Legal-regulatory status report for Texas

State actions to alleviate legal problems in geopressured-geothermal resource development in Texas are summarized. Legislative actions include a policy statement on resource ownership and a clarification of responsibility for waste disposal. The Texas Railroad Commission has modified some regulation to accommodate such development. Federal environmental regulations are reviewed, including a hazardous waste management system proposed to implement the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, a modified proposal for underground injection controls under the Safe Drinking Water Act, and new rules for prevention of significant deterioration of air quality under the Clean Air Act. Continuing legal problem areas not yet resolved, including requirements and methods for the protection of correlative rights and prevention of resource waste, are surveyed.