WV State Capitol, Charleston

WV Surface Owners’ Rights Organization

Surface Owners’ News – Winter 2017

Dear SORO Members and Friends,

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.

The annual Sixty Day Legislative Session starts today (February 8^th) and ends on Saturday, April 8^th and usually goes on to midnight on that date.

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!  Julie Archer, SORO, Charleston, WV

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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

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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

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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

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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: Drillilng waste, EPA, Fracking, Pollution

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West Virginia Surface Owners’ Rights Organization

1500 Dixie Street, Charleston, West Virginia 25311
View Newsletter Online 304-346-5891 Join WV SORO