Since the beginning of recorded mineral law, the owner of the mineral interests has enjoyed an elevated status in its relationship with the surface owner, resulting in the universally accepted notion that the mineral estate...more
Supreme Court Sides with Property Owners; Companies have No Right to Get Natural Gas Without Permission - "The Supreme Court said, 'A mineral owner or lessee has an implicit right to use the overlying surface to access...more
Conoco Phillips Company v. Ramirez et al is a helpful reminder when preparing a document transferring title: “Family vernacular” is a great way to communicate in wedding toasts and funeral eulogies, not so much in land...more
On October 14, 2015, the Texas Supreme Court heard argument in a case styled Coyote Lake Ranch, LLC v. The City of Lubbock, which dealt with the question of whether the accommodation doctrine should apply when a groundwater...more
Riddle: What’s the difference between a hydrocarbon molecule and the underground structure which the molecule inhabits? Answer: In Texas, you can own one and not the other, according to Lightning Oil Co. v. Anadarko E&P...more
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals’ recent decision in Whiteman v. Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC, affirms the right of a mineral estate lessee to construct impoundments for the disposal of drilling mud, drill cuttings, and...more