The production of oil and gas, as well as the revenue stream it generates, is highly regulated by the State Governments where the drilling takes place, or Federal Agencies if drilling takes place on Federal Land. Every well in the United States is assigned an API number or American Petroleum Institute number similar to a VIN # on an automobile, every well in the United States is assigned an API number for regulation and accountability.
The reason for this high intensity of regulation is that the State Governments or the Federal Government receives its portion of taxes in the form of Ad Valorem Tax or Severance Tax, meaning property tax and school tax. So, it is highly unlikely that a drilling operator will jeopardize its relationship with the State Governments or Federal Government who grants the drilling permit to the operator to drill on a particular property. So, the safeguard that you have is that your royalty checks or revenue stream have the oversight of the local or federal governments.