CTA: Tell Jim Justice “Hands off our property rights!”

Call To Action: Stand up for the property rights of WV land owners! This will take less than 10 minutes. You can do it standing in line at the grocery store. Scroll to the bottom if you only have 5 minutes!

What to do:

Email or call Governor Jim Justice and tell him all West Virginians—Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and progressives, mineral rights owners and surface rights owners, oil/gas landmen and environmentalists—oppose forced pooling.

Why do it:

Forced pooling is eminent domain for private gain. It allows companies to legally FORCE you to lease mineral rights to them—whether it’s a good deal for you or not. This year they want to split it into two separate bills and call it something else, but don’t let them fool you with their forked tongues and slimy doublespeak. It is FORCED POOLING. Call it what it is.

Note: it’s not the free market if the government holds prices artificially low for companies. Nope, it’s a market rigged against us. It brings all the legal and financial wherewithal of a corporation against poor, working class, and middle income households that don’t have the resources to expend on legal battles. The Resource Barons also won’t need to employ as many landmen–after all, they only need to negotiate 51% of the leases they did before. So fewer jobs.

Forced Pooling transfers wealth from working people to the wealthy interests.  You lose your right to a fair deal, you lose your right to oppose fracking, you lose your right to preserve your land for your children and grandchildren.

Only Resource Barons gain anything from this legal theft, so naturally, Governor Jim Justice supports it.

During his State of the State Address on Wednesday,  Justice indicated his support for this legislative session’s anticipated forced pooling bill (rebranded as “fair pooling,” “lease integration,” “co-tenancy” and other misleading titles).

DO IT NOW:

Send a firm-but-civil message to Governor Justice that West Virginians value our land, we value individual rights, and we are standing up for our friends and neighbors against the legalized industrial theft of forced pooling.

Tell Jim Justice: “No forced pooling, no matter how you brand it! Hands off our property rights!”

… because TODAY it is your neighbor; TOMORROW it could be you.

Phone Jim Justice’s office:
304-558-2000

888-438-2731

OR

Write Jim Justice a message (click here)

OR BOTH!

(Please also mention his threats to cut funding to public broadcasting and Mountain Stage.)

Have a few more minutes? You can also find your legislators and their contact information at this link!