The proposed bill, known as the "subsurface pore space act," aims to clarify the ownership and conveyance rights associated with subsurface pore space in Michigan. It establishes that the ownership of pore space beneath surface lands and waters is vested in the owner of the overlying surface property, unless it has been severed from the surface estate. The bill outlines that a conveyance of surface property includes the pore space below it unless explicitly excluded. Additionally, it allows for the severance of pore space from the surface estate through conveyance, reservation, or lease, and specifies that any severed pore space can be sold, purchased, or leased independently.

The act also emphasizes that it does not limit or alter existing common law rights related to mineral estates or the surface owner's rights to use nonsevered pore space for fluid or gas storage. It ensures that rights to pore space acquired before the act's effective date remain intact. The bill includes specific requirements for instruments that sever pore space rights, such as detailing the geological formations involved and the depth of the pore space being conveyed. The act will only take effect if two other related bills from the 103rd Legislature are also enacted into law.