Bishop v. Corporation Commission

1963 OK 110, 394 P.2d 235, 1963 Okla. LEXIS 586, 1963 WL 106368
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMay 7, 1963
Docket39554, 39721
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 1963 OK 110 (Bishop v. Corporation Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bishop v. Corporation Commission, 1963 OK 110, 394 P.2d 235, 1963 Okla. LEXIS 586, 1963 WL 106368 (Okla. 1963).

Opinion

IRWIN, Justice.

Defendants in error, Harper Oil Company and Republic Natural Gas Co., hereinafter referred to as Applicants, petition *236 ed the State Corporation Commission in Cause Xo. 13910, for an order creating the East Happy Hills Unit for the purpose of the unitized management, operation and further development of the Skinner Sand common source of supply. Attached to the petition was-their proposed plan of unitization which included the percentage participation or allocation of each tract in the unit production.

Plaintiffs in error, hereinafter referred to as Protestants, who are owners of an undivided mineral interest included in the p-'roposéd unit, ohjccted to the proposed plan o'f unitization.--After extended' hearings and on January 31, 1961, the Corporation Commission entered its Order No. 44,408, approving the plan of unitization as proposed by the Applicants. This plan of unitization was to become- effective at the end of the time allowed by law for an appeal if no appeal was- taken; or if an appeal rvas taken, then -upon the final determination of such appeal.

On February 6, 1961, Protestants filed their Notice of Appeal from the Commission’s Order No. 44;408, and this appeal' is docketed' as Case No. 39,554, in this Court.

Oil March 21, 1961, Applicants filed with the Corporation Commission Case No. 14818, which was an application to amend the plan of unitization as provided in Order No. 44,408, for the purpose of making the plan effective immediately. A hearing was had and on April 25, 1961, the Corporation Commission in Order No. 45,180, found that in Order No. 44,408, it had retained continuous jurisdiction to amend or modify the terms of such order and that Protestants did not file a supersedeas bond nor did they request a stay of the effectiveness of Order No. 44,408. Order No. 45,180, which amended Order No. 44,408, stated that “this order shall become effective immediately”.

Protestants perfected an appeal from- the Commission’s Order No. 45,180, which made the plan of unitization effective immediately, and such appeal is docketed in this Court a? Qise No. 39,721, and the same is. .consolidated with Case No. 39,554, -

One of Protestants’ reasons for objecting to the plan of unitization and appealing from the order creating the unit is that such plan did not allocate to Tract No. 9, under which they owned an undivided mineral interest, a sufficient percentage of the total production of the unit. In this connection, it is urged that the percentage of the total unit production allocated to their unit is unreasonable, unjust, arbitrary and discriminatory and-the order allocating to each tract a certain percentage of the unit production is not supported by substantial evidence.

In considering Protestants’ contentions that the order of the Commission did not allocate to their tract a sufficient percentage of the total unit production, we should be mindful of the applicable rule of law when this Court reviews an order of the Corporation Commission. The Commission has a wide discretion in the performance of its duties and this Court may not substitute its judgment on disputed questions of fact for that of the Commission, unless the findings of the Commission are not supported by the law and substantial evidence. See Shell Oil Company v. Davidor & Davidor, Okl., 315 P.2d 259. Following this principle of law we will review the evidence to determine if the findings and the-orders of the Commission are supported by the law and substantial evidence..

The plan of unitization and the order creating the unit listed the tracts in the unit, described the location of each tract and allocated the total production of the unit to the separate tracts. The unit is located in Sections 11 and 12, T 12N, R 3E, Lincoln County, and comprised 1140' acres. Protestants own an undivided mineral interest in Tract No. 9, which is the NE ⅛ of Sec. 12, and is the northeast tract in the unit. Tract No. 9 was allocated 7.1886 percent of the total production by the Commission’s order which was the same percentage allocation submitted and proposed by the Applicants.

Protestants- urge that Tract No. 9 was entitled, to more than 7.1886 .percent of the- *237 total production for the reason that there was an influx of salt water in the southwestern portion of the unit and that the sand was wet and that no deductions were made or consideration given to the water encroachment; and, that the percentage allocation was based on Applicants’ evidence that there was 19 feet of productive sand underlying the well on Tract No. 9 when all the substantial evidence shows there was actually 31 feet of productive sand underlying said well.

The petroleum engineer, who prepared the allocation formula which was approved by the Commission, testified for the Applicants. He stated that this is a depletion type reservoir with an associated gas cap and that the producing energy is supplied by gas; that he found no indication of a water drive in the productive sand in the unit or an influx of water from an aquifer and that no deductions were made or consideration given in determining the allocation formula because of water encroachments in the southwest area of the unit. The managing officer for one of the Applicants stated that salt water was being produced from some of the wells in the southwestern part of the unit but that the amount of salt water production was insignificant and that no deductions should be made as to percentage allocations for any tract because of any water encroachment.

Applicants’ testimony was that the well on Tract No. 9 had 19 feet of productive sand, and that the allocation formula was based upon these figures. Applicants also submitted how the number of feet of productive sand under the other wells was determined and how the allocation was made.

Protestants offered evidence that there was a water influx in the southwestern part of the unit and that such water encroachment should have been considered in determining the percentage allocation formula for each tract; and, that there as 31 feet of productive sand underlying the well on Tract No. 9, and not 19 feet of productive sand as Applicants had contended. In the opinion of Protestants’ expert witness, Tract No. 9 should be entitled to 18.8 percent of the total unit production and not 7.1886 percent as provided in the Commission’s order of unitization and as proposed by Applicants.

It is evident that the Commission’s findings and order creating the unit and establishing the percentage allocation formula for the separate tracts in the unit were based upon the evidence of the Applicants as the Commission’s findings and order adopted in toto the proposed plan submitted by the Applicants.

However, in the hearing of Applicants’ application to amend the order so that the plan of unitization would become effective immediately, additional evidence was offered by the Applicants. A consulting petroleum engineer testified for Applicants and his answer to whether there was evidence of any water, he stated, “Yes, on the southwest flank of the field there are two wells that are making considerable water”. He recommended that certain wells be converted to imput wells which would conserve the energy and prevent waste.

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Bluebook (online)
1963 OK 110, 394 P.2d 235, 1963 Okla. LEXIS 586, 1963 WL 106368, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bishop-v-corporation-commission-okla-1963.