Oil company surface use: Do farmers need protection
- Holland & Hart, Denver, CO (United States)
- Univ. of Denver College of Law, CO (United States)
Weld County, a large, rural county in northeastern Colorado, experienced a surge in natural gas exploration and production during the last few years, and led the United States in drilling activity in 1993. Much of Weld County consists of highly productive irrigated cropland where farmers produce onion, carrots, and other surface-intensive crops and the loss of even a small amount of land to oil and gas operations is keenly felt. Not surprisingly, the surge in drilling has led to increased complaints by the agricultural community and has fueled surface owner efforts to gain more control over, and compensation for, oil and gas operations on their land. Oil and gas drilling is not new to Weld County. Oil was first discovered in the Denver-Julesberg basin in 1949. The Wattenberg gas field, located in Weld, Adams, and Boulder Counties, was discovered in 1970. Much of the Wattenberg acreage was leased years ago, and continues to be held by production from wells drilled during the 1970s and 1980s. A federal tax credit for wells drilled prior to January 1, 1993, in {open_quotes}tight sand{close_quotes} formations, combined with a high success ratio, led to the drilling of new wells at a frenzied pace. Wells in the Wattenberg field have been sufficiently profitable that drilling has continued after expiration of the tax credit.
- OSTI ID:
- 198245
- Journal Information:
- Natural Resources and Environment, Vol. 9, Issue 3; Other Information: PBD: Win 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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