Information About Oil & Gas Development on Midland College Property

Before a drilling rig is moved onto the site, sound walls at least 24 feet high must be constructed around the drill site and along specified portions of the access road. 

The sound walls are required to remain during drilling, hydraulic fracturing and completion activities. 

The agreement also requires: 

• Use of a quiet frac-fleet system. 
• Sound-reduction technology. 
• Other reasonably practicable measures to reduce noise. 

These requirements are meant to reduce noise, but they will not eliminate it completely. 

The agreement requires use of the designated access provisions and includes gate-control requirements during specified activities. 

The operator must use commercially reasonable efforts to avoid heavy-vehicle use of the access road between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on weekdays when scheduled classes or examinations are taking place. 

The agreement contains exceptions for certain activities, including: 

• Rig-up and rig-down. 
• Drilling. 
• Completion. 
• Unscheduled workovers. 
• Emergencies. 

Traffic control measures, roadway access, and any required modifications to public streets are under the authority of the City and implemented by the operator in accordance with applicable permits and approvals. Midland College cannot guarantee that heavy vehicles will never operate during class hours.

Drill-site lighting must face away from the campus and be positioned and designed to minimize light reaching the campus to the extent reasonably practicable. 

The drill site and access road will use asphalt, approved caliche or comparable material intended to reduce dust. 

During construction, the site and access road must be kept wet as needed to avoid excessive dust. 

The following measures will help minimize visual impacts:

• Temporary sound walls during specified operations. 
• Permanent fencing at least 16 feet high. 
• Materials and design intended to be compatible with Midland College aesthetics. 
• Landscaping and irrigation plans subject to college review. 

Requirements related to environmental compliance and management of the site:

• No drilling of water wells on the campus for project operations. 
• No use of Midland College water wells or the college irrigation system for operations. 
• No disposal by injection of saltwater, flowback water or other substances on the campus. 
• No seismic operations on the campus. 
• No burial of trash or debris on the property. 
• Requirements related to environmental compliance, cleanup and remediation. 
• Restrictions on flaring, subject to the terms of the agreement and City of Midland requirements. 
• Use of electricity in drilling and completion activities as often and to the extent possible. 

The operator remains responsible for compliance with applicable municipal, state, and federal requirements. 

While nearby property owners are expected to receive about $400 million in royalties from the project, Midland College cannot determine or comment on individual mineral ownership. Property owners with questions about mineral interests should check their property records and consult a legal or title professional. 

According to the agreement, up to 30 to 50 wells can be drilled in the designated area, which covers about 17.47 acres. 

No surface operations are authorized throughout the campus. Surface oil and gas operations are limited to the defined surface premises. The agreement separately grants specified subsurface rights beneath the campus. 

The agreement prohibits drilling water wells on the campus and prohibits extracting water from Midland College water wells or its irrigation system. 

No. The agreement prohibits disposal by injection of saltwater, flowback water or other substances on the surface premises or elsewhere on campus. 

The operator must remove specified materials, plug and abandon wells according to applicable regulations, and restore disturbed property in accordance with the agreement. 

The agreement includes steps to reduce the impact on campus operations, such as traffic and noise. The operator will make reasonable efforts to avoid using heavy vehicles on the access road from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays when classes or exams are scheduled.