Canadian County officials moved this week to reject a settlement offer over a lawsuit filed by Oklahoma City’s Chaparral Energy.
The energy firm sued the county earlier in the month in a dispute over about 4 acres of land it wants for a well site next to the Canadian County Children’s Justice Center. The suit seeks to have three court-appointed appraisers determined the value of the property.
The Canadian County Public Facilities Authority rejected Chaparral’s offer of $35,000 for any damages to the surface property, according to a report in the Yukon Review. Authority members called the offer too low but did not make a counter offer.
“The damages they are going to do will far outpace that,” said Jack Stewart, chairman of the Authority. “We are hoping for negotiations.”
Stewart said through horizontal drilling, Chaparral could locate a pad site within two miles of the original site and still drill the well.
District Judge Paul Hesse is handling the lawsuit.