Pattie v. Oil & Gas Conservation Commission

After drilling too close to its property line, Sumatra Oil (adjacent lessee) struck natural gas rather than the oil it expected, requiring an exception to the Commission's (defendant's) spacing rules, which the Commission granted; Pattie and other neighboring lessees (plaintiffs) sought a similar exception to drill their own gas well close to the shared boundary to protect against gas drainage, but the Commission denied their application. The trial court granted the plaintiffs summary judgment ordering the Commission to reconsider, and the Commission appealed.