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Natchez needs drilling ordinance

Published 12:05am Friday, January 18, 2013

Is it the role of the Mississippi Oil and Gas Commission to ensure that every well drilled in the state is drilled at the lowest possible cost, eschewing local ordinances?

If you follow the controversial approval of the second well by the oil and gas commission on the historic Arlington property, the answer is yes.

The logical extension (and business opportunity) of this position is: wells on the bluff, in our parks, along our thoroughfares, in shopping center parking lots and potentially in the front yards of other historic properties.

The denial of the RMB Exploration application by the Natchez Preservation Commission on Feb. 9 simply denied that location and that plan.

The company’s representative, Mike Biglane, readily acknowledged that directional drilling was possible from a different location, but that it would cost more — money he did not want to spend. In my opinion, that cost will be borne by others — the neighboring homeowners and the community at large.

The City of Natchez currently has no ordinance addressing drilling new wells in the city limits.

The planning commission will review a PUD and site plan application for the Arlington well next week. No matter the outcome, RMB Exploration will drill now that he has the state commission approval.

A consultant has been hired to guide the city through the planning ordinance revision process.

The time is ripe to include a well-written and well-conceived ordinance which will have the protections this city deserves and also offers opportunity for drilling.

Drilling ordinances are commonplace in municipal codes. If an ordinance is not included in the revised ordinance, our environment will be shaped by the lowest possible drilling cost and by decision makers in Jackson without accountability to you and me.

I serve on the Natchez Historic Preservation Commission, but these comments represent my personal opinion and not those of the commission.

 

Liz Dantone

Natchez resident

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  • Anonymous

    your right!

  • Anonymous

    Stating ridiculous thoughts, e.g. drilling wells in the middle of parking lots, etc is an indication of the bias you have as a commission member. I believe that any developer/driller, etc. will take reasonable approaches to minimizing impact of their operations, even if it involves spending more money. In the Arlington case, the property is a shambles with nothing being done about it, Biglane has made some concessions at the request of the commission and/or neighbors at this point, thus has shown he is willing to do what seems REASONABLE. You cannot directional drill to this location from outside the city limits, thus there are some limitations on his capability to compromise. Above all, I think you will all eventually have egg on your face when courts rule the mineral rights owner has the ability to exploit his ownership, even at the reasonable impact on the surface rights owners. Neighbors without mineral rights and that are indirectly impacted by esthetics such as noise, back door view of the operation, etc. will come in very low on the totem pole. Reasonable impact does not include not liking the idea.

  • Anonymous

    I’d prefer that too, rivermania, but Ms. Dantone didn’t say no drilling in the city, rather drilling only where local ordinance and zoning will allow it. Therefore the need for the drilling ordinance. This is not an extreme position, just one that says that this is a community, not a free-for-all. Protecting our golden egg, i.e. tourism, means preserving our historic city center and landmark properties while allowing responsible enterprise to develop. To have a board of people sitting a hundred miles away, overriding local authorities will lead to wells being drilled willy-nilly no matter what we residents think about it.

  • http://www.natchezdemocrat.com khakirat

    OLSG said it well but the city does have ordinances but you can’t stop the mineral rights owners! All said and done want it be something if we get the looks of Oklahoma city where you have to walk thru a pumping well to get into the bank that is enclosed! Furthermore , RMB exploration has all rights to sue the city and whom ever that has blocked him from drilling for its has cost them a lot of money for the delays! Again, wells are all around the inside city limits in the past 30 years that are close to antebellum houses and the city goverment sure likes the money from them huh’??!!

  • Anonymous

    If the local governing boards cannot control/mandate thier own laws…then, the Supreme Court should! Not the Oil and Gas board!!!

  • http://www.natchezdemocrat.com khakirat

    Bring it on for then the supreme court will break up some of the mess the histerical people do to the common folks and also maybe they will get the histerical folks to pay their fair share of property tax as the rest of us in Adams county would be a blessing!!

  • Anonymous

    You are right and we need to somehow win this over the oil & gas decision. What can be done..? How do
    we protect the city at this point. Changing local ordinance could take too long in this case?

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