Texas Natural Resources Code 85.389 – Criminal Penalty
(a) A person who is not the owner or operator of an oil well, gas well, or oil and gas well, a purchaser under contract of oil, gas, or oil and gas from a well, a gatherer with written authorization from the owner, operator, or purchaser, or an authorized representative of the commission who knowingly destroys, breaks, removes, or otherwise tampers with or attempts to destroy, break, remove, or otherwise tamper with any cap, seal, or other device placed on an oil well, gas well, oil and gas well, or associated oil or gas gathering equipment by the owner or operator for the purpose of controlling or limiting the operation of the well or associated equipment commits an offense.
(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the third degree.
Terms Used In Texas Natural Resources Code 85.389
- Commission: means the Railroad Commission of Texas. See Texas Natural Resources Code 85.001
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Oil: means crude petroleum oil, crude petroleum, and crude oil, and "gas" means natural gas. See Texas Natural Resources Code 85.001
- Person: includes corporation, organization, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, and any other legal entity. See Texas Government Code 311.005
- Written: includes any representation of words, letters, symbols, or figures. See Texas Government Code 311.005