North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 113. Conservation and Development § 113-382. Declaration of policy

In recognition of imminent evils that can occur in the production and use and waste of natural oil and/or gas in the absence of equal or correlative rights of owners of crude oil or natural gas in a common source of supply to produce and use the same, and in the absence of adequate measures for the protection of the environment, this law is enacted for the protection of public interests against such evils by prohibiting waste and compelling ratable production and authorizing regulations for the protection of the environment.