(1) No person shall abandon or remove casings from any coalbed methane well, either dry or producing, without first plugging the well in a secure manner approved by the department and consistent with administrative regulations. Upon the department's plugging of an abandoned coalbed methane well in accordance with the requirements of this subsection, the department may sell all equipment removed from that well by sealed bid, or may include the equipment as part of compensation in the contract for the plugging of the well. Proceeds from the sale shall be deposited into the coalbed methane well plugging fund, established in KRS 349.120(3). (2) Not less than thirty (30) days before advertising for bids for the plugging of coalbed methane wells, the department shall publish, in a newspaper of general circulation, and in locally published newspapers serving the areas in which the wells proposed for plugging are locat ed, notices of all wells on which there is salvageable equipment, described as to farm name, Carter Coordinate, and state plane coordinate location, for which the department intends to seek bids for plugging. If a person other than the operator claims an i nterest in the equipment of a well proposed for plugging, the person shall provide documentation of that interest to the department within thirty (30) days of the date of publication of the notice of the department's intent to plug a well. Prior to the dep artment's advertising of bids for the plugging of a well, the department shall release the well's equipment to the person deemed to have an interest in that equipment. It shall be the duty of the interest holder to remove the equipment before the well is p lugged. If documentation as to an asserted interest is not provided to the department in the manner described in this subsection or if a person deemed to be an interest holder fails to remove the equipment before a well is plugged, the department may sell or otherwise dispose of the equipment in accordance with this section. (3) If a person fails to comply with subsection (1) of this section, any person lawfully in possession of land adjacent to the coalbed methane well or the department may enter on the la nd upon which the well is located and plug the well in the manner provided in subsection (1) of this section, and may maintain a civil action against the owner or person abandoning the well, jointly or severally, to recover the cost of plugging the well. T his subsection shall not apply to persons owning the land on which the well is situated, and drilled by other persons. (4) In conjunction with the plugging and abandonment of any coalbed methane well or the reworking of any coalbed methane well, the operat or shall restore the surface and any improvements thereon to a condition as near as practicable to their condition prior to commencement of work. The surface owner and operator may waive this requirement in writing, subject to the approval of the departmen t that the waiver is in accordance with its administrative regulations.
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