Reportedly an oil company based in Texas is trying to use Pennsylvania "forced pooling law" to permit fracking or other oil drilling under the land of Pennsylvanians who refuse to sign the Texas company's oil and gas drilling lease. "Law May Force Drilling on Balking Landowners" p. A11, col. 1 (Associated Press Copyrighted story published in New York Times Nat'l ed., Monday March 31, 2014).
One of the publicly stated purposes of forced pooling laws is apparently to limit the number of "unsightly drilling rigs on the surface" by allowing oil companies to drill even where a landowner refuses the companies permission to drill. See id.
A question rises to the surface here: Is property damage if any which may be caused by the unwanted drilling, going to be covered under Homeowner's standard "all risks" policies?
Or will there be some sort of Exclusion for acts of government?
And, if it is true as the Texas-based oil company says, see id., that it has already obtained leases from 99% of the property owners in that Pennsylvania locale, then why in heaven's name does it need to drill under the land of the remaining 1%?
And, if one of the leasing landowners who reportedly owns a 200-acre golf course received half-a-million dollars "plus 18 percent royalties on future production," id., then instead of reportedly being upset with Pennsylvania landowners --"I don't understand how people that own four acres of ground can hold up such a big thing"-- try being upset instead either with the outside agitators that are going to put the oil derricks there --
or try living with a half-a-million dollars and 18% oil royalties on account of the oil rigs that the golfers will be looking at.
© 2014 by Dennis J. Wall. All rights reserved. No claim to original U.S. Government works.