What is Forced Pooling, and can they get away with that?
According to the Colorado Independent, "Forced pooling...gives oil and gas companies the right to drill under (a homeowner’s) property, as long as the company makes a 'reasonable' offer to mineral rights owners and at least one homeowner signs a lease. Even if the rest of the community opposes the development and declines to lease their rights, an energy company can apply to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) for a forced pooling order, and the COGCC will almost certainly approve it.” Forced pooling is in essence the oil/gas industry acting like a sovereign authority enforcing its own eminent domain will over citizens. And, outside of trying to get a fair price for that access, citizens have no recourse, no substantive due process.