Pennsylvania Gets a Mineral Rights Review Board

New state law to help settle land use disputes.

Compiled by staff

Published: Feb 4, 2010

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell has signed into law the creation of a Coal Bed Methane Review Board. The objective is to resolve disputes between landowners and companies that own subsurface rights to oil, gas and coal.

Farmers who own surface rights on properties often run into issues with companies that own subsurface rights to oil, gas and coal, explains Pennsylvania Farm Bureau President Carl Shaffer. "Creation of this new board will help resolve common problems, like determining the location of coal bed methane wells on the property and the location of access roads."

The legislation establishes a three-member Coal Bed Methane Review Board. Board appointments will be made by the governor, based on lists separately submitted by Pennsylvania Farm Bureau; the oil, coal and gas associations; and by the deans of Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.

Numerous disputes have occurred over the years regarding well locations and access. Farmers have been especially upset when these projects have resulted in the loss of productive farmland, when other alternatives on the farm were available. These issues are expected to proliferate with the natural gas boom now occurring across much of the Keystone State.

"We're confident that the review board will provide a positive environment to resolve disputes between surface landowners and subsurface coal bed methane interests," says Shaffer. "The process also will help farmers, other landowners and energy companies avoid entering into expensive and time-consuming legal battles."