So, You think you own your land...

[JazzDad]

And you can keep others off of it?
Not in Texas!
Try fighting an oil or gas exploration company.
A group of our neighbors have banded together in an attempt to mitigate the damages and inconvenience caused by their work in our area. See website: Oakridge Ranch Environmental Organization - ORREO Look at the FAQ page.
Well, they arrived. My wife left the house at 5 PM to visit her sister. She got home at 7 and found they went through our place. They chopped a 4 foot wide swath through the brush, tossing the debris as they went, tied surveyor's flagging all over, spray painted points, and left garbage. It was as if they were waiting for her to leave. They told us they would call before they came onto our property. Just another of their many lies! I guess we were lucky; others had it worse, including shot holes. And this is just the first stage. Let's hope they don't find any minerals.
So, who gives these companies the authority to cut fences (and let livestock out), take water from your pond, chop down trees, and not put back anything that is not "normal" to their operations? The State of Texas. So, I'm through with my rant. Fellow Texans: can we change our laws?

[Kendall69]

Trust no one, and watch out for thr black helicoptors.

[JazzDad]

One would think it was a black helicopter or grassy knoll conspiracy story. I wish my tale was fiction.

[RoyJackson]

Have you contacted your local representatives yet?

[JazzDad]

I have. Texas law allows this and MORE.
If they drill for oil, they can set up temporary housing on your land, build roads, take your ground water, etc. I wonder how many people know of this. And we thought extra-territorial jurisdiction was bad.

[Toiyabe]

So, you don't own the energy/mineral rights, correct? Your realtor should have explained the potential consequences of that to you before you bought.

The oil/gas company bought those rights from a previous owner. If you get the government to take those rights away without just compensation, how is that better than taking someone's land without just compensation?

[shaley]

I don't think he wants to take their rights away to the minerals. He just wants to be compensated for the impossition. If the mineral company wants to set up six miles away on their lands and direction drill to the deposit let them. If they want to sit on JazzDad's land they can pay him.
I'd say about $5000.00 per square inch ought to about cover it.

[schmism]

i was picky about this when i bought my property in IL knowing that IL = the worlds largest coal reserve.

i dont want to find out that in 10 years someone is digging up my front yard for the coal that lies 100' below it (or whatever)

[dooleysm]

Maybe the mineral company should be charging him for putting his house in the way of them getting at their property?

I don't see where JazzDad says that he doesn't own the mineral rights to his land, but it sure seems that way.

I feel bad for him if that's the situation he's in, but it's hard for me to get too upset about it if he went in to the purchase of the land knowing that he didn't own the mineral rights. If he wasn't made aware of this or was tricked in some way, then sure, go after them, don't let them step on your rights.

As an uninvolved spectator it's much easier to see both view points than if someone's driving through your land looking for oil or whatever.

[RonMar]

I would think that they would have the rights to access their mineral rights, an easement of sorts. But I would also think that they would be required to do it in the least intrusive way possible to topside property and compensate for damages. Their actions just don't sound right...