The sixty-third (63rd) Legislature of the State of
Wyoming, 2015 General Session adjourned on March 6, 2015. While
much of the session focused on healthcare issues, a few items are
noteworthy for those in the energy and natural resources
industry.
We had
previously reported that a Flaring Tax had been proposed by
House Bill 238, calling for taxation of flared natural gas after a
well had been in production for 90 days. By way of an update as to
the status of House Bill 238, the proposal died in Committee.
A bill passed that relates to a surface owner's liability
for pipeline leaks and spills; specifically, House Bill 8 was passed and signed by Governor Mead. Enrolled
Act No. 1 amends Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 35-11-1801(a) to
include subpart (vii) that a surface owner is an "innocent
owner" if the source of the environmental contamination was a
pipeline running under or across his land and the surface owner was
not involved in the installation, operation or maintenance of
