Supreme Court of Texas

The statute that grants the Railroad Commission authority to regulate production of commingled oil and/or gas deposits includes the authority to regulate drilling. Further, the Railroad Commission may consider the commingled deposits as though they were one reservoir when regulating drilling and production in the commingled field, without violating vested property rights.

Appellate Information

• Argued 10/20/2004
• Decided 05/04/2007
• Published 05/04/2007

Judges

• Justice MEDINA delivered the opinion of the Court.

Court

• Supreme Court of Texas

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Michael E. McElroy, Mickey R. Olmstead, Gregory S. Friend, McElroy, Sullivan, Ryan & Miller, L.L.P., Austin, for Petitioner., J. Bruce Bennett, Jeffery L. Hart, Cardwell, Hart & Bennett, LLP, Austin, pro se., Rex H. White, Jr., Law Offices of Rex H. White, Jr., Austin, for Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association., Dale Alexander, Senior Reservoir Engineer, Corpus Christi, for Esenjay Petroleum Corporation., Dick Watt, Watt, Beckworth & Thompson, L.L.P., Houston, pro se., Benjamin W. Sebree, Vice President for Governmental Affairs, Jamie Nielson, Texas Oil & Gas Association, Austin, for Texas Oil and Gas Association.


• For Appellees:
  
• Greg Abbott, Attorney General of Texas, Priscilla M. Hubenak, Karen Watson Kornell, Barry Ross McBee, Edward D. Burbach, Office of the Attorney General of Texas, Jeffrey S. Boyd, Thompson & Knight, LLP, Austin, for Respondent.