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Comment by Pipeliner on July 18, 2009 at 5:02

There is a need for Land men mainly in the USA. In most other countries their federal government owns all the mineral rights to gas and oil. A "Land man" in these countries is usually a native surveyor or engineer, concerned with getting permission to make roads, drill pads, construction, etc on the owner's land. They pay for damages and for loss of crops. They have nothing whatsoever to do with leases and mineral rights, only deal with surface rights.

In the UK, the "crown" (government) owns everything underground below 3-feet. So if you find gold/buried treasure, etc deeper than 3-feet, if you want to keep it, you better dig it up and rebury it less than 3-feet deep. In the UK most of their oil and gas fields are off-shore, but there are a few fields on-shore.

In Holland, in 1964, we laid several big pipelines (36" and 42" lines) from a very large North Holland onshore gas field. I remember reading a local paper (in English) that the farmer/land owner was paid $120 a year for the area the Christmas Tree took up. Whereas if this was in the USA, he would have got $250,000 a year in royalties (1964 money). Aren't you glad we live in the USA?

The Dutch government also paid the farmers $120 a year for the space the Nazi-built pill-boxes took up. After the war, the government tried to blow up and remove these pill boxes. It proved impossible. I have been in some of these. They are about 20-foot square, of reinforced concrete. Inside they are only about 10-foot square. On the ceilings they have compasses painted, with German lettering.

In Chad, Central Africa and in Cameroon, West Africa, not only does the government own all the oil & gas, but the government owns all the farm land. They work with a chief of a tribe, and allot so much land, based on how big the tribe is. It is up to the chief to say who farms where. Oil & Gas companies pay damages and loss of crops, same as in other places.

Comment by RAY on July 17, 2009 at 16:30

Lets hear from someone who has no healthcare at all.

Comment by Grillin' - MmmMmm on July 17, 2009 at 6:05

Yeah, but Keith, that "terrible healthcare system" will soon be moving on down to the good ol' U.S. of A. unless we can get our benevolent dictator's plan defeated!!! Fail, baby, Fail!