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Permalink Reply by bo boboski on August 21, 2017 at 9:40am

Better yet, vote the present State  powers that be,OUT!

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Permalink Reply by Becky on August 22, 2017 at 9:37am

The Ohio Senate voted today to table this issue pending further consideration.  There were four other veto items that were tabled under one motion.  Following the motion to table, there was discussion that the Governor and the Senate President are having conversation on all of the items and that it appears as though progress on these issues is being made.  One of the members mentioned that September 6th will be the next date to review this. 

Although no override vote was taken, this is still not over yet!  NARO Appalachia is working to free up those private parcels for exploration and production.  Keep up those phone calls and inquiries.  No one should lose the ability to produce their private assets simply because the State of Ohio is their neighbor.

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Permalink Reply by Tusc-county-man on August 23, 2017 at 1:22am

I wonder....

I suspect much of the state lands ( roads for sure) were probably "taken" from land owners in the first place as eminent domain.

If that is the case......the minerals IMHO, should not have transfered......the State stole them!

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Permalink Reply by Becky on August 23, 2017 at 2:00am

One of the functions of the commission would be to determine ownership of the minerals. 

In the case of the Wayne, the Bureau of Land Management found that nearly 60% of the minerals underlying those federal parcels were privately owned. 

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Permalink Reply by Becky on August 28, 2017 at 6:30am

https://energyindepth.org/ohio/ohio-mineral-owners-win-huge-six-yea...

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Permalink Reply by Becky on September 16, 2017 at 1:38am

I am being told that the delay in filling the commission seats is related to work on Ohio Administrative Code and that this is a necessary step ahead of making these appointments.  I was also told that Governor controlled Office of Boards and Commissions claimed that this is not a purposeful delay, only a perceived delay.  Forgive my sarcasm in pointing out that the Governor was to have filled those seats back in 2011!

Private citizens should not be prevented from developing their assets simply because the State of Ohio is their neighbor.

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Permalink Reply by Becky on October 13, 2017 at 12:00pm

The first appointment to the Ohio Oil and Gas Leasing Commission was made by Governor Kasich this week.  It has taken 6 long years to fill these seats.  While all of the positions have not yet been filled, it does look as though some progress is being made.  Hopefully mineral owners who live near state owned lands will not continue to be locked out of exploration and production much longer.  NARO Appalachia continues to be a strong advocate for those mineral owners and will remain vigilant on this throughout the rest of this process.

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Permalink Reply by bo boboski on October 13, 2017 at 11:40pm

We live near SaltFork State park,AND close to I-77 and I-70 .There is a lot of drilling going on,but drillers are stuck poking their wellbores in the opposite direction of Salt Fork Park and the interstates. Most well pads do not have wells going both directions.It may be good for them in the future,if the State of Ohio ever wants to cash in on their mineral rights,and those of us stuck in these locations!,The pads will be there,so it"ll be cost effective. The whole problem may be with the fact that the State used the eminent Domain rule to take the surface rights away from the landowners involved when they built the Interstates and the park. You are looking at 20,000 acres in the Park alone,maybe an equal amount on the roads.The original landowners may think they still are entitled to their mineral rights? Drillers have tried force pooling the State, but never seen any results. Hope they figure it out soon.

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Permalink Reply by Becky on October 14, 2017 at 6:36am

Hopefully, having a quorum on the Ohio Oil and Gas Leasing Commission will allow for mineral leasing without the need for force pooling.  This impacts MANY mineral owners when you factor in the interstates, the non-interstate state roads, and all of the other state owned lands.  Every mineral owner adjacent to any of those properties is being held up in some way related to this issue. 

Monroe County Commissioner, Mick Schumacher, brought this to NARO Appalachia's attention when several of his constituents started questioning whether the State lands were preventing them from exploration and production.  After much research at many different levels, a small working group was established, and with the incredible support of Representative Andy Thompson we were able to have the voices of those affected mineral owners be heard. 

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Permalink Reply by Becky on October 14, 2017 at 6:57am

The last I heard, and it has been a while ago, the real estate division was working through the process of determining mineral ownership under the ODOT owned lands.  I do know that in a few areas where private mineral ownership has been establish under state surface, that E&P has been permitted/completed without surface disruption to the State lands.  Fernwood State Park in Jefferson County is an example of this. 

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Permalink Reply by Becky on December 19, 2017 at 3:44pm

Governor Kasich, after 6 years, has finally made the appointments to the oil and gas leasing commission!

http://governor.ohio.gov/Media-Room/Press-Releases/ArticleId/814/ka...

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