OFFICE OF THE A-HORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Hr. John II. Tayler, chief Supsnlaor 

Oil& 0s~ Dlvlrlon, 

Rallroa Comal88lon or Tuu 

Awtila, Tow. 

Dear slrr 

17, 1940, in Vhlah, 

1, 3, 8nd 7 or 

St8ttat.8, rou uk 
..- 

xr. John 3. Taylor, ?aga 2 

‘I r 

. If th. CoaaiS8iOil finds tbst to OUX’tail 

the pr&iUCtiCn fl'om, OX' shut in a well p~~duolng 

faweet gas' will re8ult ln vaets or loss of the 

Veil b0OOU80 Or phy8iOtbi OOnditiOW in the X%WCvoir, doe8 tb8%~8SiQXl have authority to allow 

the gas produoed fpop suoh a vell to be burned in 

the nmnufactum or carbon black? 

"6. 3 the gas deooribed in questions 3 and 

4 IS held to be 'Uae%inghead @w' nay suuh ga8 be 

vented to the air elthm berore or after it has 

been processed for Its gasoline content?" 

Our anwars to your questiona are aa Pollov8~ 

1. 

"natural qas." 

In our cplnlon Dcssing!mad ga8” Is a form of 

There is no derinltion in Article 6008 or 

the term 'natural gas," and itis, therefore, to be construed 

in Its ordinary oignlPiostlon. Article 10, Section 1, 

Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutes. The ordlnwy Slgnlflcatlon of ths tern asiatural gas" lnaludes all &a8 prodwed 

from s natural subterranvan re8ervolr, a8 di8tinguishsd 

Iboa &3aS gPnu%OtlWed fiO= OttlOP 8Ub8talXe8 by artiflOia1 

&ZWC88808, and thtBZ%fOPe tXlft1UdOS CWinghssB gU. It a180 

nay be noted that Artlole 6008 by implication lnoludeS *caaingaOt%d SS” in “WtUM~ @8; ' iOr elanrple, 8Ub8eOtloXI (h) 

of 8wtiOlt 2 proVid8o at ‘8VWt @la" 8-11 Si8U.t *all 

PatulYbl~8” OXO~t"80UP@Sm~d "WlQ@Wd@=l." 

2. In our opinion, 88 prodwed Srom & well 

producing oil at a 4388-011 Mao OS 100,000 0ub10 feet of 

gas or leas per barrel of 011 and vhlch co&al118 we f&an 

l# graina oT hydrogen sulplaide psr 100 oublo feet, 1S 

‘Ctb8ingheod lJB8,” and 18 not ‘8our ga8,” and Lb8 Railmad 

t%I4s88iOn 5y not ?.imit th0 080 Of such @8 t0 the Wpaces provided for '801~ gatx." 

The StcltUtOry Oti88ifiCZ4tiOn8 Of "SOUP gU" aab 

"ca8in@sSd @bS" Sir8 not abSoluteiy ClOU. Und8r the provioion8 of 8ubSeotlon (g) or motion 2, Art1010 6008, sour 

?jas" Is detlned, amng other thiIlg8, a8 bein "mf 5tUrsl 

gas oontalnlng mom3 than on8 and onehalf (1 ) gM+ Or 

hydrogen sul?hlde per one hundred (100) cub10 feet. The 

tern cosin@ead gas* 1s dofind by subseotlon (1) Oi 88OtioP 

2, hrtlole b008. to mean ‘anp gpls and/or vapor lndigenarrs to 

a 011 swatun and prodwed fmm such strrtua vlth 011." 
Iir. John E. Taylor, Page f 

It vi11 be noted that there is no e24W.88 language 

in the 8tatUtOS vhloh vculd ~%olude 4ca81a@ead ROI" frcm 

also being =aoW -8." Thi8~8ituatlon 18 to be o&msted 

with the e~tp388 provllrloa under subseotloa (h) of section 

Artiole 6008, that "the4 term 'awiot ga8' ah11 mn a11 

ratural @a8 except *low gas* and 'aaslnghead ga8.l” 

We believe, hovever, that It YIN the Intention 

Of th0 ~gi8hLtUl'6 t0 r68triOt the term *0~8LnghUd -8’ 

_ _ 

2, 

t0 g&8 VhlOh 18 PCoduOWl vlth 011 fl'Om Q11 "Oil V811” a8 that 

term is dcflned in 8Ub8wtiOa (61 of sootion 2, Artlole 6008, 

and to rb8trlet ‘8VCt.t gU* Uxd 8OUP @cl” to w produced 

fPOlS a “&as VOllX U t-t t6M 18 d6tirud ~II 8?&86OtiOZl (d), 

aectlon 2, Art1010 6008. Our reasons for thl8 conclusion 

alw as follovsr 

(a) The term "o8slngbmd gas" in its ordimry 

algnlficatlcn la ceetrioted to gu produced vlth oil from 

an 011 well. In th6 CMO of Humble 011 SC Ratlnlng co. Y. 

Poe, 29 S.Y. (2d) 1019, Judge Lmddy of the Com&sslon of 

Appwla, said: 

"Then 18 m vell-dotinod distinotlon ln lav 

betveea @8 produoed fl'om 8 w8 ~611 and Caringhead-. t'h0 lM&VriB tbatvhioh f%W8 iFOn 

oilvelln, coming betveniin tbo easing and the 

tnbing. VestoOtt'8 Handbook of C&l.n&eUl 0I8 

(2nd Ed.) p. 6s Johnsos& Buntley's Oil Bb I%s 

Produatlon p. 1701 H8gnolir Petroleum Co. V. 

Connellee [To=. Cm. Am.) 11 S.U. (2d) 158; 

HuS80119rn v. f&gnolln PetrOleum co., 107 okl. 

183, 231 P. 526; Rullmdoro v. laimshaa oil co., 

(Okl. Sup.) 233 P. 1051." 

380 slso the folloving aaSt)8, adopting the same 

coastructlon of the tern "oeslnghead gas." Nullendon v. 

,Rlnnehosta 011 Co., (Okl.) 246 P. 8377, Utllltles Produotica 

Corporation v. Carter Oil Co., 72 F. (2d) 655; 08nenl 

Petroleum Corpclgtloa or Wliiorai.8 v. united St8te8, 24 

F. supp. 285: srea cannon oil co. T. Cawi~slonsr of Internal 

Rovonue, 77 F. (26) 671 Utilitie8 Pl%dwtiOa COrpOlUtion V. 

Carter 011 Co., 2 F. Supp. 81. 

(b) We belleve thet the oon8truOtioa uboro adopted 

ia in coniormlty vith the enewl latsntlon of the LeglsLeture 

to pr6v6nt the v-t6 of w f -1 @a. -OlS rsadiw the prOV181orU 
I&. John 8. Taylor, Pa@ 4 

of Artlole 6008 a8 a vhole, w believe tMt it 15 evident 

thet it ve8 ttm legZ8Utlvo intent?on to put oaroful restriotioos Upon the ul)S Of &err flW# e;lu V8118, tb FO8trit3tiOtl8 

gn "8veet ma (su&oetlon 1, 8ootion 7, Artlola 6008) being 

mW0 8t?h@Slt that8 th. M8triOtiOM OXI thr US* Of ‘8OtU’ 

gsrS,” (8Ub88OtiW 2, UOtiOll 7, &tiOlO 6008) b8OauW Of the 

adt&ptrrblllty of avant g88 for u8b it3 ~enentltag light, or 

?uel iOr darrrrtlo -68. On the other lsnd, the LagisLetare evidently oab8ldomcl that vhore gu l8 prohood a8 

a meo8ury lnoldeat to the produotlon of ail from aa oil 

~011, the Value of the 011 produuvd vould varMatwleuse 

Of th0 088i@08d gU *?W w beZIOfiOu1 ~~~088.~ (Subsection 3, seation 7, Artlole 6008). 

In vlevo? theabeV8 ooMlderatleM, ve oom?lude 

that the term %u~ g& appllo8 to 811 @8 owed 

fMmr any ‘Oil Wu” CA8 db?iXbOd %Xi 8Ub8tMtiOIi (e), aeOtiOn 2, 

Artlole 6008, aad tbt the terma %veot 8~” and “aour m” 

wly 0aQ to ~roduoed from any "@Aa ~~11," 88 dbflmd 

in subseot%omn 8wtlon 2 of Art1010 6008. Slnas, under 

tlm provisions of sub8aotlon (e), 8eotlon 2, Artlol~ 6008, 

the tern “Oil ~011” ine1rdO8 mj well vhioh ~we0.0~ 

Mrrel or more OS orwio petroleum al to ssch lOO,ooO oublc 

feet of lvrtural gus, 8 v&l prodwAng oil at a m-011 ratio 

of ?oO,OOO aublo feet of gae or 11388 per bar-1 of oil 

vould bo an "011 wilt" and under our oon8trwt1on of th8 

torn "out gu# the 

vould be %881~ go,' 

&%8 produced ira 8Wh oil wll 

and vould not be '8our &w," Mgam¶leaao?vbet.hezthegiuoontU8dmo~t~1~gWnr, 

Of -XI S~&~hid+3 pOC 100 OUhiO ?Wt O? gU. u2XbP th8 

pVt81onll of 8llh8OatiOII (3) Of section 7, htiOb 6008, 

cwlngheudg~wyb8 wed ?orfmytmmfiolalmwpo8v, 

vhioh lnaludm the iaulu?8cture or natuxur peuollIle," alM 

th0~88 Of 8uOhg8818 Pot PO8triOtOd t0 th0~88 

fo, “8OuC @&8” under th8 pFOV181OM Of 8Ub88OtiW 

80OtiM 7, Artiole Gao8. 

3. In our opl.tdon, gma pswdwled from (L well prodwlq 011 at a g~-ell rstlo of in 8x0088 of 100,000 oublo 

feet of gas per barrel of 011 and vhloh oontaln8 more than 

l& g~lns of hydrogen mlphlde per 100 oublo fwt Of @a 18 

“oour &a8D aJld not 'orSlZ@e%d gU." SUbWOtiOZl (d), 8WtiOn 

2, Art1010 6008 define8 a ‘@I# veil” 88 b.ine, -QM 0th~ 

things, a veil vhlah mprodwe8 pocd than om htmdmd ~~ 

(ioo,ooo) ouwo feat of rptd ma to escrh “f‘*;;Erez 

prtmib\nr 011 from th8 8am8 producir43 horison. . 
. I 

plc, John E. Taylor, Page 5 

~OViSiOAS Of 3UbSeCtiOA (g) Of WCtiOA 2, hrtlole 6008, the 

term "sour gas' is dofIned, azsong ot!zeer things, as being %ny 

natural gas containbig more than one ad one-half (14) gmim 

of hydrogen sulphide psr one hundred (100) oubic feet." ft 

la clear that the well referred to In JOUC third question Is 

a gas yell, as defined in the statutes, and under the eonstruatlon adopted ahove, the &as produaed from such well 

vouldnotbs casIr@madgas. Becalub of Ita cantent of 

hydrogen sulphlde, it vould bo "sour gas" InsteM or "meet 

gas." 

4. IA ouropI~Ion, the gu produced rromawll 

prodwing 011 at a gas-oil rat10 exceeding 1OO,OOO oublo feet 

or gas perbarrelofoll butrhIohcontaIns less ttisn1~graI.m 

of hydromn sulphlde per 100 cub10 feet of gas vould be "sveet 

gas" aAd Aot "CaalAghud gas.* Aas we have pointed out in 

our anwer to question Xo. 3, since the veil produces 011 

at a N*er oil-gas ratio than 100,000 oublc feet of gas per 

barrel of orude petroleum oil, t&well would be a gas ~011 

aa not a~ 011 well, axxl the p groduced hrol 8-h well 

vould not bo =omIngbead gas. /You vi11 ot cows., note 

that under the provtslo~~ of subseotldn lg) OS sootIon 2, 

&tIole 6008, the tom 'sour gas' Includes not only gso which 

c0ntaIAa more than OAe and OAO-half grains of hydrogen sulphIds per 100 cubIo foot of' gas, but also gas rhiub oontaias 

more thsn 30 grainrr of total sulphur per 100 o&Ic feat OS 

gas,or gasvhlohlnlts orturalstate Is foundby theCow 

sd8810n to be unfit for use IA ge~~ratlng light w fuel for 

domsstlo purposes. Ye assume from the vordUag of your question 

that the gu you rorerto In your qtm8tIonXo. 4 does not 

O- ~ithb mj 0f tb80 provisions, md ii this u8umpti0n 

Is cormot, the gas would be 'sveet gas,' and not either 

"casInghead gas' or "sour @is.' 

5. IAOW OpialOn, th0 C0!m1I8sloadoOs notbav. 

authority to permit the we of "sueet gas' In the mmfactum 

of carbon black, except vharo It is used as gcrs Utt under 

t&e provIsIons of subseotlon (4) of seation 7, Article 6008. 

%bWCtiOA (j) Of SOOtion 3, btiCle 6008, S&WOifiti~J provides that the telP "Mt.' Sbrll iAOlUde 'ths US. Of EJVOet 

gas pro&Wed fromaga8vellfo~th@ Eamraattlm or UPbOA 

blaak.' and Bctd 8wtIoA further provides that "the produotIon. 

road i!CSSlSi88iOA In olearly UmIted In its powers to tha ourelse of 8-h sutborrity u Is delegated to It by the Ugislatum, 
Yr. John B. Taylor, Page 6 

md it vould be rothg UrslrvfUlly If It permItted Amy we 

af mot gas vhlah 18 erpoessly prohibited by the statutes. 

Ibuici er 011 b: Refim.lng Cs. vs. Rallrwd Comio8lon, 49 

S.U. As to uhether or not ths statutory ntakriotlonupontbusoofmmotgUwuldbov8llduDdtwtho 

oeouzmtames stated 1~ your lotter, w da P a t l qwoss an 

opinion, 8Inoe it 1s plain tb8t the Railroad OamIuIon 

vould only be authorlud to do those thl!qs vhlsh are pernitted b7 the 8atUtU Of w 8atO.