Oh, no. Oakley I don't know what that is but it's not your beautiful country view that's for sure. Is that an oil well? Fracking site? Done deal? No community action to be taken? I'm angry for you and know how this breaks your heart.

Oh nooooooo I thought you were getting a new dog!

Oh Oakley. I am SO sorry.

Unfortunately, that's common in Oklahoma. :-(

Where my DD lives in rural NW OK they're surrounded by Oil & natural gas wells. For a while the disposal trucks were running up and down their roads 24/7. Want to know the kicker? The waste water they were trucking in was from KANSAS!! Seems Kansas won't let them dispose of waste water in their state. Oklahoma is so stupid.

Oh that's terrible! I thought this was going to be something really awesome and happy. I'm sorry. I would be very, very upset!

Booooo!

What is it?

Oh no! I thought you were getting a horse!

That's no fun. Did you lease the mineral rights to your property or are they owned by another?

I thought it was going to be something nice as well. I’d be apoplectic. Can your husband fight this?

If you are on well water, you may want to have your water tested regularly- especially if they are fracking. Even with a regular well, oil can seep into the water table and worse, if its a fracking situation, the chemicals they use to frack can contaminate your water. Not sure if the fracking is actually worse than the regular oil, come to think of it. Either way, well water needs to be monitored.

So sorry, was hoping you were getting that big piece of property that is your view. The actuality is not so nice.

Are those thing noisy? I already know they are ugly.

Sorry this is happening, is it a done deal or can your county or district officials step up?

I was hoping for a new pet or farm animal. I'm sorry, Oakley.

I'm sorry.

Oh, it makes me want to cry, as I'm sure you are already. And here I was thinking you were getting a horse. That's just awful.

I am so sorry Oakley.

I can totally identify. We almost had 26 townhouses built on a 2 acre lot next to us when we lived in NJ ( instead we got 3 McMansions) When we were buying a beachhouse on Block Island, they were voting to put in a giant offshore wind farm.

It is very distressing. I hyperventilate when we lose a tree.

I hope when it happens you get used to it and just orient yourself the other way. There is still so much beauty on your property.

Having a drastic undesirable change to your everyday environment like that has got to be one of the biggest stressors. You have my sympathy.

I am so sorry. You think you are safe when you move to a quiet, unspoiled rural area but you never really are. I too get stressed when we lose a single tree.

UGH! My sympathies! I would be SO upset.

I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry! And so sad for you.

While it definitely sucks, it's not permanent. Just keep telling yourself that. They are noisy. I spent weeks at a time visiting dh on land rigs in the Lafayette area back in the early 80s.

Curious, why 3? A single rig can directional drill from the same location.

Thanks for your support. There are old pumping wells (the kind that go up and down) scattered around but they're kind of pretty to look at. The one's going up now are monsters. Two miles up the road it looks like a city all lit up because of about 4 wells recently put in. The traffic is horrendous in that area. No houses though.

Not sure why I didn't think of this sooner although I know it won't help, but I sent an email to the OK. Corp. Com. tonight, from their website. I asked if there was anyone I could talk to about this. I hope they reply next week, when they return to work.

What bothers me more than anything is knowing people do this to other people. They have lots of land, why choose the one close to us?? We know the owners, but they recently moved. I've been searching for their phone number and can't find it. ;)

How can people do this to each other, especially those they've known forever? We weren't BFF's or anything but they lived not far from us.

I'm sure the value of our house will tank now.

Oh Oakley - I am so sorry. I would be beside myself with anger and screaming at everyone and anyone who would listen (or not).

Did you not have any idea?

I'd be most concerned about the criminal element moving in. With that many strangers being so close to your home, there could be break-ins! UGH! How close is that to your property?

What? Why in the world would you think that? For goodness sakes.

Well I don't know anyone who lives near gas wells who has found it to be a positive. Not by a long shot. Of course this is just part of a long list of things that neighbors can do to make your life miserable. A huge hog farm is going up across the street from our beautiful, historic and bucolic country church. I have no beef with hog farming per se, but the scale of this operation (probably needed to be profitable in today's economy) is going to take what was once a beautiful field filled with dancing sandhill cranes, and utterly destroy it.

Criminal element? Oilfield employees are hardworking and well paid. Suggesting they're interested in stealing from neighbors is ridiculous.

Oakley I have no reference point for how large those structures actually are or how close they are to the road. I'd tell OK Corp Com that you expect landscaping between them and your vantage point to be installed immediately. Plenty of the giant thujas comes to mind as well as fencing and smaller evergreens to create at least somewhat of a screen. I'd go pound on someone's desk for you if I could.

I don't know how anyone could NOT think that a large increase in people in your once quiet area would not increase the risk of crime! It's just common sense. Not saying that oil workers are bad people per se, just any time lots of people are anywhere, you will have more crime...it's just going to happen!

I live adjacent to oilfield country in NM. I actually moved because of the oil boom about five years ago, but just to the next county up. I did not notice an increase in crime, but quality of life went downhill rapidly. Streets overcrowded, trash everywhere, labor shortages, stores unstocked, etc. I still go to the area for work about twice a month. I have noticed lots of signs that say "No oilfield traffic". You have my deepest sympathy. However, if there is a large population increase, your house value will rise rapidly due to housing shortages.

OMG, that really sucks. I am so sensitive to intrusions. Maybe you can open a lemonade stand and sell lemonade to the workers and get rich. I have horrible neighbors across from me and my blood pressure goes up whenever I look out the window.

Oklahoma has been a rich oil producer for well over a century, so it should come as no big surprise to residents to see extraction and production equipment erected. We experienced that here with the Barnett Shale, which was relatively short lived. There always seems to be a NIMBY attitude that goes along with this sort of thing. Again - saw that here as well.

That said, Oakley, you have every right to expect to continue to enjoy your own property with minimal noise, mess, and disruption. I hope you will engage with your lawmakers to find out exactly what your rights are, and to push them to champion those rights on your behalf. I sincerely hope that the operations in your area will be swift. They do want to get in and get that product out of the ground as quickly as possible, so you may very likely see operations round the clock, and that can be intrusive. Again, lean heavily on your lawmakers. Lean heavily on the companies operating those rigs as well.

And if you just really want to be pissed off, read Killers of the Osage Moon and learn how members of the Osage nation were systematically murdered for the sake of Oklahoma oil. It's horrifying.

I'm not sure that anyone is against natural gas extraction or hog farming or whatever. But the concept of trying to maximize profits will dictate that the more "externalities" that the cost of can be fobbed off to others, the better. Just the increase in road traffic alone will be significant, not to mention what falls off of the roads onto adjacent properties. That's for starters. Noises, lights . . . no man is an island. It takes collective action to force everyone to play by good citizen rules.

As IdaC mentions, the wells may be short lived, but in your lifetime at the house, maybe too much to bear. And then they will be gone, leaving . . . well let's hope not an eyesore, but if past behavior is any indication . . .

I looked at a rural home on a beautiful lot with a view of a junk car yard . . . only out the front . . . Other than being very unsightly, I guess they would be quiet neighbors . . .

The tall wells themselves may not be permanent, but tanks on large concrete slabs surrounded by white gravel will be left in their place. Those will never go away.

This REALLY gets my goat. I sound like I'm an Okie, don't I? lol. We have deer out here and a few years ago the landowner stopped letting people hunt deer in the creek, which you can see in the barn picture. For the first time I was able to sit on the porch and watch around 20 or 30 deer graze on the wheat fields every evening like clockwork, some even looking at me too. Now they'll go away.

Blfenton, we were blindsided. DH was at his club meeting 2 1/2 weeks ago when the land owner walked up to him to let him know about the wells. The landowner hadn't been to a meeting in a long time, so we wonder if he came on purpose to tell DH since they moved away. DH was too stunned to ask any questions.

Arkansasgirl, I'm not worried about possible criminals. The guys who work there and drive the big rigs are hard workers. I see them in town during the lunch hour at times and they're very friendly. Those oil trucks and big rigs have been going down our road since the rigs up the road went up. But you can bet I'll be keeping my eye's open.

The increase in people isn't that much. No one will move here because the job is temporary. What the workers do is help small businesses/restaurants in town. As Ida said, they're hard workers, one of the hardest IMO. No population explosion or anything, besides, there's no place for them to live here unless they want to build.

Ida, I agree that oil drilling has been going on forever, but our particular county has seen a huge boom in drilling the past ten years. We've lived here for 37 years and it wasn't until a few years ago when I started seeing new wells being erected all over the place. I think I said above that a mile and a half up the road from us there are around 4 or 5 wells that recently went up. Looked like NYC at night. However! Last night there was only one tall rig lit up, and tonight it looks like a bright security light is on. But the area is still ugly.

Jen, I'm going to read the story, I've never heard about it. My ex-DIL is from Osage County, her dad is Osage, and my grandkids have Osage in them. Her father worked for the tribe years ago. I'll ask him about it too, I still see them often.

I'm still trying to find their new phone number so I can buy a cell phone that can't be traced so I can call and hang up on them every night while the rigs are going up. ;)

Jen, I had no idea this happened. It's never ever mentioned in our local news.

Osage murders

So sorry to read this -- I too thought it was going to be something wonderful, like a new land acquisition. It's unbelievable there are no setback regulations in OK for wells -- there is a legitimate air pollution and explosion risk around each. I see the industry has conveniently bought up all the politicians. Is there no federal law that can help? How far away will the rigs be to your home? (Was this stated, I missed it). I see in a news search that one community in OK recently has established some setbacks but of course now the industry and government are piling on to get this overturned.

There do not appear to be any Oklahoma state setback laws for planned wells, although there is a setback for homeowners planning to build next to an existing well, which the homeowner and oil company can change by agreement. However, various cities in Oklahoma DO have setback laws and the right to establish setback laws so it might be good to check the statutes of the town and city you live in and if there is no law, to petition to establish one..

52-137.1 is a statewide trade-off law. Protecting oil interests, it denied Oklahoma cities the right to outright prohibit fracking and similar procedures within their boundaries but permitted them to create reasonable laws to protect their residents.

https://law.justia.com/codes/oklahoma/2017/title-52/

They have lots of land, why choose the one close to us??

Well locations have both practical and statutory reasons for their location. Check out 52-87.1. Because often wells will be drilling to get at a common reservoir of oil there are statutes about location. These statutes were passed for the benefit of mineral rights owners above common reservoirs to allow a fairer distribution of profits. So you can see that an empty unused location which might be ideal, might have to be passed over because of spacing laws and a well put in next to a homeowner.

Gooster and Lucille, thank you so much for the information! I'm writing it down.

Gooster, you are a 100% right that the industry bought all the politicians in OK. But people keep voting for them because of party & not what's good for the state. And then they complain and do it all over again in the next elections. Ugh.

I'm sure the oil company's geologists are the ones who suggest where to build a well, but with all the empty land out here, with maybe one house per each mile of road, if that, why in God's name would they choose to build across from the only house in sight?

Our closest neighbor to the east live a mile away. To the west our closest neighbor lives three miles away.

There should be a morals clause. :) Not sure if I mentioned this or not, but DS built a house on the acre behind us, and he has 50/50 custody of my two small grandchildren who ride the bus to our house after school a couple of times a week. The thing is, our house sits at the bottom of a short and steep hill and trucks come flying down our road. They cannot see a vehicle until right before they come down it. It will be massively dangerous for the school bus and children which I will mention to the person I talk to from the corporation commission next week. It's already dangerous for those who live in the area. When I get to the hill I pull over as far as I can and slow down just in case.

I suggest that you go in with more than a mention. Oil companies have massive amounts of money and could financially, easily put in another road. But putting in a road involves rights of way, and sometimes land purchase which can translate into a long waiting time to drill which I can assure you is not going to happen. Before you go in, see if you can get some info/suggestions about alternative routes so it will look to the commission like any possible road change is doable in a reasonable amount of time. Don't make the mistake of thinking that any oil or state commission is on your side. You can get concessions, sometimes, but they involve planning and work on your part before you ever walk in and propose them.

The trick to getting concessions from the commission/oil companies is to look at the world with their eyes, and to suggest changes that are quick and efficient and will shield them from possible liability, like a safer road. Morals isn't going to get it so try for the effective changes. They will spend money but do not want to spend time. And go in prepared, if you show up and just whine you are going to get ignored and you will have lost your 'first impressions' advantage.

And, one more suggestion. If the trucks are not flying but actually doing the speed limit, don't overstate your case; it may be that a suggestion by the commission might be made to change custody/location of the child if there are no records of accidents but your son insists that the current setup is dangerous. Don't open a can of worms you can't close. If you agree that oil has bought up all the politicians, and your grandson's location might hold up a well, and that could be changed by an oil bought politician asking a judge to make a custody change, well you see where this is going.

If there are police records of accidents in that area, however, that is powerful info bring records of the reports with you.

When I read of things like this I thank the Gods that my state has very strict regulations in place on land use issues. People do gripe about it, but it is what has kept our state so green and beautiful.

That being said, I tell people who are considering buying land to carefully research the area before buying. If you're anywhere within the Urban Growth Boundary, know that one day that land will be built upon. If you buy a piece of land with a view, know that someone can buy the next lot over and build up and block your view.

Study up on the land zoning around you. If the land is zoned industrial, know it's going to have a lot of big trucks coming and going. But these things prevent the tragedy that Oakley is facing right now.

I live within the UGB, but am not yet annexed in to the City. Down the road, less than a mile from me, is a huge lot that was formerly a mushroom composting facility that closed down 25 years ago. It's within City limits, and over the years different people have tried to petition the City to rezone it to residential. I've heard that recently it was rezoned to multi-family, so there may be apartments going in-which will HUGELY affect the traffic on my street. Even a subdivision would impact traffic, but it's the price we paid when we bought our house, knowing that one day there would be development. Our house was a lot cheaper than others we could have bought because of that reason, being on the outskirts of the UGB.

I'm really, really sorry Oakley. It makes me sick to see that and to know that Oklahoma doesn't value quality of life over profits.

Oh man, Oakley, I'm so sorry. I also expected to see new property, a dog, a horse, something like that.

Lucille, it's impossible to build a new road. We live on a "section," and we're on a dirt road. Also, the particular section we live on is two miles because the creek is the mile mark in place of a road for a one square mile section. If there was to be a new road, they'd have to make it a mile long.

When I say trucks fly by our house, they FLY by. lol. Most locals know better but not the oil workers.

In the past 38 years there's been one accident on the flat part of the road. A man and his friend who were both drunk swerved and hit a tree, then walked down the road to our house about 10pm. Freaked us out because they were strangers. My small town had a famous double murder happen a few miles from town before we built this house and no one here will ever forget. DH taught me how to use a .22. :)

I predict, that if there has only been one accident in 38 years, that the most that might happen is a new street sign. I am not unsympathetic, and your barn picture is beautiful, but so far there has been nothing presented that would halt the exercise of the oil company's mineral rights.

You might consider petitioning your town/city to establish setback statutes, which is permitted. Depending on the particulars of the spacing statute there, you could still have a well on your own property in the future.

My friends who once had a farm property near suburbia said, "Better to buy someplace already built up, then you won't have to watch it all go" . . . as they did. But one never knows in suburbia either, you can get the neighbors from heck in a heartbeat. Best to have enough money to buy out all the surrounding properties, as my friends did near their summer cabin.

There's a swampy woods across the street from us, just waiting for the inevitable day that someone buys it and comes up with a crazy building plan which will most likely get ok'd in our lax rural area. And then the house will always be for sale, like the other ones around us built on swamps. One house has water actually gurgling up in the front yard. The "guaranteed dry basement" on the for-sale sign isn't very convincing . . . Oddly they find buyers every few years, and then go up for sale again and again. Wish I had enough money to buy that swampy woods property, it's what keeps our crawl space dry unlike other homes around us. Builders would drain the water somewhere, causing someone else to have a problem, most likely us. Again lax regulations and enforcement, not likely that we could do much about it. So far so good which is all I can do right now. Need to get house sold and move to large digs on drier land asap. Who knows if our dream will ever be reality. Several ideal properties have come and gone while we sit here trying to regroup.