Oklahoma’s Horizontal-Vertical Drilling Fight Gets National Attention

Oklahoma’s contentious fight between horizontal drillers and those who operate older vertical oil wells is becoming more and more in the political spotlight as well as drawing national attention.

First came news that the Oklahoma Energy Producers Alliance, the newly-formed group of vertical well operators planned to launch a petition drive for a vote of the people to raise the gross production tax to 7 percent. It’s in direct opposition by other groups such as the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association and the Oklahoma Oil and Gas Association.

Their political fight attracted the attention this week of E and E News, an energy political website run by Climate Wire. Reporter Mike Soraghan paid a visit to Kingfisher County to explore the controversy and found that at least 10 state and federal lawsuits have been filed by vertical well operators whose wells were damaged by horizontal drilling operations.

OK Energy Today has reported on some of those lawsuits including one that went against Devon Energy.