In West Virginia, a single mineral tract could have hundreds of separate owners, or cotenants. Current state statutes prevent development of a mineral tract unless ALL owners (100%) of the property agree to the proposed development; any one owner, no matter how small an interest it has, can prevent a well from being drilled.
IOGAWV and like-minded stakeholders are proposing cotenancy statutes that provide rights for, and protect the interests of, the non-consenting or non-locatable minority owners, while permitting the majority owners to develop the oil and natural gas. Passage of a co-tenancy statute will result in more wells and longer horizontal laterals being drilled, less surface disturbance as more and longer wells can be drilled from the same pad, increased revenue for the state from severance and property taxes, more royalty paid and the creation of additional jobs.
