Terms Used In Kansas Statutes > Chapter 55 > Article 1 - Oil and Gas Wells; Regulatory Provisions

• Abandoned well: means any well that the commission has authority to plug, replug or repair under Kan. See Kansas Statutes 55-191
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Commission: means the state corporation commission. See Kansas Statutes 55-150
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contamination site: means any of: (1) The 17 sites of pollution from oil and gas activities, identified as of March 1, 1996, over which jurisdiction was transferred from the department of health and environment to the commission by chapter 204 of the 1995 Session Laws of Kansas; or (2) the 92 sites of pollution from oil and gas activities identified by the commission as of March 1, 1996. See Kansas Statutes 55-191
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Contractor: means any person who acts as agent for an operator as a drilling, plugging, service rig or seismograph contractor in such operator's oil and gas, cathodic protection, gas gathering or underground natural gas storage operations. See Kansas Statutes 55-150
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Deed: is a pplied to an instrument conveying lands but does not imply a sealed instrument. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Fresh water: means water containing not more than 1,000 milligrams per liter, total dissolved solids. See Kansas Statutes 55-150
• Gas gathering system: means a natural gas pipeline system used primarily for transporting natural gas from a wellhead, or a metering point for natural gas produced by one or more wells, to a point of entry into a main transmission line, but shall not mean or include: (1) Lead lines from the wellhead to the connection with the gathering system which are owned by the producing person; or (2) gathering systems under the jurisdiction of the federal energy regulatory commission. See Kansas Statutes 55-150
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Legislative session: That part of a chamber's daily session in which it considers legislative business (bills, resolutions, and actions related thereto).
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Month: means a calendar month, unless otherwise expressed. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Operator: means a person who is responsible for the physical operation and control of a well, gas gathering system or underground porosity storage of natural gas. See Kansas Statutes 55-150
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Person: means any natural person, partnership, governmental or political subdivision, firm, association, corporation or other legal entity. See Kansas Statutes 55-150
• Property: includes personal and real property. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
• Ranking minority member: The highest ranking (and usually longest serving) minority member of a committee or subcommittee.
• Rig: means any crane machine used for drilling or plugging wells. See Kansas Statutes 55-150
• seal: includes an impression of the seal upon the paper alone, as well as upon wax or a wafer affixed to the paper. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
• State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• surface estate: means a specific tract of land and improvements thereon created by and held in fee or other legal title under a deed or other instrument of conveyance, or equitable title under a recorded contract for deed, by a person other than the United States, a state, an Indian tribal organization or any agency, instrumentality or subdivision of any of the foregoing, regardless of whether such person also owns or otherwise holds interest in the mineral estate underlying the surface estate; and

  (b) "surface owner" means a person or a designee of such person who holds or owns legal title to the surface estate or an interest therein, as shown on the records of the register of deeds for the county where the surface estate is located, and who is assessed real estate property taxes in accordance with the records of the county treasurer, except that surface owner shall not include a tenant or persons whose only rights to use that surface estate are based upon an easement, right-of-way, license, mortgage lien, severed mineral interest or any non-possessory interest in the surface. See Kansas Statutes 55-169a

• Underground porosity storage: has the meaning provided by Kan. See Kansas Statutes 55-150
• Usable water: means water containing not more than 10,000 milligrams per liter, total dissolved solids. See Kansas Statutes 55-150
• Well: means a hole or penetration of the surface of the earth, drilled or recompleted for the purpose of:

  (1) Producing oil or gas;

  (2) injecting fluid, air or gas in the ground in connection with the exploration for or production of oil or gas;

  (3) obtaining geological information in connection with the exploration for or production of oil or gas by taking cores or through seismic operations;

  (4) disposing of fluids produced in connection with the exploration for or production of oil or gas;

  (5) providing cathodic protection to prevent corrosion to lines, tanks or structures; or

  (6) injecting or withdrawing natural gas. See Kansas Statutes 55-150