American Oil and Gas Reporter - April 2024 - 33

A Midyear Look:
KIOGA In The Mix On Host Of Issues
By Edward Cross
" Issues that threaten increased Kansas oil
TOPEKA, KS.-As the Kansas Independent
Oil & Gas Association approaches
its 2024 Midyear Meeting and Trade
Show, scheduled for April 17-19 in Hays,
Ks., the association continues to track a
host of concerns.
Although every legislative session is
fluid, KIOGA's important objectives include
tackling ill-advised proposals while
pushing measures that support the Kansas
oil and gas industry while boosting the
Kansas economy.
As of late March, we were tracking
17 issues of interest to the state's independent
oil and gas industry.
HB 2693, " The Uniform Partition of
Heirs Property Act, " would make it practically
impossible to partition many parcels
of Kansas real estate. That poses a big
problem because partitioning is often the
only way to fix title problems that otherwise
put land off-limits to oil and gas development.
Former KIOGA Chairman
Ken White and I expressed our association's
concerns to the bill's sponsor, Representative
Paul Waggoner, R-Hutchinson,
and it doesn't look like the bill will go
anywhere this year.
SB 446 and HB 2766 are a pair of
bills dealing with foreign ownership.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach
and Senator Mike Thompson, R-Shawnee,
introduced SB 446, which would prevent
all non-U.S. citizens, except those with
dual citizenship or permanent lawful residents
such as green card holders, from
purchasing land in Kansas. The ban also
would apply to any company " owned by,
controlled by or subject to the jurisdiction
or direction of a foreign government. "
The Senate legislation included oil
and gas leases and grandfather provisions
for land owned by foreigners and also
would create a state land council with
the authority to grant exceptions. I expressed
KIOGA's concerns about the
legislation to both Senator Thompson
and AG Kobach. For instance, the broad
language in SB 446 could wreak several
unintended consequences for oil and
gas interests.
Kansas House Majority Leader Chris
Croft, R-Overland Park, introduced an alternative
in the form of HB 2766 that adand
gas activity offer sufficient reasons to
attend this year's KIOGA Midyear Meeting in
Hays. Operators will gather to discuss key
legislative and regulatory issues, while KIOGA
has made sure there are plenty of opportunities
to enjoy time with family and friends. "
-Dana Wreath
KIOGA Chairman
dressed our concerns. HB 2766 is specifically
limited to listed adversarial nations-
namely China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea,
Russia and Venezuela. KIOGA supports
the measure as long as the prohibition remains
limited to those listed countries.
Meanwhile, the session also has seen
the Kansas Senate pass SB 162, " The
Nuisance Abatement Act, " which would
establish procedures for the removal and
abatement of certain nuisances in the unincorporated
areas of Riley County, Ks.
The Kansas Farm Bureau asked for an
amendment to exempt agricultural operations,
while KIOGA sought an exemption
for oil and gas operations. The measure
passed with both exemptions.
Another bill to surface this session
has been HB 2651, dealing with landowner
damage. HB 2651 seeks to require
third parties that damage crops or land
to notify landowners of the damage, request
documentation of the land's existing
tenants and to reimburse the landowner
or any tenant in accordance with the existing
land lease agreement. I met with
the bill sponsor, Representative Troy
Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill, to express
our concerns about the bill's requirement
for third parties, such as oil and gas operators,
to involve themselves in land
lease agreements between landowners
and tenants. The measure is unlikely to
advance this session.
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