Oil and Gas Exploration, Production, Transportation, and Storage Regulation

Summary

This practice note provides a basic overview of the regulation of oil and gas exploration, production, transportation, storage, and refining. For the purposes of this practice note, Texas will be used as a model. Texas has a complicated and interconnected body of rules, rulings, consent decrees, and orders promulgated by the Texas Railroad Commission (Commission)—the body tasked with regulating all oil and gas activities within the state. Note that in other states, there are often more than one regulatory body covering oil and gas. At the same time however, other states often model Texas rules and regulations for their own legislation.