§ 32-24-5-2 — Persons entitled to exercise eminent domain; conditions precedent

(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.]

Legislative History

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