Comments on: In North Carolina, fracking rights rise to surface

By: Stopthefrack

Stopthefrack — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 17:10:14 +0000

Ray Covington is involved with NC Oil and Gas. Please read this page to see the conflict of interest. On this page, the goals are stated, “We want this land drilled.” and “We want it drilled in a certain time frame.”

It was a ‘mistake’ vote (supposedly) by one official that allowed fracking to be pushed onto NC. Since our representatives are not in tune with the landowners, at the very least we should bring this issue to a vote in a general election.

By: JL4

JL4 — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 20:35:15 +0000

This is just wrong, and on so many levels. Good luck to the residents because they’re going to need it.

By: borisjimbo

borisjimbo — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 04:53:27 +0000

They want their government to protect them. How quaint.

By: mb56

mb56 — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 04:36:29 +0000

““If I didn’t know better, I’d say I was living in some place other than the United States,” Vince said.”
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No… this is exactly what the Untied States are rapidly becoming: The United States of (Corporate) America…

By: From_California

From_California — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 23:30:39 +0000

Coverage of this issue — which is certain to become much more important than it has been for the past few decades — always misses a basic issue. Almost every state in the U.S. imposes state taxes (usually called severance taxes) on oil and gas production, and in some states such taxes are very significant sources of state revenue. Thus optimal production of oil and gas from existing reservoirs is an interest of the state (and its taxpayers), and not just the private landowners involved. Note that I’m not talking about wells drilled on state-owned lands, but a state tax imposed on production from private lands. In effect, the state has an effective ownership interest in all oil and gas production in the state, even on private lands. Laws that effectively compel private landowners to cooperate in operations that involve multiple adjoining surfacing lands over a common reservoir are not entirely a private dispute. We can’t talk intelligently about these important issues — which definitely can involve potential invasions of property rights — without understanding state revenue interests involved.

By: americanguy

americanguy — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 23:08:17 +0000

Does anyone need any further proof that the wealthy and the oil companies own us like masters own slaves?
They own Congress and State Legistatures.
Bribe money buys a lot.
Democracy?
That’s a laugh.
We are a dictatorship, the wealthy are the dictators.

By: forzapista

forzapista — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 22:22:58 +0000

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say I was living in some place other than the United States,” Vince said.
Unfortunately Mr Rhea, you are living in some place other than the United Stated. The USA is gone and what we have in it’s place is only a shell of a once great country.

By: DifferentOne

DifferentOne — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 22:01:42 +0000

Drilling companies should be required to offer to buy any property they plan to drill under, and should be required to pay 110% of market value, plus the owners’ moving costs.

Of course, if they don’t wreck the property, they should be able to sell it after they finish drilling, and recover much or all of their investment.

By: palmer1619

palmer1619 — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 21:16:31 +0000

I wonder if any of these people give any thought to whom they vote for. There appears to be a great deal of collusion between the legislature, the planners, and those who plan to rape the land.

By: ecoterica

ecoterica — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:07:22 +0000

Thank you for a wonderful article , Lee county is the smallest county of 100 in NC . We are scared it will ruin our lovely state and future for the children.