On the recordMarch 27, 2012
It is also producing great wealth. I do not think people understand because a lot of the land in the West is public land. So we hear this debate about public land, et cetera. But most of the land in my State is private land. In fact, the Federal Government owns less than 2.5 percent. Now, we are at polar ends of this debate. We are at opposite ends because in Alaska the Federal Government owns 90 percent of that State. It only owns 2.5 percent of my State, and the farther east you go it is less and less and less. So when there is more drilling, like in Louisiana, it is private land owners who are getting wealthy. In many of these instances, such as in the Haynesville shale, which is up along this area in Louisiana, northwest Louisiana, farmers whose land was virtually worthless or who were growing crops but not really making it very well, now the gas has been discovered on their land, so they are getting royalty checks for $10,000 a month, $20,000 a month. That is more money that people have made or ever dreamed about making. I have heard of royalty checks of $50,000 a month that people are getting. So they take that $50,000, they are not even drilling for oil and gas; they have just leased their property. They go out and start a business in their hometown or they go out and buy two new automobiles for their family or a new pickup truck for their operations. I know the Senator understands the indirect impact.…
