Why did Wyoming need a Surface Owner Accommodation law?
There was no law to ensure a private landowner the right to negotiate and receive compensation for the economic loss caused to his private property by oil and gas operations on split estate lands. Given the pace of development in Wyoming today, and the fact that gas wells may be drilled on every 10 or 20 acres of land, the potential impacts to surface lands are monumental. It was critical for landowners to be given legal ability to minimize these damages and receive fair compensation for them. 2. What is a ballot initiative? A ballot initiative is an alternative means of creating law. Wyoming Statute 22-24-101 states, “The people may propose and enact laws by the initiative”. In order to provide the people of Wyoming the opportunity to directly vote on a piece of legislation, 15% of Wyomings registered voters in 2/3rds of the counties must sign a petition in support of placing a certain legislative proposal directly on a statewide ballot. 3. Why was a ballot initiative necessary to fin
