Section 353.500 - Declaration of policy of KRS 353.500 to 353.720(1) It is hereby declared to be the public policy of this Commonwealth to foster conservation of all mineral resources, to encourage exploration for such resources, to protect correlative rights of land and mineral owners, to prohibit waste and unnecessary surface loss and damage and to encourage the maximum recovery of oil and gas from all deposits thereof now known and which may hereafter be discovered; and to promote safety in the operation thereof. To that end, KRS 353.500 to 353.720 is enacted and shall be liberally construed to give effect to such public policy.(2) The General Assembly finds that governmental responsibility for regulating all aspects of oil and gas exploration, production, development, gathering, and transmission rests with state government. The department shall promulgate regulations relating thereto and take all actions necessary to assure efficient oil and gas operations and to protect the property, health, and safety of the citizens of the Commonwealth in a manner consistent with KRS Chapter 353, and to the exclusion of all other nonstate governmental entities except as provided in KRS Chapter 100. The department shall promulgate regulations relating to gathering lines within six (6) months after June 24, 2003. Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting the rights of local governmental units to regulate the use of streets, highways, and rights-of-way. The department shall report quarterly to the Legislative Research Commission beginning July 1, 2003, through December 31, 2004. The report shall detail progress made in carrying out this section, and the efficacy of the regulatory programs implemented.Effective:6/24/2003
Amended 2003, Ky. Acts ch. 150, sec. 7, effective6/24/2003. -- Created 1960 Ky. Acts ch. 103, sec. 1, effective 6/16/1960.