§ 30-5-401 — Definitions

(a) As used in this act:
(i) "Commission" means the Wyoming oil and gas
conservation commission and its authorized employees;
(ii) "Compensate" and "compensation" mean monetary
payment or other consideration that may include, but is not
limited to, the furnishing of materials, labor or equipment;
(iii) "Oil" and "gas" mean as defined in W.S.
30-5-101(a)(vii);
(iv) "Oil and gas operations" means the surface
disturbing activities associated with drilling, producing and
transporting oil and gas, including the full range of
development activity from exploration through production and
reclamation of the disturbed surface;
(v) "Oil and gas operator" means a person engaged in
oil and gas operations, his designated agents, contractors and
representatives;
(vi) "Reclamation" means the restoring of the surface
directly affected by oil and gas operations, as closely as
reasonably practicable, to the condition that existed prior to
oil and gas operations, or as otherwise agreed to in writing by
the oil and gas operator and the surface owner;
(vii) "Surety bond or other guaranty" means as
defined in W.S. 30-5-101(a)(x);
(viii) "Surface owner" means any person holding any
recorded interest in the legal or equitable title, or both, to
the land surface on which oil and gas operations occur, as filed
of record with the county clerk of the county in which the land
is located. "Surface owner" does not include any person or
governmental entity that owns all of the land surface and all of
the underlying oil and gas estate, or any person or governmental
entity that owns only an easement, right-of-way, license,
mortgage, lien, mineral interest or nonpossessory interest in
the land surface;
(ix) "This act" means W.S. 30-5-401 through 30-5-410.