NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1967 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 923

SENATE BILL 175

 

 

AN ACT REQUIRING TEST DRILLING OR BORING ON HIGHWAY RIGHTS OF WAY AND PUBLIC LAND TO BE FILED AS PUBLIC RECORDS.

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact:

 

Section 1.  No person, firm or corporation shall make any test drilling or boring upon the right of way of any road or highway, under the jurisdiction of the State Highway Commission, until written authorization has been obtained from the owner or the person in charge of the land on which the highway easement is located. A complete record showing the results of the test drilling or boring shall be filed forthwith with the Chairman of the State Highway Commission and shall be a public record. This Section shall not apply to the State Highway Commission making test drilling or boring for highway purposes only.

Sec. 2.  Any person, firm or corporation making any test drilling or boring upon any public land, owned or controlled by the State of North Carolina shall, forthwith after completion, file a complete record of the results of the test drilling or boring with the Director of the Department of Administration and with the Director of the Department of Conservation and Development, of each test hole bored or drilled. Such records filed shall become a matter of public record. Provided, that after exploratory drilling and boring has been completed, and a lease or contract has been executed for operation, production or development of the area, the results of test drillings or borings made incidental to the operation, production or development of the area under lease or contract shall not be subject to the provisions of this Act unless otherwise provided in such lease or contract.

Sec. 3.  Violation of this Act shall be a misdemeanor, punishable in the discretion of the court.

Sec. 4.  All laws and clauses of laws in conflict with this Act are hereby repealed.

Sec. 5.  This Act shall be in full force and effect from and after its ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 27th day of June, 1967.