A bill that could bring thousands of jobs back to Texas’ struggling oilfields is up for consideration when the Legislature reconvenes in January. The so-called Majority Rights Protection Act, filed as Senate Bill 177, would allow a transaction if 70 percent of working and royalty interest owners of a given field to agree whether to move forward with secondary or tertiary drilling. Texas is the only major oil-producing state that requires 100 percent of landowners to ratify an agreement. Oklahoma has a 63 percent requirement; Colorado requires 80 percent agreement; and North Dakota requires 60 percent agreement. “The Majority Rights Protection Act would unlock hundreds of billions of dollars of energy production by establishing a proven legal framework successfully used in 29 other states,” said the bill’s author, state Sen. Van Taylor, R-Plano. “Passing this bill has the potential to be the biggest job creation, investment expanding, and revenue […]