(a)
The operator of a well or a production facility to whom the supervisor or district deputy has issued an order pursuant to this chapter may file a notice of appeal to the director from that order. The notice of appeal shall be in writing and shall be filed with the supervisor or with the district deputy who issued the order. The operator shall file the appeal within 10 days of the service of the order, or within 10 days of the posting of a copy of an order made pursuant to Section 3308. Failure of the operator to file an appeal from the order within the 10-day period shall be a waiver by the operator of its rights to challenge the order. If the order, other than an order made pursuant to Section 3308, is served by mail, the time for responding shall be determined as
provided in Section 1013 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
(b)
(1)The filing of a written notice of appeal shall operate as a stay of the order, except when an order for remedial work or an order to cease and desist operations is issued as an emergency order pursuant to Section 3226. If the order is an emergency order, the operator shall immediately cease and desist the specified operations and shall perform whatever work is required by the order to alleviate the emergency or shall permit the agents appointed by the supervisor to perform that work.
(2)
If the emergency order is set aside or modified on appeal, the supervisor shall refund the reasonable costs incurred by the operator for whatever work is not required by the set-aside or modified order or shall not impose costs for work performed by the supervisor or the supervisor’s agents if the work is
excluded from the modified order or the order is set aside.
(3)
(A) The costs to be refunded pursuant to paragraph (2) by the supervisor shall be determined in a hearing before the director after the exhaustion of appeals. The operator shall have the burden of proving the amount of costs to be refunded.
(B)
A determination by the director as to the amount of costs to be refunded pursuant to paragraph (2) may be appealed by the operator pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 3354.
(4)
If the operator believes that it will be irretrievably injured by the performance of the work required to alleviate the emergency pending the outcome of the appeal, the operator may seek an order from the appropriate superior court restraining the enforcement of the order pending the outcome of the
appeal.