, _I



### OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OFTEXAS

AUSTIN



### Yay89,lPS9Hoa* John t.Feylor, My 29, 1939, **Pare Z** 

tc publie inspection, then tbe questiod muat bedeteralned

- _. m-. . _ e r .__ **open by**  

### theQOLI'OII

MU. at al. 172 L. in.mn4 CBSO or m~ac~otk, es aiv. Lcrbe~t,

L. 777. decided by tte Court 

### OCClvll ,iDWeie of %I: Aitonlo cud iusi:lchawit-of error ree rerused &j the Suprem **court,** the CozInonlaW ae applied in.'~CXaBSaB 

### eXprBBBed **by** 

### thecart v&ich icliowed an opinion of the **Suprxse** Court of **Tecne6ase:**

**‘ Tb4r8**  **beicg** 50 d~OiSl~B of our own OoutB upon this latter, BO.far ~8me have been able to asoertaln,

we hate &ad 

### r4acurae 

### tc the deal8lonB of 

### the'oourt~ of other aoamon-law states, and oonclude that the oplnlon
or thehpreaa Court of 'hnnaesee, iu the aa6a of State
es 2741.Welford v. ~illians, no TOM. 549, 7s 23.a. 946, 64 L. 8. A. 45s. cosiatltuterr tha beet otataaeat
or tba rulaa of lawwhioh shoti be **applied** to 

### this **oluraoter** 

### or **case.** h4 quote 

### fromBBid opinion a8 $01.. ' low8:"*In thsory **the** right **of esaalnatdon**  **Is absoluio,**  but **In pradtlae**  **it i8**  **at last**  **only** a matter oi dlmret%on, beaame aucb application tB likely at any tti to **be rel'used**  on thepart ol'the **CMtOdiBB** of the **boo&~**

**ana** papera sought tobo exaaioed, and tbsn tlm right 8m8t be foreod by auuXem18, and thi8 writ IS not or Sbsolute right, but

### aamly of dfsentlon, to be awarded only 1sta proper aa8e; tbe faOt8 alam em 

## l Ut&rfriy it8 iasuanoa Co be Indged of in era.kyease by.$he aourt, aA thewrit to be amrdsd or withheld upon a aoarlderrtlon or all tha oirommatanoes preaantad. So, **wh1l.q**tha **right** ir, in theory, absolute, yiatit 1s in praetioo Bo Umltea by theremedy nnoeasary for It8 eatoraemeat aa **that it**  **uan** be denoainatal only a *qualified rlght.a The right toan esamlnation **ror** a apeofal purpoao, as, 

### ror \ esemple, to **obtain** qwitia inform&ton to ama in a Utle;ation'betueen.ths appUo8at ana third parUeS, **or** between the applleant and the aorporatlon, and **tha** like
oamse, while not, inprinaiple, standing upon higher grounds, yet is themom eaally **grantable,** bemuse itdoeB not ~AZYC~YOBOmuch tim, and somuah inUOnV4RieBOe t0 tha ou8todlan of the **books**and **papera,** and somuoh fnkrrt&g~ tioa ofbuaineaa, am %.a acme or a ganeral rtuipaticm. **Yet it**  **o&mot be**  **doubted,** under a **atate of**  **fa8ta showing**  it ,tobe frportaat to the publla iatersot that thegeneral uaainatioa or the **books ot**  amniaipality should **be had,**  that the court should allow auoh errrrrination at the **8uit of**  **one**wbo **is** 

### a **altlxsn~and taxpayer**  **of the**  **oorQwation;**Hon. John x. Taylor, &By 29, 1939, Page s

The right resta, not ou;y on the grouud ttet the booka art pub110 booka. butaleo on the s-8 primi;? that authbrlzes a taxpayer to enjoin the cntoroeaent of illegni contractc entered intoby ttic muicipality, aounty, or stats, for the ;roteation of t!ieap;tlicant and ell other taxpayera frog illegal burdens. da it isobvious that, Inuaking.end euforoing auah applioatlon, the tarpayer acts, ina very real sense, net only for himself, but for all other taxpayers, and aats, therefore, in the capacity, aa itwere, of a trustee
ror ill. It lzustbe admitted, alao, ihat the rerala4 **of** such power, if **prudently** and oarattdly guarxed, cannot be otharuise than salutary, beoawe the knowledg4 t&t it oaa be sxeroised by a citizen and taxpayer, aud my be exerclmd when ths public good Bhsll 114em,on sound masow, to dswnd lt, oanuot rewlt otherwise than in produalng an added serve or reapctnaibilityin those who admlnister the affaira ofmuuiolpal aorporatlona, and In inducing a greater oamfulness in the **discharge** 0r the trust8 iBlpOB4dupon th4m by their reihf oitlaeua under the sanafionrrOS law.**

**On**exauhation **of** the **etatutea of**  the State oftTexan, we are of the opinion that the.aoxmon law as expressed **in** the above
ease applies to the reports inquired about: Artiole $044 ot the kevlsed Civil Statutea otxexas, wh%ch artlo1.ewea originally enaated in 1917,provide8 aa **tollowa:**

"The Comlsslon ohall repulre ot such oom& oarrler **pipe** llnef~**duly** rerlried **numthly mports**  **Ot** the t&al quautltiea OS crude petroleum ouned by suohpipe line8 and ot that held by them in BtO~O tar othera, au alao ot their untilled storage oapaaity+ but no publialty shall **be** riven **by** th4Commlrslon BB to stock ot,crude petroleum onhand of any particular pipe line; **but tha**  Comaitiaionin its diBOretiou amy **make**public the aggregate amounta held by all pipe lines slakingailchreport*, and of their aggregate storage aapaslty."

Artiole 6044 does not eee1pto aover the reljortsnmntioned inyour request, butwe wish to point out Seotion 6 of Artiols 6MPa of the bevised Civil Statute8 of T~SBB, which is as amended in 1931 and thue being a later sot would control over Artiole 6044 wherein they seep tobe in oonillet;

"Sec. 6. .very corm411oarrisr Or orude petroleum within this State as defined by law and every public utility
as detlned herein ehull on or betore t&a twentieth day ofBon. John X.Taylor, Lay 29, 1959, Page 4

eaob oalendar uonth tile with the Railroad Comulsslon ofTexas, and post Ina con83lououa plaoe, acceaslble to the general puhllo, in eaob of Its dlrlslon ofrloeu, and In Its principnl offIoe In tbls ttete, a statment, duly varifled, containing the tollowlng lnforzatlon concerning its buelnees during the preceding calendar month:

"1.How n?ucbpetroleuu, orude or refined, was In the aotual and lumsdlate custody of such carrier or pub110 utlllty at the beglnnlng and alone of such uouth, and where eauewaa looated or held, lnoludlng the location and deslgnatlon of.each tank orplace ot deposit, and thenaue of it6 owner.

-2. How much petroleum; oruaecc refined, was moelred by such oarrler or publlo utility during auoh ronth.

'3. How uuoh petroleuu, crude or refined, was dellrered by such carrier or **publlo** utility during euoh month.

.4. *bet quentlty of such petroleuu, crude or rerlned, isheld 

### by It Sor the aooount of ltaalr or parent or airlliated organlzatlons.

‘5. The available eupty #torage ouned or oontrolled by it **and** uhem looated,

"6. The foregoing lntoruatlon 'shallbe set but In eaob statement separately as to crude;;~ytroleuuand eaoh mrlned produot thereof.n :..;.i '. Es also v;Ishto oal.1to your attention tothe provialona of Article 60490 **0r** theherleed Clrli:Statutea, and partloularly the rolloulng quoted portion tbemor: "The oouuleslon shall bake the power to.mquIm all such persona tomake end file with the oolgnieslone*rornatateeent.8or mports as to factsulthln their knowlodge orpoeseeslcn pertalnlng to the reasonable uarket denund for crude petroleuu 011 and to the produatlon, storage, tran8portatlon, refining, realaiming, treetlng, ~rketlng or prooeealng OS arude petroleum oil ornature1 gaaeand producte ot either Including those iaots 

### enumamtarlherein." The pre6ent statute la es auendedBon. Job0 E. Taylor, Va7 29, 1959, Page 5

by the legislature in 1955 by the 44th Legislature, p. 180, Ch. 

### 16,SC. 5,which **amend8** Ch. 45, H. B. 99 of the **2ud** Called 

### Seaalon of the 49x-dLeglalature, 

### 1934,**end etruok**  **fro&** the 1936mendsent tbe following sentenoe: "The data, reporta and InformAlon obtained and 

### received bureuhder aball not be avellable fsr any private use or public circulation but shall be available toany. state governmental age~oy.~ Tbue **by** Striking this provision out **by** the 1935 ~endmnt, the Leglalatum lndloate~ t&t such report6 should be open topublic inspection.

'rie oell your attention to the faot t&t the Legislature by suchprorlalooe as containad inArtlole 

### 6013ofthebrlaed Civil Statutes end Article 60668, Sao. lob,muat have oontemplated that tbe various reports to be filed with tbehallroed Coa&aalon would be open for public lnapeotlon. It laprovided byArtlola 6015 that any oltlzen ma7 file a petition to restrain waate,~of natural gas wltbout any ilnanolal lntenat other than he poaaeaaea in ooasaon

with all oltlxena of the State and under Artlole 6556a, Sec. lob, it lamade the

### Attorney(Ienaral*aduty to bring a suit for the oooflaoatlon of unleuful oil or unlawful produota when advised oi its preaenoe from any aotuee. Wemerely point these protiaiona OS the statutes out in

### additionto the language used la the **above** quoted case, to show mora olearly why our answer to yoiu first question ie In the aftlreutl~er

Yours very 

### truly

mTomil!3 o-1, OP TXAS

D.Uahon, Sr. &3alatant