Sec. 2. (a) A person, firm, limited liability company, municipal corporation, or other corporation authorized to do business in Indiana and engaged in the business of transporting or distributing gas by means of pipelines into, within, or through Indiana for ultimate public use may condemn:

(1) land subsurface strata or formations;

(2) other necessary land rights;

(3) land improvements and fixtures, in or on land, except buildings of any nature; and

(4) the use and occupation of land subsurface strata or formations;

for constructing, maintaining, drilling, utilizing, and operating an underground gas storage reservoir.

     (b) The operator of the carbon sequestration pilot project established under IC 14-39-1 may exercise the power of eminent domain to obtain:

(1) ownership of such underground strata and formations located under the surface of the owner’s property as may be necessary or useful for underground storage of carbon dioxide in the strata or formations; and

(2) ownership or other rights to one (1) or more areas of the surface of the owner’s property, including but not limited to one (1) or more rights-of-way or easements, as may be necessary or useful for constructing, maintaining, using, operating, and gaining access to monitoring facilities required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for the underground storage of carbon dioxide.

     (c) The following rights in land may be condemned for use in connection with the underground storage of gas:

(1) To drill and operate wells in and on land.

(2) To install and operate pipelines.

(3) To install and operate equipment, machinery, fixtures, and communication facilities.

(4) To create ingress and egress to explore and examine subsurface strata or underground formations.

(5) To create ingress and egress to construct, alter, repair, maintain, and operate an underground storage reservoir.

(6) To exclusively use any subsurface strata condemned.

(7) To remove and reinstall pipe and other equipment used in connection with rights condemned under subdivisions (1) through (6).

     (d) Acquisition of subsurface rights in land for gas storage purposes or for purposes of the carbon sequestration pilot project established under IC 14-39-1 by condemnation under this section must be without prejudice to any subsequent proceedings that may be necessary under this section to acquire additional subsurface rights in the same land for use in connection with the underground storage. Surface rights in land necessary for the accomplishment of the purposes set forth in this section may be condemned.

     (e) Except with respect to a proceeding under this chapter to:

(1) acquire the right to explore and examine a subsurface stratum or formation in land; and

(2) create the right of ingress and egress for operations connected to the acquisition;

and subject to subsection (f), as a condition precedent to the exercise of the right to condemn any underground stratum, formation, or interest reasonably expected to be used or useful for underground gas storage or for purposes of the carbon sequestration pilot project established under IC 14-39-1, a condemnor first must have acquired by purchase, option, lease, or other method not involving condemnation, the right, or right upon the exercise of an option, if any, to store gas in at least sixty per cent (60%) of the stratum or formation. This must be computed in relation to the total surface acreage overlying the entire stratum or formation considered useful for the purpose.

     (f) A tract under which the stratum or formation sought to be condemned is owned by two (2) or more persons, firms, limited liability companies, or corporations must be credited to the condemnor as acquired by it for the purpose of computing the percentage of acreage acquired by the condemnor in complying with the requirement of subsection (e) if the condemnor acquires from the owner or owners of an undivided three-fourths (3/4) part or interest or more of the underground stratum or formation, by purchase, option, lease, or other method not involving condemnation, the right, or right upon the exercise of an option, if any, to store gas in the stratum or formation. It is not necessary for the condemnor to have acquired any interest in the property in which the condemnee has an interest before instituting a proceeding under this chapter.

[Pre-2002 Recodification Citation: 32-11-4-2.]

As added by P.L.2-2002, SEC.9. Amended by P.L.291-2019, SEC.13.