Virginia Code 45.2-1602: Construction; purposes
The provisions of this chapter shall be liberally construed so as to effectuate the following purposes:
Terms Used In Virginia Code 45.2-1602
- Gas or oil owner: means any person who owns, leases, has an interest in, or has the right to explore for, drill, or operate a gas or oil well as principal or lessee. See Virginia Code 45.2-1600
- Oil: means natural crude oil or petroleum and other hydrocarbons, regardless of gravity, that are produced at the well in liquid form by ordinary production methods and are not the result of condensation of gas after it leaves the underground reservoir. See Virginia Code 45.2-1600
- Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
- Pool: means an underground accumulation of gas or oil in a single and separate natural reservoir. See Virginia Code 45.2-1600
- Well: means any shaft or hole sunk, drilled, bored, or dug into the earth or into underground strata for the extraction, injection, or placement of any gaseous or liquid substance or any shaft or hole sunk or used in conjunction with such extraction, injection, or placement. See Virginia Code 45.2-1600
1. To foster, encourage, and promote the safe and efficient exploration for and development, production, utilization, and conservation of the Commonwealth’s gas and oil resources;
2. To provide a method of gas and oil conservation for maximizing exploration, development, production, and utilization of gas and oil resources;
3. To recognize and protect the rights of any person owning an interest in gas or oil resources contained within a pool;
4. To ensure the safe recovery of coal and other minerals;
5. To maximize the production and recovery of coal without substantially affecting the right of a gas or oil owner proposing to drill a gas or oil well to explore for and produce gas or oil;
6. To protect the citizens and the environment of the Commonwealth from the public safety and environmental risks associated with the development and production of gas or oil; and
7. To recognize that the use of the surface for gas or oil development shall be only the use that is reasonably necessary to obtain the gas or oil.
1982, c. 347, § 45.1-290; 1990, c. 92, § 45.1-361.3; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 387.