The Legislature finds that it is desirable and necessary to authorize and provide for unitized management, operation, and further development of brine and associated solution gas, to the end that a greater ultimate recovery of brine and solution gas may be had, waste prevented, and the correlative rights of owners therein be protected. In addition, the Legislature also finds that it is a desirable public policy and necessity to reduce disposal of brine water, also referred to as produced water, from oil and gas operations, defined as oil and gas produced water and waste by Section 86.7 of Title 52 of the Oklahoma Statutes, and encourages reusing, recycling, and reclaiming such water and extraction of its constituent elements included therein. It is further found to be in the public interest to foster, encourage and promote the development and production in the State of Oklahoma of brine, produced water, and solution gas and to authorize and provide for the operation and development of unitized brine, produced water, and solution gas properties, and to authorize the Corporation Commission to regulate brine, produced water utilized for the purpose of extracting its constituent elements included therein, and solution gas production. Produced water subject to the jurisdiction of the Oil and Gas Produced Water and Waste Recycling and Reuse Act, Section 86.6 et seq. of Title 52 of the Oklahoma Statutes, shall not be governed by the Oklahoma Brine Development Act unless the produced water is intended to be or is processed for the commercial extraction and sale of constituent elements, or any one of them as set forth in Section 86.8 of Title 52 of the Oklahoma Statutes.

Laws 1990, SB 263, c. 255, § 2, eff. September 1, 1990; Amended by Laws 2026, HB 4338, c. 341, § 2, emerg. eff. May 12, 2026 (superseded document available).