(a) The policy of conducting voluntary repressuring operations in a pool or pools, or portions thereof, in order to arrest or ameliorate subsidence, or for any other lawful purpose, whether individually or by unit or co-operative agreement, shall be encouraged by the supervisor. Nothing contained in this article shall be deemed to prohibit the supervisor from approving voluntary repressuring operations in any pool or pools, or part thereof, pursuant to this article or any other provision of Division 3 (commencing at Section 3000) of the Public Resources Code prior to adoption of a repressuring plan and specifications under Section 3319 or 3319.1, if in his judgment such repressuring operations are not detrimental to the intent and purposes of this article to arrest or ameliorate subsidence, or are not otherwise unlawful. At any time after the adoption of a repressuring plan and specifications therefor, as provided in Section 3319.1, or the adoption of the fieldwide repressuring plan and specifications therefor, as provided in Section 3319, and prior to the issuance of a unit order, the supervisor shall, upon request being made therefor, analyze any such currently conducted repressuring operations, and any proposed plan of repressuring operations to determine whether such operations are or would be in conformity, or could be made to conform, with either of the foregoing adopted repressuring plans and specifications. If the supervisor determines that such existing or proposed repressuring operations do conform, or if he determines that such operations can be made to conform, and the respective party or parties thereto agree to the recommended modifications, he shall approve such voluntary repressuring operations. Upon such approval by the supervisor, the party or parties thereto shall be entitled to continue or proceed with such repressuring operations without specific direction or order from the supervisor, except as provided in subdivision (c) hereof.

The provisions of Section 6879 shall apply to any such voluntary or co-operative agreement which includes tide and submerged lands of the State which have been granted to a city, county, city and county or district by a grant which does not except and reserve to the State all deposits of minerals, including oil and gas, in said lands.

(b) In the event any proposed plan of repressuring operations is not commenced or any proposed unit or co-operative agreement which has been approved by the supervisor, is not executed and operations commenced thereunder by the respective parties thereto within the time specified in the order of the supervisor approving the same, or within any extension thereof granted by the supervisor, for good cause shown, but in no event longer than 90 days from the expiration date specified in the order of approval, the order of the supervisor shall be deemed automatically revoked, without further action, and the supervisor shall take such appropriate action as authorized by this article.

(c) The supervisor shall, at all times, have access to and may inspect all repressuring operations referred to in subdivision (a) hereof for the purpose of determining that performance is being conducted in accordance with the repressuring plan or plans and specifications of work to be done thereunder adopted pursuant to Section 3319 or 3319.1, or in accordance with the orders of the supervisor approving repressuring operations, and shall have power to require such operations to conform to the said repressuring plan or plans and specifications of work to be done thereunder adopted by, or orders theretofore made by the supervisor, and to otherwise enforce compliance with this article.

(Added by Stats. 1958, 1st Ex. Sess., Ch. 73.)