Nothing in this act contained or authorized, and no suit by or against the commission or the division, and no penalties imposed or claimed against any person for violating any statute of this state with respect to conservation of oil and gas, or any provision of this act, or any rule, regulation or order issued thereunder, shall impair or abridge or delay any cause of action for damages which any person may have or assert against any person violating any statute of the state with respect to conservation of oil and gas, or any provision of this act, or any rule, regulation or order issued thereunder. Any person so damaged by the violation may sue for and recover such damages as he may be entitled to receive. In the event the division should fail to bring suit to enjoin any actual or threatened violation of any statute of this state with respect to the conservation of oil and gas, or of any provision of this act, or of any rule, regulation or order made thereunder, then any person or party in interest adversely affected by such violation, and who has notified the division in writing of such violation or threat thereof and has requested the division to sue, may, to prevent any or further violation, bring suit for that purpose in the district court of any county in which the division could have brought suit. If, in such suit, the court holds that injunctive relief should be granted, then the division shall be made a party and shall be substituted for the person who brought the suit, and the injunction shall be issued as if the division had at all times been the complaining party.
History: Laws 1935, ch. 72, § 20; 1941 Comp., § 69-226; Laws 1949, ch. 168, § 22; 1953 Comp., § 65-3-25; Laws 1977, ch. 255, § 63.
Compiler's notes. — The term "this act," referred to in this section, means Laws 1935, ch. 72, §§ 1 to 24, which appear as 70-2-2 to 70-2-4, 70-2-6 to 70-2-11, 70-2-15, 70-2-16, 70-2-21 to 70-2-25, 70-2-27 to 70-2-30, 70-2-33 NMSA 1978.
Cross references. — For when indemnity agreements are void, see 56-7-2 NMSA 1978.
Structure New Mexico Statutes
Article 2 - Oil Conservation Commission; Division;
Section 70-2-2 - [Waste prohibited.]
Section 70-2-3 - Waste; definitions.
Section 70-2-5 - Oil conservation division; director; state petroleum engineer.
Section 70-2-6 - Commission's and division's powers and duties.
Section 70-2-8 - Subpoena power; immunity of natural persons required to testify.
Section 70-2-10 - Perjury; punishment.
Section 70-2-11 - Power of commission and division to prevent waste and protect correlative rights.
Section 70-2-12 - Enumeration of powers.
Section 70-2-12.1 - Disposition of produced water; no permit required.
Section 70-2-12.2 - Adoption of rules; appeals.
Section 70-2-14 - Requirement for financial assurance.
Section 70-2-16 - Allocation of allowable production in field or pool.
Section 70-2-17 - Equitable allocation of allowable production; pooling; spacing.
Section 70-2-18 - Spacing or proration unit with divided mineral ownership.
Section 70-2-19 - Common purchasers; discrimination in purchasing prohibited.
Section 70-2-21 - Purchase, sale or handling of excess oil, natural gas or products prohibited.
Section 70-2-23 - Hearings on rules, regulations and orders; notice; emergency rules.
Section 70-2-25 - Rehearings; appeals.
Section 70-2-26 - Review of oil conservation commission decision; appeals.
Section 70-2-27 - Temporary restraining order or injuction [injunction]; grounds; hearing; bond.
Section 70-2-28 - Actions for violations.
Section 70-2-29 - Actions for damages; institution of actions for injunctions by private parties.
Section 70-2-30 - [Violation of court order grounds for appointment of receiver.]
Section 70-2-31 - Violations of the Oil and Gas Act; penalties.
Section 70-2-31.1 - Reporting requirement.
Section 70-2-32 - Seizure and sale of illegal oil or gas or products; procedure.
Section 70-2-33 - Definitions.
Section 70-2-35 - Legal representation before the federal energy regulatory commission.
Section 70-2-36 - Removing or altering marks of identification; penalty.
Section 70-2-37 - Oil and gas reclamation fund created; disposition of fund.