JACKSON, Mississippi. – Some land and mineral owners across Mississippi are asking lawmakers to unlock what they say are billions of dollars of the state’s abundant oil reserves that currently lie abandoned.
“Today, thousands of jobs could be created, and tens of millions of dollars in state revenue generated, simply be getting Mississippians access to our own resources currently being blocked by an out-of-state company, said Bruce Monroe, president of Denkmann. His company is locked in a dispute with Texas based Denbury Resources over the transport of carbon dioxide (CO2) to some of Mississippi’s smaller oil fields.
“Denbury Resources has the exclusive control of the network of CO2 pipelines in Mississippi, each built using eminent domain privileges,” he said at a Monday press conference at the State Capitol. “They made it explicitly clear in their efforts to be granted eminent domain that the Free State Pipeline would be ‘for other working interest owners, royalty owners and the residents of Mississippi.’”
But Monroe said Denbury has not kept its promise. He called on lawmakers to pass a senate bill that would make Mississippi’s intrastate pipelines common carriers. “If Mississippians are denied access to the CO2 pipeline network, they are ultimately being denied access to minerals that are recovered through Enhanced Oil Recovery,” he added.
The bill is expected to be considered this week.
