Videos from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s March 13, 2014 forum about conservation easements and oil and gas production are now accessible through VOF’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/vofonline.
The approximately 4.5-hour forum has been divided into three segments, featuring each of the three main presenters: Michael Ward of the Virginia Petroleum Council, Kate Wofford of the Shenandoah Valley Network, and Reneé Carey of the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy.
The third segment includes nearly 1.5 hours of public comments and questions regarding VOF’s policies that allow some donors of conservation easements to retain limited mineral rights that open the door to potential subsurface oil and gas drilling on the properties.
Additional resources related to this issue can be found below. Anyone who wishes to comment on VOF’s policies regarding retained mineral rights on easements may submit comments to Jason McGarvey, communications and outreach manager, at jmcgarvey@vofonline.org.
Resources
Forum Panelist Presentations (PDF)
- [wpfilebase tag=fileurl id=136 linktext=’Michael Ward Presentation’ /]
- [wpfilebase tag=fileurl id=138 linktext=’Kate Wofford Presentation’ /]
- [wpfilebase tag=fileurl id=140 linktext=’Renee Carey Presentation’ /]
Articles & Action Alerts
- Action Alert: Fracking and Conservation Easements — Not a Good Fit (Piedmont Environmental Council, October 2013)
- Fracking May Occur on Protected Lands (The Free Lance-Star – 10/22/2013)
- Agency Policy Could Allow Fracking on Protected Land (The Virginian-Pilot – 10/24/2013)
- Va. Agency to Reconsider Policy on “Fracking” in Wells (The Virginian-Pilot – 10/25/2013)
- VOF Places Moratorium on Conservation Easements That Allow Fracking (The Free Lance-Star – 10/29/2013)
- Action Alert: Thank VOF for reconsidering their policy on fracking (Piedmont Environmental Council, October 2013)
- “Fracking” on Conserved Land (Piedmont Environmental Council, Winter 2013)
- Editorial: Conservation, Not Fracking (The Virginian-Pilot – 1/27/2014)
- Response to editorial: Protecting, Not Harming, the Land (The Virginian-Pilot – 2/3/2014)
- VOF Hosts Forum on Oil, Gas Policy (The Free Lance-Star – 2/15/2014)
- Action Alert: Fracking and Conservation Easements — Part 2 (Piedmont Environmental Council, March 2014)
- Land Trust May Change Policy on Gas Drilling (The Free Lance-Star – 3/13/2014)
Policies
- [wpfilebase tag=fileurl id=137 linktext=’VOF Provision for Easements Retaining Mineral Rights’ /]
- US Tax Code § 1.170A-14(g)(4) — Retention of qualified mineral interest on qualified conservation contributions
Background on Oil & Gas Rights in Easements
- [wpfilebase tag=fileurl id=135 linktext=’Land Trust Alliance — Practical Pointers Series: Gas Exploration, Extraction and Conservation’ /]
- [wpfilebase tag=fileurl id=141 linktext=’Land Trust Alliance — Problem Solving for Oil and Gas Activities in Conservation Easements’ /]
- [wpfilebase tag=fileurl id=139 linktext=’Land Trust Alliance — Oil and Gas, and Fracking (??!!), CAN work with Conservation Easements – Sometimes’ /]
