Railroad Commission of Texas and Bill Forney, Inc., Petitioners v. Pend Oreille Oil & Gas Company, Inc.…

Summary

The Texas Supreme Court affirmed the Railroad Commission's authority to (1) deem Forney's offer to pool voluntarily as fair and reasonable, (2) force‑pool the Main and Stray Sands as a common reservoir, and (3) enter a final MIPA order with an effective date coincident with the earlier interim order. Accordingly, the Court affirmed the appellate court in part and reversed it in part. Justice MAUZY filed a concurring opinion emphasizing the legislative intent to give the Commission broad discretion under the MIPA.