West Virginia Code
Article 6. Office of Oil and Gas; Oil and Gas Wells; Administration; Enforcement
§22-6-34. Offenses; Penalties

(a) Any person or persons, firm, partnership, partnership association or corporation who willfully violates any provision of this article or any rule or order promulgated hereunder shall be subject to a civil penalty not exceeding $2,500. Each day a violation continues after notice by the division constitutes a separate offense. The penalty shall be recovered by a civil action brought by the division, in the name of the state, before the circuit court of the county in which the subject well or facility is located. All such civil penalties collected shall be credited to the General Fund of the state.
(b) Any person or persons, firm, partnership, partnership association or corporation willfully violating any of the provisions of this article which prescribe the manner of drilling and casing or plugging and filling any well, or which prescribe the methods of conserving gas from waste, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $5,000, or imprisonment in jail for not exceeding twelve months, or both, in the discretion of the court, and prosecutions under this section may be brought in the name of the State of West Virginia in the court exercising criminal jurisdiction in the county in which the violation of such provisions of the article or terms of such order was committed, and at the instance and upon the relation of any citizens of this state.

Structure West Virginia Code

West Virginia Code

Chapter 22. Environmental Resources

Article 6. Office of Oil and Gas; Oil and Gas Wells; Administration; Enforcement

§22-6-1. Definitions

§22-6-2. Secretary -- Powers and Duties Generally; Department Records Open to Public; Inspectors

§22-6-2a. Oil and Gas Inspectors Qualifications and Salary

§22-6-3. Findings and Orders of Inspectors Concerning Violations; Determination of Reasonable Time for Abatement; Extensions of Time for Abatement; Special Inspections; Notice of Findings and Orders

§22-6-4. Review of Findings and Orders by Director; Special Inspection; Annulment, Revision, etc., of Order; Notice

§22-6-5. Requirements for Findings, Orders and Notices; Posting of Findings and Orders; Judicial Review of Final Orders of Director

§22-6-6. Permit Required for Well Work; Permit Fee; Application; Soil Erosion Control Plan

§22-6-7. Water Pollution Control Permits; Powers and Duties of the Director; Penalties

§22-6-8. Permits Not to Be on Flat Well Royalty Leases; Legislative Findings and Declarations; Permit Requirements

§22-6-9. Notice to Property Owners

§22-6-10. Procedure for Filing Comments; Certification of Notice

§22-6-11. Review of Application; Issuance of Permit in the Absence of Objections; Copy of Permits to County Assessor

§22-6-12. Plats Prerequisite to Drilling or Fracturing Wells; Preparation and Contents; Notice and Information Furnished to Coal Operators, Owners or Lessees; Issuance of Permits; Performance Bonds or Securities in Lieu Thereof; Bond Forfeiture

§22-6-13. Notice to Coal Operators, Owners or Lessees and Director of Intention to Fracture Certain Other Wells; Contents of Such Notice; Bond; Permit Required

§22-6-14. Plats Prerequisite to Introducing Liquids or Waste Into Wells; Preparation and Contents; Notice and Information Furnished to Coal Operators, Owners or Lessees and Director; Issuance of Permits; Performance Bonds or Security in Lieu Thereof

§22-6-15. Objections to Proposed Drilling of Deep Wells and Oil Wells; Objections to Fracturing; Notices and Hearings; Agreed Locations or Conditions; Indication of Changes on Plats, etc.; Issuance of Permits

§22-6-16. Objections to Proposed Drilling or Converting for Introducing Liquids or Waste Into Wells; Notices and Hearings; Agreed Location or Conditions; Indication of Changes on Plats, etc.; Issuance of Permits; Docket of Proceeding

§22-6-17. Objections to Proposed Drilling of Shallow Gas Wells; Notice to Chair of Review Board; Indication of Changes on Plats; Issuance of Permits

§22-6-18. Protective Devices -- When Well Penetrates Workable Coal Bed; When Gas Is Found Beneath or Between Workable Coal Beds

§22-6-19. Same -- Continuance During Life of Well; Dry or Abandoned Wells

§22-6-20. Same -- When Well Is Drilled Through Horizon of Coalbed From Which Coal Has Been Removed

§22-6-21. Same -- Installation of Fresh Water Casings

§22-6-22. Well Report, Logs, Core Samples, and Cuttings to Be Filed; Confidentiality and Permitted Use; Authority to Promulgate Rules; Reporting of Production Data for Horizontal Wells

§22-6-23. Plugging, Abandonment and Reclamation of Well; Notice of Intention; Bonds; Affidavit Showing Time and Manner

§22-6-24. Methods of Plugging Well

§22-6-25. Introducing Liquid Pressure Into Producing Strata to Recover Oil Contained Therein

§22-6-26. Performance Bonds; Corporate Surety or Other Security

§22-6-27. Cause of Action for Damages Caused by Explosions

§22-6-28. Supervision by Director Over Drilling and Reclamation Operations; Complaints; Hearings; Appeals

§22-6-29. Operating Permit and Processing Fund; Special Reclamation Fund; Fees

§22-6-29a. Oil and Gas Abandoned Well Plugging Fund

§22-6-30. Reclamation Requirements

§22-6-31. Preventing Waste of Gas; Plan of Operation Required for Wasting Gas in Process of Producing Oil; Rejection Thereof

§22-6-32. Right of Adjacent Owner or Operator to Prevent Waste of Gas; Recovery of Cost

§22-6-33. Restraining Waste

§22-6-34. Offenses; Penalties

§22-6-35. Civil Action for Contamination or Deprivation of Fresh Water Source or Supply; Presumption

§22-6-36. Declaration of Oil and Gas Notice by Owners and Lessees of Coal Seams

§22-6-37. Rules, Orders and Permits Remain in Effect

§22-6-38. Application of Article; Exclusions

§22-6-39. Injunctive Relief

§22-6-40. Appeal From Order of Issuance or Refusal of Permit to Drill or Fracture; Procedure

§22-6-41. Appeal From Order of Issuance or Refusal of Permit for Drilling Location for Introduction of Liquids or Waste or From Conditions of Converting Procedure