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On this ranch in North Dakota, the landowners own the surface rights to the land to grow crops and raise livestock, but not the mineral rights, or the rights to the underground resources.
This means an oil and gas company can install development rigs on the land without permission of the landowner.
Law of Capture is a law stating that the owner of a tract of land acquires title to the oil and gas produced from wells drilled on that land, though it may be proved that part of such oil and gas migrated from adjoining lands.
This means that the impact of fracking may be felt on your property, even if you don't allow oil and natural gas extraction yourself.
Sarah Christianson photographs the land surrounding her 4th generation family farm north of Fargo, ND, and her family's homestead land in Western North Dakota.
She grew up in North Dakota, and currently lives in San Francisco.
From "When the Landscape is Quiet Again" by Sarah Christianson
Terry Evans is a photographer and artist
specializing in images of the American prairies and the Great Plains.
She was born in Kansas City, Missouri,
and is currently based in Chicago.
From "Fractured: North Dakota's Oil Boom" by Terry Evans
Two of the byproducts of the oil and gas extraction process are flaring (burning off gas deemed uneconomical to sell) and venting (direct release of natural gas into the atmosphere).
Source: Earthworks.