(a) An operator who engages in the drilling, redrilling, deepening, or in any operation permanently altering the casing, of 20 or more wells at any time, may file with the supervisor one blanket indemnity bond to cover all the operations in any of its wells in the state in lieu of an individual indemnity bond for each operation as required by Section 3204. The bond shall be executed by the operator, as principal, and by an authorized surety company, as surety, and shall be in substantially the same language and upon the same conditions as provided in Section 3204, except as to the difference in the amount. The bond shall be provided in one of the following amounts, as applicable:

(1) The sum of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000), for an operator having 50 or fewer wells in the state, exclusive of properly abandoned wells.

(2) The sum of four hundred thousand dollars ($400,000), for any operator having more than 50, but no more than 500, wells in the state, exclusive of properly abandoned wells.

(3) The sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000), for any operator having more than 500, but no more than 10,000, wells in the state, exclusive of properly abandoned wells.

(4) The sum of three million dollars ($3,000,000), for any operator having more than 10,000 wells in the state, exclusive of properly abandoned wells.

(b) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2018.

(Repealed (in Sec. 7) and added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 272, Sec. 4. (AB 2729) Effective January 1, 2017. Section operative January 1, 2018, by its own provisions.)