Some Facts about Oil and Gas Law

Oil and gas law in the United States is a legal specialization that covers to the acquirement and ownership rights for oil and gas both under the soil before discovery as well as after its capture, and mediation regarding those rights.

The laws regulating oil and gas ownership in the United States differ significantly from laws in Europe for the most part because oil and gas rights are often privately owned in the United States, whereas in many other countries oil and gas rights belong to national governments. In the United States, removal of oil and gas is usually regulated by individual state governments through statutes and common law. Federal and constitutional law also apply to these scenarios.

In the United States, oil and gas rights to a particular piece of land may be owned by private individuals, corporations, Indian tribes, or by local, state, or federal governments. Oil and gas rights continue vertically downward from the property line. Unless a deed explicitly provides for their separation, oil and gas rights are usually owned by the surface landowner. Once they are disengaged from surface ownership, oil and gas rights can be bought, sold, or transferred, just like any other real estate property. Offshore oil and gas rights are owned either by the state or federal government and then leased to oil companies for development.

Mueller Hillin specializes in Oil and Gas Law in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston and Austin.