Leasing Your Mineral Rights?

July 19, 2011, 6:30-8:30 pm
Agriculture Building Auditorium, Pittsboro, NC

Thinking About Leasing Your Mineral Rights?

With the arrival of natural gas leases in Chatham County, landowners should acquaint themselves with how to critically assess mineral rights contracts and understand the potential impacts of drilling on agricultural fields, water resources, timber, and personal property. Topics of discussion will include negotiating a fair mineral rights lease, potential impacts on land resources, and limiting landowner financial liabilities in contracts. The Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension in conjunction with Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI-USA) will be conducting a program to help answer landowners’ questions about these issues.

Dr. Ted Feitshans, attorney and an Extension Specialist in the Agricultural and Resource Economics Department at NC State University, will lead a presentation on how landowners can evaluate leases offered to them by drilling companies and determine the status of ownership of the mineral rights on their land. Dr. Feitshans is one of the few mineral rights experts in North Carolina, with extensive experience in environmental and agricultural law. Representatives from RAFI-USA, a farmer advocacy non-profit organization based in Pittsboro, will be present to help landowners with additional resources on natural gas extraction and information on legal supports available to landowners interested in signing a mineral rights lease. Following the presentations there will be a question and answer session for program participants.

This program will run from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday July 19, 2011 in the Auditorium of the Chatham County Agriculture building in Pittsboro, NC. For additional information you may contact the Chatham County Center of NC Cooperative Extension at 919-542-8202 or by e-mail at extension.programs@chathamnc.org.

North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, or veteran’s status. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.

Persons with disabilities and persons with limited English proficiency may request accommodations to participate by contacting Sam Groce, County Extension Director at 919.542.8202 or sam_groce@ncsu.edu or in person at the County Extension Office at least 5 days prior to the event.

Samuel E. Groce
County Extension Director
Administration, Community & Rural Development, Livestock & Forages
Chatham County Center, NC Cooperative Extension
North Carolina State University
Post Office Box 279  Pittsboro, NC 27312
Office 919-542-8202, Mobile 919-548-2220
webpage: http://chatham.ces.ncsu.edu/
e-mail: sam_groce@ncsu.edu

"Gasland", Sunrise Theatre, June 15, more on Fracking in Moore Co.

Save Our Sandhills will be the primary sponsor for the showing of the dramatic documentary film "Gasland" at the Sunrise Theater in Southern Pines on Wednesday, June 15, at 7:00PM. This film deals with the potential dangers of hydraulic fracturing, a controversial method of drilling for natural gas. Other sponsors will be Sustainable Sandhills and the Sandhills Area Land Trust.


As most of you know by now, there is a natural gas drilling boom sweeping across the United States, and it is about to reach Lee County and northern Moore County. Geologists believe that there is a major subbasin of natural gas that extends from Granville County above Durham southward through the Sanford area and into Moore County to the vicinity of Carthage.

Energy companies want to use a highly controversial method of drilling to extract this gas, which is known as hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." Fracking involves vertical as well as horizontal drilling and the pumping of huge amounts of water and chemicals into the shale rock to break up the rock and release the natural gas. Horizontal drilling is currently illegal in North Carolina, but two bills currently being considered in the General Assembly would make it legitimate.
As noted above, Save Our Sandhills will be the primary sponsor for the showing of the nationally acclaimed film "Gasland" at the Sunrise Theater on Wednesday, June 15, at 7:00PM. Admission is $7.00. This was an Oscar nominated documentary and a prize winner at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. This film exposes in a dramatic fashion the potential dangers of fracking to the environment and expecially to groundwater. The film itself, with dramatic footage of tap water being ignited with a match, is highly controversial and we will try to have panelists who will provide a balanced view of the issues raised by the film.

Copenhagen Via Democracynow

Indigenous Peoples of Canada March on Canadian Embassy in Copenhagen to Protest Tar Sands

Canada is the largest supplier of oil to the United States, and most of it comes from the Alberta tar sands. Described as the world's biggest single industrial source of carbon emissions, the tar sands have drawn widespread protest and civil disobedience from environmentalists. On Tuesday, as climate delegates met across town at the Bella Center, a protest led by indigenous peoples of Canada was held outside the Canadian embassy. Democracy Now!'s John Hamilton files a report.

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/12/15/indigenous_peoples_of_canada_march_on

Cap & Trade: A Critical Look at Carbon Trading

Will the expansion of carbon emissions trading help stop global warming or just create a new market for Wall Street to make billions? We air excerpts of Annie Leonard's The Story of Cap and Trade and speak with Larry Lohmann and Frank Ackerman.

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/12/15/cap_trade_a_critical_look_at

It's a Gas

China head opens Kazakh pipeline

China's President Hu unveils the Kazakh section of a 7,000km (4,300 miles) natural gas pipeline joining Central Asia to China.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/8410369.stm

Beauty and Destruction in Peru, Hewson

ADAM CAVE FINE ART
115-1/2 East Hargett Street, 2nd Floor - Raleigh, NC 27601 - (919) 838-6692
The Peruvian Amazon: Beauty and Destruction

Wednesday, February 25th, 6:30 pm

Take this uncommon opportunity to travel with North Carolina artist David Hewson, far from his Sandhill’s roots, into the remote jungles and villages of Peru. Learn about an obscure but important part of the world and what is happening there in 2009.

The artist has been bearing witness to gross environmental contamination resulting from oil drilling in the jungle; abuses by multi-national corporations that have gone under-reported world-wide.

David will give a slide presentation on his past two years living in Iquitos on the banks of the Amazon; a place where mythological spirits are still part of daily life. Indian legends, shamanistic healing and ancient plant medicines are the inspiration for David's recent artwork now on display in the gallery.

Please RSVP. Seating for this event is limited.

Mud Eruption From Drilling

Mud eruption 'caused by drilling'
Leading geologists from around the world decide that a mud volcano disaster in Indonesia was triggered by oil and gas exploration.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/science/nature/7699672.stm

State of Emergency--Peru

[from Democracynow.org]
Peru Declares State of Emergency Following Indigenous Protests

Peru’s government has declared a state of emergency in three northern provinces following nine days of protests by indigenous groups in the Amazon basin. Members of sixty-five Indian tribes are protesting a law that would make it easier for communal land to be sold to developers. The protests began when the Indians blocked an important natural gas installation and oil pipeline. Peru’s Environment Minister Antonio Brack condemned the protests.

Antonio Brack: “The indigenous groups have occupied the Corral Quemado bridge, closed the marginal motorway and threatened to shut off the oil and gas pipelines in Camisea, and the Peruvian state can’t allow this to happen.”

But indigenous activists vowed to keep fighting to protect their land.

Indigenous activist: “We conserve the environment. We are not ignorant. We are prepared. We know that foreigners want to buy our Amazon lands, because they know they are the world’s lungs. We will not allow this. We will die fighting for our rights.”

Oil, Alaska

Alaska oil exploration to begin
The US offers rights for oil and gas in an area of north-western Alaska renowned for its wildlife.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/7169144.stm

It's the Petrol

Chavez sets May oil takeover date
Venezuela's President Chavez says he wants the state to take over oil projects on the Orinoco Belt by May.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/6322721.stm