State sanctioned theft of mineral rights?
Is a proposed rule change by the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) going to allow state sanctioned theft of property owners mineral rights?
Sen. Wendy Davis (D Fort Worth) is asking the Texas Railroad Commission to hold two town hall meetings, including one in Fort Worth, to discuss her concerns that owners of mineral rights in the 24-county Barnett Shale are getting short shrift in proposed rule changes dealing with forced pooling as well as a proliferation of related exceptions the RRC has been granting to two provisions – Rule 37 and the No Perforation Zone permits — both of which were intended to protect property owners from having their mineral rights drained without their permission.
Davis wrote a letter to Commissioners Elizabeth Ames Jones, Michael Williams and David Porter on March 22nd stating, “Very few Texas citizens are aware of these issues or their potential impacts . . . I believe it is your duty to educate the public on these issues and to extend the comment period to adequately include input from the public on these critical issues.”