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Recent posts
- Beartooth landowners victorious in lawsuit against Stillwater County
- PLEASE NOTE: Change in Zoom access code for today’s hearing
- Action alert: Watch court hearing on Zoom, Thursday, 2:00 pm
- Action alert: Stillwater County Planning Board meeting, Wed, 9/4, 7pm
- Must attend! Stillwater County Planning Board: Wednesday, August 7, 7pm
Blog Archives
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Tag Archives: Montana Board of Oil and Gas
Action Alert: Prevent the Montana Senate from taking landowner rights
A bill currently being considered in the Montana State Senate significantly reduces landowner rights in protecting property from damage from oil drilling on or near occupied buildings. SB93, currently before the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee, would reduce notification requirements approved last year by the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation (BOGC). Those regulations require oil and gas operators to notify owners of “occupied structures” within a quarter mile of a well before drilling.
The BOGC rule, passed last December, was the result of a 20-month process involving Montana environmental groups, with input from the Montana Petroleum Association. The process grew out of the Legislature’s rejection in the 2015 session of SB177, which would have established a 1000 foot minimum buffer zone, or setback, between wellheads and a home, water well, or surface water. The bill did not make it out of committee.
Following the failure of the bill, Northern Plains Resource Council and others petitioned the BOGC to establish minimum setbacks to protect landowners. After 20 months of hearings, testimony by landowners, and committee meetings, the BOGC passed its new rule last December. The rule requires notification in advance of drilling to any landowner within a quarter mile of a wellhead.
To find out what you can do to keep this bill from passing, follow the link. Continue reading
Guest Post: Why Silvertip landowners filed suit against the Carbon County Commissioners
by Bonnie Martinell I am one of a group of Belfry landowners who recently filed suit against the Carbon County Commissioners to vindicate our right to protect our property, health, and livelihoods through local action. On February 13, seven landowners … Continue reading
Posted in Community Organization, Politics and History
Tagged Billings Gazette, Bonnie Martinell, Carbon County Commissioners, Carbon County Growth Plan, citizen initiated zoning, clean and healthful environment, Energy Corporation of America, Montana Board of Oil and Gas, Montana legislature, Northern Plains Resource Council, Silvertip zone
4 Comments
Denton, Texas lawsuit: lessons for the Beartooth Front
You’ll recall that the voters of Denton, Texas passed a fracking ban on election day. The 59-41 victory was remarkable because it made Denton the first city in the largest oil and gas producing state in the country to pass … Continue reading
Video: Public meeting at Belfry School, September 17
Today we have video and commentary on a public meeting that the Carbon County Commissioners held at Belfry School on Wednesday evening, September 17. The Commissioners scheduled the meeting to provide more community members with an opportunity to discuss oil … Continue reading
Repost: A visit to the front in the war against rural America
Last week I took advantage of the beautiful Montana spring weather to drive over to Belfry. There I could see for myself the site of the well recently permitted by the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation (BOGC). It … Continue reading
Posted in Community Organization, Politics and History
Tagged Bakken, Beartooth Mountains, Belfry, Bridger, Carbon County, Carbon County Research Council, ECA, ECA safety record, energy, Energy Corporation of America, ExxonMobil, Fracking, groundwater contamination, John Mork, Lawsuit, Montana Board of Oil and Gas, Montana Declaration of Rights, Northern Plains Resource Council, production foreman, Senator Tester, skiing, split estate, water, well permits, western meadowlark
2 Comments
A visit to the front in the war against rural America
Last week I took advantage of the beautiful Montana spring weather to drive over to Belfry. There I could see for myself the site of the well recently permitted by the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation (BOGC). It … Continue reading
Posted in Community Organization, Politics and History, Fracking Information
Tagged Bakken, Beartooth Mountains, Belfry, Bridger, Carbon County, Carbon County Research Council, ECA, ECA safety record, energy, Energy Corporation of America, ExxonMobil, Fracking, groundwater contamination, John Mork, Lawsuit, Montana Board of Oil and Gas, Montana Declaration of Rights, Northern Plains Resource Council, production foreman, Senator Tester, skiing, split estate, water, well permits, western meadowlark
11 Comments
The deck is stacked against property owners who seek compensation for damages done by oil and gas drilling
Today is the last in a three-part series that’s looked at how increased oil and gas drilling will take away property rights in Stillwater and Carbon counties. On Wednesday we looked at the negative impact drilling has on property values, … Continue reading
Ravalli Republic Letter to the Editor: Reform the Board of Oil and Gas
The following Letter to the Editor appeared in the online editon of the Ravalli Republic (Hamilton, Montana) on March 30, 2014: The Red Lodge area has been described as the gateway to Yellowstone National Park, nestled in the beautiful Beartooth Mountains. … Continue reading
Letter to the Editor: Bonnie Martinell
If you read this blog, by now you are aware that the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation (BOGC) approved the permit allowing Energy Corporation of America (ECA) to drill near Belfry. If you haven’t seen it, the Billings … Continue reading
Preserve the Beartooth Front 