Nick Riolo didn’t want gas drilling beneath his property in the Madison County town of Lebanon, but he had no choice. Under what the law calls compulsory integration, a gas company can drill under land without permission of the owners if enough of their neighbors have already leased their property to the company. “There’s nothing you can do to...
View full sizeNick Riolo stands by his truck next to a drilling field behind his property in Lebanon. "There's nothing you can do to stop it," said Riolo, who was forced to have two 5-acre parcels integrated into the drilling area. He gets about $350 a month in royalties from the gas company. Nick Riolo didn’t want gas drilling beneath his property in the Madison County town of Lebanon, but he had no choice.
Under what the law calls compulsory integration, a gas company can drill under land without permission of the owners if enough of their neighbors have already leased their property to the company.
“There’s nothing you can do to stop it,” said Riolo, who had about 7 acres integrated into a drilling area. “I called a lawyer and he said, ‘You don’t really have a choice.’ ”
The story prompted a lot of discussion among readers. Here's what zenartist2 had to say:
"The drilling companies are in a big hurry to start drilling in NYS and elsewhere. Why is that? The natural gas isn't going anywhere. Maybe its because people are becoming aware of the hazards of fracking and its only a matter of time before their regulation free days are over. People are catching on and seeing the damage and pollution that can result. There are movements to repeal their exemptions from clean water and air acts . Their greed is their main motivator it seems."
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