The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1955-09-08
Letter to the Editor

have had so many requests for
information on the question of
what the law is. if any, on the drill
ling and production of Natural
Gas. that | have decided to try to
supply the information through the
medium of this statement
There is no law to regulate the
leasing. drilling or production of
Natural Gas. framed two Bills
last Winter with the assistance of
GeologiSt, which were later
changed somewhat in consultation
with the leaders in our Farm
Bureau They were passed through
the Senate but we're killed in the
House of Delegates, through the
influence of the State Geologist,
and the lobbyists from the Gas
Companies. The Gas Companies
and the State Geologist, want only
a law that would put our land own
ers in a straight jacket under their
domination They oppose every
thing that spells out the rules by
law They, in short oppose every
thing that gives the land owner
protection through our Courts or
otherwise
Briefly. the gas companies and
the State GeOlogiSt want law that
will enable the State GeOlOgiSt to
order a land owner to pool his land
into pools of six hundred or more
acres. by edict of the State This.
have opposed, and | have offered
I a law that is similar to the w. Va
- nj Il Npntnptg fhn rio nf
the land owner, yet allows pooling
by voluntary agreement, but with
safeguards to protect the land own
cr from being squeezed into sign
ing a observation-disclosures contract by
keeping the driller at least one
thousand feet from boundary line
until after he has made satisfactory
agreements with the adjoining land
owner. This. the drilling companies
refuse to accept, and they are re-
ceiving the full support of the
State GeologiSt
In the meantime and in the alb
scncc of any law some of the gas
companies have gone after pooling
with a vengeance Here in the Ac-
Cidcn: field the Firm of Snce and
i4DCllN liciNN SuNAN0AAGh IA StiilHS
farmers to sign up as much as
TWELVE HUNDRED ACRES IN
ONE POOL. In some cases. farm
erS have thought it was a law and
that they would be compelled to
sign such an agreement Most of
the people who signed had no idea
of how the contract would work in
the event gas in paving quantities
was found within the pool.
These So-called pooling contracts
are a complete abrogatiOn Of the
standard leases originally signed
by the land owners They have the
effect of tying up all the land
owned by the farmer Indefinitely
and for as long as any gas is being
produced within the pool Under
the terms of these one sided con
tracts il man has Five Hundred
Acres. they can pay him royalty ON
only Fifteen acres which after Gas
is struck, they call IN POOL" and
they can throw out the remaining
Four Hundred Eighty-Five acres.
which they call OUT POOL" Yet.
under this agreement which is
nothing more than a blank check.
signed by the land owner the drill
ling company has this Four Hun
dred Eighty-FiVc acres fastened
down. and the owner cannot lease
il to anybody else Yet he is being
paid royalty on only Fifteen Acres.
our of Five Hundred acres.
The object of this type Of pooling
agreement is plainly to tie up all
the land and shut out competition
Instead of aiding the development
of the field it will slow it down by
shutting out other drillerS, and it
leaves the land owner entirely at
the mercy of the drilling company
who, now will be free to turn his
attention towards catching more
farmers in his net.
believe that hardly any of the
farmers who signed this one-sided
contract knew how it was going to