Sec. 141.002.  DECLARATION OF POLICY.  It is declared to be the policy of the State of Texas that:
(1)  the rapid and orderly development of geothermal energy and associated resources located within the State of Texas is in the interest of the people of the State of Texas;
(2)  in developing the state's geothermal energy and associated resources, the primary purpose is to provide a dependable supply of energy in an efficient manner that avoids waste of the energy resources;
(3)  consideration shall be afforded to protection of the environment, to protection of correlative rights, and to conservation of natural resources by all agencies and officials of the State of Texas involved in directing and prescribing rules or orders governing the exploration, development, and production of geothermal energy and associated resources and by-products in Texas;
(4)  since geopressured geothermal resources in Texas are an energy resource system, and since an integrated development of components of the resources, including recovery of the energy of the geopressured water without waste, is required for best conservation of these natural resources of the state, all of the resource system components, as defined in this chapter, shall be treated and produced as mineral resources;  and
(5)  in making the declaration of policy in Subdivision (4) of this section, there is no intent to make any change in the substantive law of this state, and the purpose is to restate the law in clearer terms to make it more accessible and understandable.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2640, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977.  Amended by Acts 1979, 66th Leg., p. 394, ch. 185, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 27, 1979.