(5 ILCS 615/14) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 5014)
Sec. 14.
Whenever the Department shall find it is in the best interest of
the State and of the production of petroleum, it is declared to be lawful
for the State, the permittees, lessees, operator or any person owning or
controlling royalty or other interest in separate properties of the same
producing or prospective petroleum field, to enter into agreements with
themselves or among each other, subject to the approval of the Department,
for the purpose of cooperative exploration, development and operation of
all or a part or parts of such field, or for the purpose of the
exploration, development or operation of all or part or parts of such field
as a pool or unit, and for the purpose of fixing the time, location and
manner of drilling and for the purpose of drilling and for the purpose of
regulating the location, sequence and number of exploratory wells required
in the case of permits under unit operations and leases, and operating of
wells for the exploration of petroleum on State and private lands and for
the apportionment and division of the petroleum between the State and the
several owners of land embraced within the field so placed in such pool,
taking into consideration the relative character and geological showing in
respect of said several tracts of land so far as the same is reasonably
ascertainable, the apparent probability of producing petroleum from the
whole or any part thereof and any and all other apparent factors that may
tend to aid in arriving at a fair, just and equitable participation by the
State and the several owners in the apportionment and distribution of all
the petroleum that shall be recovered and saved therefrom. The purpose of
this section is to encourage the development and exploration of petroleum
upon State lands by and through the unit plan of development. When it is in
the best interests of the State, the Department shall compel the adoption
of unit plans of operation in so far as State lands are included in any
productive pool or pools if the permittees or lessees of such lands shall
fail to agree upon a plan of unit operation acceptable to the Department,
the Department is empowered to fix the terms of such unit plan or plans and
any permittees or lessees affected who fail to abide by such plan shall
suffer forfeiture of their permits or leases upon notice as herein
provided.
(Source: Laws 1951, p. 1167.)
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