What to do about dead people that have gas?
There was an article in the paper today (http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Gas-under-graveyards-raises-moral-money-questions-3675826.php) about a town in Eastern Ohio. Apparently gas deposits have been found underneath (and nearby) the cemetery where generations of local people have been buried.
On the one hand, there is the sanctity of the dead. On the other hand, the money involved ($140K up front plus 16% royalties) can add up to serious money in a small town with nothing else going for it.
People are only buried 6 feet (or less) in the ground. What possible harm can it do to the decomposing corpses to drill for gas 300 feet (or more) below?
Does ‘hallowed ground’ go all the way to the earth’s core? Is there some (I hate to use the expression) middle ground on this?
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To me, it is an emotional question for the families and loved ones of the deceased. I’ve seen employees of Dupont lie to people in the coalfields about their methane gas well drilling practices. I wonder what company Campbell Development LLC, who refused comment, represents.
Of course it is easy to see it from a practical point of view. But there are even practical aspects of drilling for methane. You are disturbing the earth and you really can’t guarantee that you won’t disturb the graves in the long haul by disrupting underground water sources or sediment layers and such.
Most likely any time that a drilling operation takes place anywhere, there are going to be some people that are upset about it. The real reason for being against the drilling has probably has nothing to do with the graveyards and more about money and the unknown amount of disruption that the drilling operation may cause.
What the town and the churches really are concerned about is money. How much do they get out of this?
“Township trustees received a proposal this year to lease cemetery mineral rights for $140,000, plus 16 percent of any royalties, for any oil and gas. Similar offers soon followed at two other area cemeteries.”
Modern drill can go around corners. Drill head could be far away from graveyard and drill sideways or whar ever is needed.
^^ This. They can drill outside of the cemetery and still access the gas without disturbing a single grave. The only reason for drilling vertically is to save money.
It’s going to depend on whether the company in question has clear title to the subsurface mineral rights. If they own the mineral rights and can use offset drilling (a common technique these days, and one of the reasons that natural gas is priced so cheaply at present) to obtain the gas without disturbing the surface, then they’ll do that. I’m sure they don’t want the negative PR that this attention is getting them, but they want the gas, obviously. If they can get it legally, then they will.
Even if the graveyard has to be moved, there’s precedent for that all through the states since the founding of the Republic. That’s not new at all.
However it shakes out, one thing is for certain-the dead will not know. Of all the things there are to consider, one of them will never be, “what will the dead say?”
Let the old farts lay in peace ;¬}
Considering the age of the planet and the amount of people who have ever lived…there’s a pretty good chance that someone has died in one of the many other locations where we drill. So it really doesn’t matter all that much.
If they really feel bad about doing it, they can donate their money to some cancer research center. No bad karma.
DO they have to go through the headstones? If so, move them away, and then move them back. Otherwise, go around the cemetery.
A memorial can go anywhere. I’d take the money and put the cemetery somewhere nicer. Then I’d put the rest in a retirement account.
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