Cooperative Management of Mineral Rights Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, since first being elected to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District, I have had the honor to represent both the Allegheny National Forest and Pennsylvania's historic Oil Region, where the commercial oil industry began in 1859. This region of north central Pennsylvania was built on our natural resources, and this legacy remains a deep part of our heritage.

The Oil Region designation came about because of the city of Titusville, which has been aptly nicknamed ``the valley that changed the world.'' It was there in 1859 that Colonel Edwin Drake drilled the world's first commercial oil well, which set the wheels in motion for the worldwide commercial use of petroleum. Some 60 years following Colonel Drake's historic well, the Allegheny National Forest was created in nearby Warren, Elk, Forest, and McKean Counties.

Like so many areas of the West, this national forest is intrinsically connected to the prosperity of our communities. A mixed use of oil and gas production, timbering, hardwood research, recreation, and tourism make the Allegheny National Forest unique to the East Coast and truly a treasure for the mid-Atlantic region.

In the Allegheny, more than 90 percent of the mineral rights are owned by the private sector. With the long history in oil and gas development in the region, private landowners had the foresight to reserve their mineral rights when the Federal Government acquired these surface lands.

You see, Mr. Speaker, there is not a national government-run oil company. There has long been an understanding in our great country that, when it comes to resources, and specifically energy development, the private sector does it better. For generations, this arrangement successfully operated with oil and gas development taking place in the Allegheny National Forest.

Unfortunately, over the past decade, some opponents of production made attempts to mandate new regulations or limit access to the private mineral rights through numerous lawsuits. After years of litigation, a Federal court rightfully ruled in favor of the private landowners maintaining reasonable access to their property.

Federal courts have consistently ruled that the United States Forest Service lacks regulatory authority over these private mineral rights. Similar rulings and new regulations that would seek to limit production have also been issued.

Today, I am introducing the Cooperative Management of Mineral Rights Act of 2015, and I ask my colleagues who believe in the importance of private property and private property rights to join me as cosponsors. We need to provide clarity and continue to respect the longstanding importance of private property rights in our country. This legislation will set the tone for addressing other cases dealing with these rights.

I urge my colleagues to join me in protecting private property and private property rights by cosponsoring the Cooperative Management of Mineral Rights Act of 2015.

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