Surface Owners’ News – Winter 2017

We know it’s been a while since you’ve heard from us. As the 2017 legislative session gets underway, we wanted to let you know what we’ve been up to and what we’ll be focusing on for the next 60 days.

We recently updated our website and have switched to a new email system to help us communicate with our members more effectively. We hope you approve. Please reply with comments or feedback.

Thanks for your continued support!

A printable pdf version of this newsletter is available here.

WV-SORO 2017 Legislative Priorities
WV-SORO will again be pushing for legislation to have the property rights of surface owners recognized and respected, to increase their chances of owning some of the minerals under them, and to deal with orphaned wells and other environmental problems. We will also be actively opposing legislation the industry introduces (out of its sense of entitlement) that will harm the interests of surface owners.
Tagged: Abandoned wells, Fence-line monitoring, Land re-union, Orphaned wells, Pollution

Zombie Bills? Bad Bills to Aid Drillers Could Be Back in 2017
Several bad bills that help oil and gas drillers at the expense of West Virginia landowners could be back during the 2017 legislative session. These include efforts to take away citizens ability to bring nuisance suits, give pipeline companies the right to survey people's land without their permission, and one-sided forced pooling bills (AKA joint development).
Tagged: Eminent domain, Nuisance suits, Pipelines, Pooling

In Court: WV-SORO Litigation Update
Here is a brief update on some court cases we've been involved in or monitoring that affect West Virginia surface owners. Because one-third of WV-SORO members also own an interest in their underlying minerals, so we are including updates on cases that affect some mineral owners.
Tagged: Coal bed methane, Eminent domain, Leasing, Minerals-Royalties, Partition suits, Pipelines

Court Approves Drilling Waste Settlement with EPA
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia formally approved a consent decree between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a coalition of community and environmental organizations. which requires the agency to review and, if necessary, revise its rules for the disposal and handling of dangerous and harmful oil and gas wastes, such as those that result from drilling and fracking.
Tagged: Drilling waste, EPA, Fracking, Pollution