from inefficient storage or handling of oil.

    (B) The unnecessary damage to or destruction of the surface; soils; animal, fish, or aquatic life; property; or other environmental values from or by oil and gas operations.

    (C) The unnecessary endangerment of public health, safety, or welfare from or by oil and gas operations.

    (D) The drilling of unnecessary wells.

    (iii) "Market waste", which includes the production of oil or gas in any field or pool in excess of the market demand as defined in this part.