What are the legal issues concerning surface use and subsurface rights?

In South Carolina, legal issues concerning surface use and subsurface rights involve the rights of property owners to enable access and extraction of oil and gas for public use. The state legislature has created laws that limit the rights of property owners in order to ensure that the public will have access to oil and gas resources. The state recognizes the right of subsurface owners to own and control the oil and gas resources beneath their land. The owner of the surface rights has the right to use the surface of the property for activities that do not interfere with the subsurface rights. This means that owners of surface rights must get permission from the subsurface owners before they can conduct activities that disturb the subsurface, such as drilling wells or laying pipelines. The state also recognizes the right of surface owners to allow exploration and extraction of the subsurface resources. When a surface owner grants this permission, they may require the party to compensate them for any use of the surface. The surface owner is also entitled to any profits from the extraction of oil and gas resources. Finally, the state imposes regulations in order to protect the environment while allowing access to oil and gas resources. This includes rules regarding the construction of wells, the disposal of waste, and the monitoring of pollutants. These regulations help protect the surface owner from any negative consequences of oil and gas exploration on their property.

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What are the legal issues concerning surface use and subsurface rights?

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