Sec. 52.133.  PAYMENT OF ROYALTY IN KIND.  (a)  Each oil or gas lease covering land leased by the board, by a board for lease, or by the surface owner of land under which the state owns the minerals, commonly referred to as Relinquishment Act land, which shall be subject to approval by the commissioner before it is effective, shall include a provision granting the board authorized to lease the land or the owner of the soil of Relinquishment Act land and the commissioner authority to take their royalty in kind, and the commissioner and the boards for lease may include any other reasonable provisions that are not inconsistent with this section.
(b)  The option to take the royalty in kind may be exercised at any time or from time to time on not less than 60 days' notice to the holder of the lease.
(c)  The commissioner, the owner of the soil under Subchapter F, or the commissioner acting on the behalf of and at the direction of an owner of the soil under Subchapter F, the board, or a board for lease, or at the direction of the Board for Lease of University Lands, may negotiate and execute contracts or any other instruments or agreements necessary to dispose of or enhance their portion of the royalty taken in kind, including contracts for sale, marketing, purchase, transportation, including purchase and exchange agreements necessary to transport gas, and storage and including insurance contracts or other agreements, to secure or guarantee payment.
(d)  The commissioner, the owner of the soil under Subchapter F, or the commissioner acting on behalf of and at the direction of an owner of the soil under Subchapter F, the board, or a board for lease may negotiate and execute contracts or any other instruments or agreements necessary to convert that portion of the royalty taken in kind into other forms of energy, other than electricity.
(e)  This section shall not be construed to surrender or in any way affect the right of the state or the owner of the soil under existing or future leases to receive royalty from its lessee on the basis of the market value of the production from state public land or land under the provisions of Subchapter F of this chapter.
(f)  For the purposes of this section, royalty taken in kind includes oil or gas sold or marketed by the commissioner that has been produced on state mineral lands or from the first three miles of federal waters adjacent to the state boundaries, also known as the 8g zone.
Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2455, ch. 871, art. I, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977.  Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 897, Sec. 31, eff. Sept. 1, 1993;  Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 427, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 28, 1995;  Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 405, Sec. 49, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.
Amended by: 
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 53 (H.B. 2263), Sec. 1, eff. May 17, 2019.