As members of the Oklahoma National Association of Royalty Owners gathered Thursday in Oklahoma City, their national leader reminded them they re also voters whose voices can and should be heard by elected officials.
Grant Back, the National Executive Director of NARO told the opening session, “Royalty owners are voters and constituents. They have a voice.”
He urged NARO members to be in communication with their legislators and be aware of legislation that might affect the oil and gas industry.
“There’s no question that voters can have a strong voice and provide information and facts to legislators,” he said. “Keep that in mind.”
But he admitted some NARO members are hesitant about being a royalty owner. Black recalled the just-concluded Colorado NARO meeting was where a woman made a confession.
“She said she couldn’t tell her neighbors that she is a royalty owner. I was saddened by what the lady said because every citizen is a royalty owner. People who don’t support oil and gas production and want to shut it down are only shutting themselves down.”
Black pointed out that every citizen is a royalty owner because of royalties that help the federal government.
He spoke on a variety of topics including the growth of NARO.
“There’s a lot of value in the organization. We can grow this organization. The key is that royalty owners are the ‘roots and boots’ to growth.
The Oklahoma NARO convention continues through Friday.