Evidence Standard
Method and primary sources.
Our geopressured research and land due diligence follow a strict ground-truth doctrine: assert facts only from recorded instruments, enacted statutes, and verified subsurface archives.
The evidence standard
In mature oilfield basins and deep geopressured project origination, unverified assumptions regarding reservoir bounds or mineral severance can halt operations. Our diligence practice operates under four concrete rules:
- Recorded Instrument Ground Truth: Mineral reservations, surface ownership, and right-of-way grants must be corroborated by recorded deeds, mineral conveyances, and courthouse probate records in the county clerk office.
- Subsurface Log & Seismic Ground Truth: Reservoir presence, sand thickness, temperatures, and overpressure gradients must be corroborated by recorded wireline logs (SP, induction, sonic) and calibrated 3D seismic control points, not speculative regional projections.
- New-Drilling Regulatory Compliance: New purpose-built wells are planned under Railroad Commission of Texas Statewide Rules 3.5 (Application to Drill) and 3.13 (Casing, Cementing, and Freshwater Aquifer Isolation), completely bypassing legacy wellbore mechanical risks.
- Explicit Boundaries of Professional Scope: Landwork establishes factual ownership chains, regulatory compliance histories, and counterparty identities. Formal drilling title opinions are provided separately by examining attorneys; reservoir engineering and mechanical well design are performed by licensed petroleum engineers.
Primary sources repository
The following statutes, regulatory administrative codes, and historical research reports govern the legal definitions and technical citations presented across thermal.land:
| Authority / Citation | Subject Matter | Governing Passage / Statutory Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Texas Natural Resources Code Section 141.003(4) | Geothermal Definition | Defines geothermal energy and associated resources to specifically include indigenous steam, hot water, hot brines, geopressured water, and energy resulting from the natural subsurface temperature of the earth. |
| Texas Natural Resources Code Section 141.004(a) | Default Surface Ownership | Codifies that unless expressly provided by an instrument of conveyance or reservation, severed geothermal resources and geopressured water are real property owned by the owner of the surface estate. |
| Texas Natural Resources Code Section 141.011 | Railroad Commission Oversight | Mandates that the Railroad Commission of Texas regulates the exploration, development, and production of geothermal energy on public and private lands to prevent waste and protect correlative rights. |
| Railroad Commission of Texas 16 TAC Section 3.5 & 3.13 | Statewide Rules 5 & 13 (Drilling) | Governs Form W-1 drilling permit applications, directional surveys, multi-string casing design, cementing depth requirements, and freshwater aquifer protection for new wells. |
| Railroad Commission of Texas 16 TAC Section 3.9 & 3.46 | Statewide Rules 9 & 46 (Disposal) | Establishes permitting, mechanical integrity testing (MIT), and reporting requirements for Class II fluid injection and saltwater disposal wells into non-productive formations. |
| Railroad Commission Form W-1 & Form W-2 | Drilling Permits & Completion Logs | Official state agency dockets detailing proposed well surface coordinates, target depth, casing programs, and verified electric log completion filings. |
| USGS Circular 790 & Circular 1249 | Geopressured Sandstone Trends | Comprehensive United States Geological Survey regional assessments characterizing high-temperature, overpressured Frio, Vicksburg, and Wilcox sandstone reservoirs along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast. |
| U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Pleasant Bayou No. 2 | Geopressured Field Demonstration | DOE geopressured research project in Brazoria County, Texas, a DOE-funded hybrid demonstration (1989 to 1990) that ran about 1 MW of gross output from roughly 10,000 barrels per day of 290 degrees F brine with dissolved methane. It was a research test, not a commercial project. |
| U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Glossary | Energy & Gas Units | Defines Megawatt electric (MWe), Megawatt thermal (MWt), and standard cubic feet (MCF = 1,000 cu ft) utilized in multi-stream energy yield equations. |
Claim verification and research ledger
Every statutory section, administrative code reference, and technical parameter on thermal.land is verified against official state code portals and maintained in our central research claim ledger.