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La. Rev. Stat. § 30:3 (2026)

Definitions

✓ current as of May 2026
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§3. Definitions

           Unless the context otherwise requires, the words defined in this Section have the following meaning when found in this Subtitle:

           (1) "Brine" means subterranean saltwater, whether contained in or produced from a reservoir, and all of the saltwater's constituent parts, minerals, elements, compounds, or substances contained in or dissolved in the saltwater, including but not limited to lithium, bromine, barium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iodine, or other constituent parts, minerals, elements, compounds, or substances produced with or separated from the saltwater. "Brine" does not include brine produced as an incident to the production of oil and gas, unless the brine is saved, retained, used, or sold for the purpose of extracting the constituent parts, minerals, elements, compounds, or substances contained or dissolved in the brine. "Brine" also does not include underground sources of drinking water or brine created through solution mining.

           (2) "Brine production operations" means the exploration for, development of, or production of brine through the use of a well or wells. "Brine production operations" may include the reinjection of the brine, including after possible extraction of any constituent parts, minerals, elements, compounds, or substances contained in or dissolved in the brine.

           (3) "Department" means the Department of Conservation and Energy, or any successor agency.

           (4) "Employee" includes any personnel, classified and unclassified, retained by the department to assist in the performance of duties related to expedited processing.

           (5) "Expedited processing" shall mean the processing or review of permits, permit modifications, licenses, registrations, plans, proposals, exceptions, or variances whereby the Department of Conservation and Energy completes its administrative and technical review within a timeline agreed to in writing.

           (6) "Field" means the general area which is underlaid or appears to be underlaid by at least one pool. It includes the underground reservoir or reservoirs containing crude petroleum oil, natural gas, brine, or any combination thereof. The words "field" and "pool" mean the same thing when only one underground reservoir is involved; however, "field", unlike "pool", may relate to two or more pools.

           (7) "Gas" means all natural gas, including casinghead gas, and all other hydrocarbons not defined as oil in Paragraph (7) of this Section.

           (8) "Illegal gas" means gas which has been produced within the state from any well in excess of the amount allowed by any rule, regulation, or order of the department, as distinguished from gas produced within the state not in excess of the amount so allowed by any rule, regulation, or order, which is "legal gas."

           (9) "Illegal oil" means oil which has been produced within the state from any well in excess of the amount allowed by any rule, regulation, or order of the department, as distinguished from oil produced within the state not in excess of the amount so allowed by any rule, regulation, or order, which is "legal oil."

           (10) "Illegal product" means any product of oil or gas, any part of which was processed or derived, in whole or in part, from illegal oil or illegal gas or from any product thereof, as distinguished from "legal product," which is a product processed or derived to no extent from illegal oil or illegal gas.

           (11) "Multiple mineral development area" means an area designated by the department for the management and development of various concurrent surface and sub-surface mineral or resource production or extraction operations, including exploratory activities, for the purpose of efficient and effective development of minerals or resources in the area without unreasonable interference.

           (12) "Oil" means crude petroleum oil, and other hydrocarbons, regardless of gravity, which are produced at the well head in liquid form by ordinary production methods.

           (13) "Owner" means the person, including operators and producers acting on behalf of the person, who has or had the right to drill into and to produce from a pool and to appropriate the production either for himself or for others.

           (14) "Person" means any natural person, corporation, association, partnership, receiver, tutor, curator, executor, administrator, fiduciary, or representative of any kind.

           (15) "Pool" means an underground reservoir containing a common accumulation of crude petroleum oil, natural gas, brine, or any combination thereof. Each zone of a general structure which is completely separated from any other zone in the structure is covered by the term "pool" as used in this Chapter. However, to promote the development and production of marginally commercial sands, a zone may contain one or more common accumulations and the overall stratigraphic interval of the zone may be considered and treated as a pool for all purposes of this Chapter.

           (16) "Producer" means the owner of a well capable of producing oil, gas, brine, or any combination thereof.

           (17) "Product" means any commodity made from oil, gas, or brine. It includes but is not limited to refined crude oil, crude tops, topped crude, processed crude petroleum, residue from crude petroleum, cracking stock, uncracked fuel oil, fuel oil, treated crude oil, residuum, gas oil, casinghead gasoline, natural gas gasoline, naphtha, distillate, gasoline, kerosene, benzine, wash oil, waste oil, blended gasoline, lubricating oil, blends or mixtures of oil with one or more liquid products or by-products derived from oil or gas, blends or mixtures of two or more liquid products or by-products derived from oil or gas, lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide, and any other commodity or product made from the brine or any constituent parts, minerals, elements, compounds, or substances contained in or dissolved in the brine, whether enumerated in this Paragraph or not.

           (18) "Solution mined cavern" means a cavity created within the salt stock by dissolution with water.

           (19) "Solution mining injection well" means a well into which fluids, other than fluids associated with active drilling operations, are injected for extraction of minerals or energy.

           (20) "Tender" means a permit or certificate of clearance for the transportation of oil, gas, or products, approved and issued or registered under the authority of the department.

           (21) "Waste", in addition to its ordinary meaning, means "physical waste" as that term is generally understood in the oil and gas industry. It includes the following:

           (a) The inefficient, excessive, or improper use or dissipation of a reservoir ; and the location, spacing, drilling, equipping, operating, or producing of a well in a manner which results, or tends to result, in reducing the quantity of oil, gas, or brine ultimately recoverable from a pool.

           (b) The inefficient storing of oil; the producing of oil or gas from a pool in excess of transportation or marketing facilities or of reasonable market demand; and the locating, spacing, drilling, equipping, operating, or producing of an oil or gas well in a manner causing, or tending to cause, unnecessary or excessive surface loss or destruction of oil or gas.

           (c) The disposal, storage or injection of any waste product in the subsurface by means of a disposal well.

           (22) "Waste product" means any liquid, sludge, effluent, semi-liquid or other substance resulting from any process, whether manufacturing or otherwise.

           Amended by Acts 1976, No. 122, §2; Acts 1984, No. 768, §1; Acts 1993, No. 113, §1; Acts 2013, No. 368, §1, eff. August 1, 2013; Acts 2024, No. 126, §1, eff. August 1, 2024; Acts 2025, No. 458, §1, eff. October 1, 2025.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 24 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1952–2025 · leading case: T D X Energy, L.L.C. v. Chesapeake Operating, Inc., 857 F.3d 253 (5th Cir. 2017).
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T D X Energy, L.L.C. v. Chesapeake Operating, Inc., 857 F.3d 253 (5th Cir. 2017). · cites it 2× “R.S. § 30:3(6). 7 .An “owner” under Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 30 is a "person .”
Yuma Petroleum Co. v. Thompson, 731 So. 2d 190 (La. 1999). · cites it 8× “R.S. 30:3(8) and to allocate the obligation, if any, for remediation between the former owners.”
Davis Oil Co. v. TS, INC., 962 F. Supp. 872 (E.D. La. 1997). · cites it 6× “738-2, finding that Davis Oil was an operator of record with respect to the wells in question and is an “owner” as defined in section 30:3 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes.”
Amoco Prod. Co. v. Thompson, 516 So. 2d 376 (La. Ct. App. 1987). · cites it 2× “R.S. 30:3(8). A "just and equitable share" is defined as "that part of the authorized production .”
Breton Energy, L.L.C. v. Mariner Energy Resources, Inc., 764 F.3d 394 (5th Cir. 2014). · cites it 6× “La.Rev.Stat. Ann. § 30:3(16). Federal regulations provide a substantively identical definition of waste.”
Yuma Petroleum Co. v. Thompson, 709 So. 2d 824 (La. Ct. App. 1998). · cites it 5× “R.S. 30:3(8). In considering the case before us, we must address the proper standard of judicial review of a decision of the Commissioner.”
Taylor v. Woodpecker Corp., 539 So. 2d 1293 (La. Ct. App. 1989). · cites it 3× “R.S. 30:3(8), [4] and that, as such, it had the exclusive right of action against the operator for an accounting for all unit production allocable to the Taylor 22.”
Cockerham v. Atl. Richfield Co., 615 So. 2d 547 (La. Ct. App. 1993). · cites it 2× “30:4(D)(1)(b) as the provision limiting the Commissioner's authority to "owners" defined by LSA-R.S. 30:3(8) as "... the person who has the right to drill into and to produce from a pool and to appropriate either for himself or for others.”
Theriot v. Mermentau Resources, Inc., 385 So. 2d 939 (La. Ct. App. 1980). · cites it 2× “" The definition of "waste products" in LSA-R.S. 30:3 (15) is very broad and includes " any liquid, sludge, effluent, semi-liquid or other substance resulting from any process, whether manufacturing or otherwise.”
Nunez v. Wainoco Oil & Gas Co., 488 So. 2d 955 (La. 1986). “[17] "Waste" and its prevention, which is at the foundation of the state's conservation policy, is appropriately the first definition in § 30:3. Waste includes (a) the inefficient, excessive, or improper use or dissipation of reservoir energy; and the location, spacing,…”
King v. Strohe, 673 So. 2d 1329 (La. Ct. App. 1996). “R.S. 30:3(8), and have the exclusive right to their share of production.”
Davis v. Laster, 138 So. 2d 558 (La. 1962). “” LSA-R.S. 30:3. Lessor is challenging the foregoing classification and definitions by asserting that the well here is not a well “producing gas only” relying upon the fact that condensate was sold from this well.”
Show all 24 citing cases →
La. Rev. Stat. § 30:3(1): 1 case
Six C Props., LLC v. Welsh, 68 So. 3d 609 (La. Ct. App. 2011).
La. Rev. Stat. § 30:3(16): 1 case
Breton Energy, L.L.C. v. Mariner Energy Resources, Inc., 764 F.3d 394 (5th Cir. 2014). “La.Rev.Stat. Ann. § 30:3(16). Federal regulations provide a substantively identical definition of waste.”
La. Rev. Stat. § 30:3(16)(a): 1 case
Breton Energy, L.L.C. v. Mariner Energy Resources, Inc., 764 F.3d 394 (5th Cir. 2014). “La.Rev.Stat. Ann. § 30:3(16). Federal regulations provide a substantively identical definition of waste.”
La. Rev. Stat. § 30:3(2): 1 case
CEDYCO CORP. v. Dep't of Nat. Res., 993 So. 2d 271 (La. Ct. App. 2008).
La. Rev. Stat. § 30:3(6): 2 cases
T D X Energy, L.L.C. v. Chesapeake Operating, Inc., 857 F.3d 253 (5th Cir. 2017). “R.S. § 30:3(6). 7 .An “owner” under Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 30 is a "person .”
JHJ Ltd. I v. Chevron U.S.A., Inc., 617 F. Supp. 729 (M.D. La. 1985).
La. Rev. Stat. § 30:3(8): 14 cases
Yuma Petroleum Co. v. Thompson, 731 So. 2d 190 (La. 1999). “R.S. 30:3(8) and to allocate the obligation, if any, for remediation between the former owners.”
T D X Energy, L.L.C. v. Chesapeake Operating, Inc., 857 F.3d 253 (5th Cir. 2017). “R.S. § 30:3(6). 7 .An “owner” under Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 30 is a "person .”
Amoco Prod. Co. v. Thompson, 516 So. 2d 376 (La. Ct. App. 1987). “R.S. 30:3(8). A "just and equitable share" is defined as "that part of the authorized production .”
Davis Oil Co. v. TS, INC., 962 F. Supp. 872 (E.D. La. 1997). “738-2, finding that Davis Oil was an operator of record with respect to the wells in question and is an “owner” as defined in section 30:3 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes.”
Yuma Petroleum Co. v. Thompson, 709 So. 2d 824 (La. Ct. App. 1998). “R.S. 30:3(8). In considering the case before us, we must address the proper standard of judicial review of a decision of the Commissioner.”
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