AI-assisted research summary: You must submit a permit application to the supervisor before drilling for oil or gas or doing related surface disturbance, and drilling cannot begin until the permit is approved.
No person shall drill any well for oil or gas, or conduct any surface disturbances incidental to or in preparation for such drilling, until a permit application has been submitted to the supervisor. The supervisor shall not issue a permit until the conditions established by this subsection (a) have been met. An application for a permit to drill shall be filed with the supervisor. The supervisor shall prescribe the form of the application. The application shall include the exact location of the well, the name and address of the person or persons responsible for the drilling operations, the proposed depth of the well, the location of all existing or proposed roads providing access to the well site, and the location of all blue-line streams within one-half (½) mile of the well site or access roads. The application shall also include a plan for erosion control prevention of pollution of surface waters, and reclamation of all areas disturbed by the operations, including access roads. The plan shall conform to the requirements of part 7 of this chapter. The plan must be sufficiently detailed to allow an inspector to locate the site of the facilities to be constructed and to estimate the expected environmental impact, but does not have to include detailed engineering design drawings. No drilling shall begin until the permit has been approved. A processing fee for permits shall be submitted with the application in an amount specified in rules promulgated by the board, which shall not exceed the amount stated in § 68-203-103(h) for an oil and gas permit. All funds received by the commissioner under this chapter, except those under parts 3 and 4 of this chapter, together with any interest earned on the funds, shall be deposited into a separate account in the environmental protection fund created by § 68-203-101. The supervisor may require or approve modifications in the operator's plan if such modifications are necessary to prevent pollution or to promote reclamation. Upon approval, the operator's plan shall be a condition of the operator's permit. Failure to comply with the plan shall be grounds for revocation of the permit and forfeiture of the bond.