Feds want to stop notifying landowners about drilling under their land

The Bureau of Land Management is looking to limit the input private landowners have over drilling under their property. Currently, if the BLM owns the mineral rights underneath private property, the bureau is required to notify the owners of proposed drilling and give the public 90 days to comment on any leasing of rights to outside companies. But a recent proposal would eliminate the landowner notification requirement and reduce public comment time to 10 days, reports County 17.

The BLM proposed the change on June 24 on the Federal Register and solicited public comments through Aug. 24. The rule would apply to oil and gas drilling, as well as drilling for other subterranean natural resources.

Some ranchers who own “split estates” — where ranchers own the grass, soil and buildings on their land and another party (like the BLM) owns the mineral rights —- are concerned about being unable to influence drilling operations, reports County 17. Joe Ratkin, a rancher in Wyoming, told the outlet that ditches from developers trying to build pipelines stranded his cattle during a blizzard, and abandoned oil wells have caused bovine health issues. 

In a separate proposal, the BLM also proposed reducing the minimum bonds companies are required to pay if drilling is abandoned without environmental cleanup.