An operator of a pipeline operated in the state for the transportation of crude oil, natural gas or the products derived from either shall, during the month of July, obtain a license for the operation of the pipeline. Application for a license shall be made upon a form to be provided by the public regulation commission and shall be accompanied by the license fee determined as provided in this section. On receipt of the application and license fee, the public regulation commission shall issue a license to the applicant for the current fiscal year. All license fees collected shall be paid to the state treasurer and credited to the utility oversight fund.

SCHEDULE OF ANNUAL LICENSE FEES

1. A. A person transporting natural gas or natural gas products by pipeline in New Mexico and operating a pipeline and appurtenant facilities within New Mexico shall pay an annual license fee of five hundred dollars ($500) at the time of making the application required by this section. An additional fee shall be paid, measured by the aggregate installed rated horsepower of compression facilities located within New Mexico and operated by the licensee, in accordance with the following schedule:

   1. (1) not exceeding ten thousand horsepower, the minimum fee with no additional fee;
   2. (2) more than ten thousand horsepower and not more than thirty thousand horsepower, the minimum fee plus two thousand two hundred seventy-five dollars ($2,275);
   3. (3) more than thirty thousand horsepower and not more than fifty thousand horsepower, the minimum fee plus four thousand dollars ($4,000);
   4. (4) more than fifty thousand horsepower and not more than seventy-five thousand horsepower, the minimum fee plus five thousand dollars ($5,000);
   5. (5) more than seventy-five thousand horsepower and not more than one hundred thousand horsepower, the minimum fee plus five thousand five hundred dollars ($5,500); and
   6. (6) more than one hundred thousand horsepower, the minimum fee plus five thousand nine hundred twenty-five dollars ($5,925) and plus seventy-five dollars ($75.00) additional for each ten thousand horsepower or fraction thereof in excess of one hundred thousand horsepower.

2. B. An operator of a pipeline for the transportation of oil or its products shall pay a basic fee of five hundred dollars ($500) plus fees based on the number of miles of pipeline operated in New Mexico, computed in accordance with the following schedule:

   1. (1) for all lines up to and including eight inches in diameter:

      1. (a) thirteen dollars ($13.00) per mile for the first fifty miles;
      2. (b) seven dollars ($7.00) per mile for the next twenty-five miles;
      3. (c) four dollars ($4.00) per mile for the next twenty-five miles; and
      4. (d) one dollar ($1.00) per mile for each mile in excess of one hundred miles; and

   2. (2) for all lines more than eight inches in diameter:

      1. (a) eighteen dollars ($18.00) per mile for the first twenty-five miles;
      2. (b) thirteen dollars ($13.00) per mile for the next twenty-five miles;
      3. (c) nine dollars ($9.00) per mile for the next twenty-five miles;
      4. (d) six dollars ($6.00) per mile for the next twenty-five miles; and
      5. (e) two dollars ($2.00) per mile for each mile in excess of one hundred miles.

3. C. For the purposes of determining the license fees payable under the provisions of Subsection B of this section, any pipeline owned by two or more persons shall be considered to be a separate pipeline operation to be licensed as such in the name of the operator or owners thereof. The basic fee to be paid in the licensing of such lines under the fee schedule provided in Subsection B of this section shall be:

   1. (1) five hundred dollars ($500) on lines less than twenty inches in diameter; and
   2. (2) eight hundred fifty dollars ($850) on lines twenty inches or more in diameter.

History: 1941 Comp., § 69-316, enacted by Laws 1953, ch. 42, § 3; 1953 Comp., § 65-4-3; Laws 1957, ch. 64, § 1; 2026, ch. 64, § 16.

ANNOTATIONS

The 2026 amendment, effective May 20, 2026, provided that fees collected pursuant to this section be credited to the utility oversight fund, provided that certain fees be based on the number of miles of pipeline operated in New Mexico, and made certain technical amendments; in the introductory paragraph, after "credited to the" deleted "general" and added "utility oversight"; in Subsection B, in the introductory clause, after "plus fees" added "based on the number of miles of pipeline operated in New Mexico".

Supreme court lacked jurisdiction to review order of corporation commission (now public regulation commission) requiring oil pipeline company to procure license to operate pipeline and pay the license fee since right to remove orders to court for review was limited to orders made under powers granted commission by N.M. Const., art. XI, § 7 (now repealed). Murchison & Co. v. State Corp. Comm’n, 1947-NMSC-040, 51 N.M. 285, 183 P.2d 155.

Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 51 Am. Jur. 2d Licenses and Permits § 25.

15 C.J.S. Commerce § 118.