"Texas Supreme Court to Mull Underground Trespassing"

"A case involving the disposal of industrial wastewater pits two interests that are dear to many Texans against each other: oil and gas resources versus private property rights."



"A decision by the state’s highest civil court could have major implications for both. The Texas Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on Jan. 7 in a dispute between a company that operates injection wells in Liberty County and a nearby rice farm that says wastewater from those wells has migrated into a saltwater aquifer below its land. It calls the migration trespassing, for which it should be compensated.

Among several smaller questions, the court will weigh a broad one: Just how far below the earth’s surface do property lines extend?"

Jim Malewitz reports for the Texas Tribune December 6, 2013.

Source: Texas Tribune, 12/06/2013