Firm Says Deal With Land Grant Opens Area to Drilling:

COMMENT
Another twist to a drilling proposal using hydraulic fracturing for oil and natural gas in north-central New Mexico.

For those of you unacquainted with El Norte de Nuevo Mexico, terms of the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo over "Who owns the land grants?" continue to be pursued by the local citizens.

For background on the story below, google "Reies Lopez Tijerina, his cause, and his armed raid on the Tierra Amarilla Courthouse in 1967."

Tijerina, now 84, is currently in the news in El Norte as land grant boards in the Taos area have filed deeds to reclaim the lands stolen by or sold to European and other invaders during the past 163 years.

Tom Sharpe
6/12/2011

A Canadian firm says it has a deal with a land-grant association that could open up parts of Rio Arriba County to petroleum drilling that previously were restricted by questionable land titles.

Wind River Energy Corp. says it has agreements with the board of trustees of the Tierra Amarilla Land Grant that could mean billions of barrels of oil, mostly from shale deposits that require "fracking."

"Wind River believes that the waiver will resolve a 150-year-old historical title cloud that has constrained oil and gas development on the Tierra Amarilla Land Grant," a recent news release says.

The Vancouver, British Columbia-based company has issued three news releases since late last year, announcing it has acquired from a Texas firm a waiver and an indemnification agreement with the Tierra Amarilla Lane Grant board, which was paid $233,979....continued...