82-1-107. Permitholder to furnish information to surface owner. (1) Before commencing seismic activity, the person, firm, or corporation conducting the seismic activity shall notify the surface owner, as defined in 82-10-502, as to the approximate time schedule of the planned activity and shall provide copies of Title 82, chapter 10, part 5, this part, and, if available, a current publication produced by the environmental quality council entitled “A Guide to Split Estates in Oil and Gas Development”. Upon request, the following information must also be furnished:

Terms Used In Montana Code 82-1-107

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Gas: means all natural gases and all other fluid hydrocarbons, including methane gas or any other natural gas found in any coal formation, as produced at the wellhead and not defined as oil in subsection (3). See Montana Code 82-1-111
  • Oil: means crude petroleum oil and other hydrocarbons, regardless of gravity, that are produced at the wellhead in liquid form by ordinary production methods and that are not the result of condensation of gas before or after it leaves the reservoir. See Montana Code 82-1-111
  • Person: includes a corporation or other entity as well as a natural person. See Montana Code 1-1-201
  • Property: means real and personal property. See Montana Code 1-1-205
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Montana Code 1-1-201

(a)the name and permanent address of the seismic exploration firm, along with the name and address of the firm’s designated agent for the state if different from that of the firm;

(b)evidence of a valid permit to engage in seismic exploration;

(c)the name and address of the company insuring the seismic firm or, if self-insured, evidence of the self-insurance;

(d)the number or other identifying information for the surety bond, cash, certificate of deposit, or other instrument acceptable to the secretary of state and required in 82-1-104;

(e)a description of the planned seismic activity and where it will take place; and

(f)the anticipated need, if any, to obtain water from the surface owner during planned seismic activity.

(2)The surface owner is responsible for providing the permitholder with the name and permanent address of a responsible person with whom communication may be maintained.

(3)The surface owner is responsible for providing the name and address of the permitholder to any lessees, tenants, or other parties responsible for surface operations on the property.