Sec. 52.297.  COMPENSATION FOR DAMAGES FROM USE OF SURFACE.  (a)  Leases issued under Subchapter B of this chapter  for unsold surveyed or unsurveyed school land, other than land included in islands, saltwater lakes, bays, inlets, marshes, and reefs owned by the state in tidewater limits and other than that portion of the Gulf of Mexico within the jurisdiction of the state, must include a provision requiring the compensation for damages from the use of the surface in prospecting for, exploring, developing, or producing the leased minerals.
(b)  The commissioner by rule shall set the procedure for receiving compensation for damages to the surface of land dedicated to the permanent school fund.
(c)  Money collected for surface damages shall be deposited in a special fund account in the State Treasury to be used for conservation, reclamation, or construction of permanent improvements on land that belongs to the permanent school fund.
(d)  The special fund account must be an interest-bearing account, and the interest received on the account shall be deposited in the State Treasury to the credit of the permanent school fund.
(e)  Money collected under this section and designated for the construction of permanent improvements as provided by this section must be used not later than two years after the date on which the money is collected.
(f)  Any money that remains in the special fund account for longer than two years shall be deposited in the State Treasury to the credit of the permanent school fund.
(g)  The compensation for damages under this section is in addition to any bonus, rental, royalty, or other payment required by the lease.
Added by Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 624, Sec. 46, eff. Sept. 1, 1985.  Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 897, Sec. 42, eff. Sept. 1, 1993;  Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 328, Sec. 8, eff. Jan. 1, 2004.