and once again, it's in the Baltimore Sun and features quotes from local residents as well a photograph and a map. T. Boone Pickens even gets a mention in the article for helping to cause a "paradigm shift" in the US. I'm still somewhat puzzled that the local papers are seemingly ignoring this story but still it is good to know that someone is out there telling it. In fact, I had not seen this article myself until I noticed an unusually large number of "Garrett County natural gas" Google searches landed on this blog on Sunday.
Here are some comments from local resident Henry Bowser who, like me, is interested in maintaining the rural heritage of Garrett County and hopes these upfront lease payments will allow landowners to hold onto their land and stave off development.
Bowser said many landowners will likely spend the payout on property taxes and land upkeep - to ward off economic hardships that force some to sell to companies developing property around tourist-popular Deep Creek Lake.
"For farmers and people like us who have fairly large tracts of acreage, it's a way to keep the property from being sold and broken up," Bowser said.
"There is so much selling and splitting up of property in this area, with the development around the lake. For the people still trying to keep Garrett County as a rural area, it makes it a lot easier for them to hold on to their property."
For previous postings on this blog about natural gas click here.
Don't forget to check back to Dan's Deep Creek Blog for future updates.
2 comments:
Guess what's coming next - some sort of new zoning rules or tax to make sure that the county gets its "taste" of this new action. These land owners are finally getting a break and I hope that the county (or Annapolis which seems to think that energy companies produce power out of the goodness of their hearts) doesn't find some way to ruin this opportunity for everyone.
Well said Chris.
I believe the county and state will each get their cut with existing taxes, but like you said hopefully they stay out of the way and don't pile on and ruin this for everyone.
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