Thread by @ProPublica

1/ In West Virginia, land ownership is complicated.

We talked to residents whose lives have been turned upside down because of new neighbors in their backyards and on their farms: gas drillers.

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2/ Even if you own your home and the land around it, you don’t necessarily own the natural gas, oil or coal underneath.

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3/ Under the surface, a different set of property boundaries is in effect, and different owners sometimes control the “mineral rights.”

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4/ If a mineral owner has leased his or her rights to an oil or gas company, that company can do what’s “reasonably necessary” on the surface to get to those minerals — and the landowner can do little to stop it.

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5/ In a statement, the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association said its member companies “are diligent and responsive in working with surface owners, mineral owners, and local communities” to address “concerns that may arise from time to time.”

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6/ We give you a window into what it’s like to be one of these West Virginians who’ve watched as gas companies cause chaos on and around their properties in our new story.

Read the full thing here: bit.ly/2T4LDdR