Don’t Drill the Hills, Inc. (DDH) is responding to the October 26, 2015 press release issued from the City of Rochester Hills’ city planner, Edward Anzek – claiming that DDH has made “false allegations.” Oil lease contracts filed with the county are not allegations, they are legal documents.
Oddly, the city’s press release does not address the lease discoveries DDH announced last week. Instead, Mr. Anzek addresses the city’s oil lease of public parks and includes a comment from the company engaged in that contract.
However, DDH’s announcement from last week was regarding private property leases at the corner of Tienken/Adams contracted for surface activity – adjacent to those parks and RCS schools. The private contracts, signed by owner John Hagar, are with another company (West Bay Exploration), and DDH clearly documented those leases were recorded with the county on February 2, 2015 (see hyperlink to document). The city has not explained why they’ve continually denied the existence of any surface leases within the City of Rochester Hills.
A company statement of disinterest is not legally binding. Promises come and go, especially during election season. What would reduce the risk of oil exploration here? – If the city was released from its public property lease, and the private property owner from his surface activity leases. This remedy must be in the form of a legally binding “Release of Oil/Gas Lease” and filed with county.
Until such time – the risks and the documents remain and so do the legitimate concerns of residents – especially those at the corner of Tienken/Adams and those with children attending Adams High School and Van Hoosen Middle School.
DDH, Inc. is an award-winning non-profit that has gained statewide recognition and credibility over the last two years for being a leader in addressing concerns specific to oil exploration in high density residential and K-12 school areas. DDH’s voting rights lawsuit is still actively pending in the Michigan Court of Appeals.
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It’s important to realize that the Mayor and his Council have made a point of saying there are NO surface leases in Rochester Hills, private or public. This is patently not true. These leases are nearly 3 yrs old but were hidden under a different address.
They climbed in bed with these oil companies, a business partnership. I don’t believe for a minute that West Bay/Jordan (the same company operating under two names) didn’t share all the facts with the Mayor/Council.
Now that this land adjoining Nowicki park is up for sale, it looks like the next step for the Mayor/Council will be one of their standard operating procedures of rezoning residential property to commercial.
Residents never win with this cast of characters. Time to vote them out of office.
The ‘for sale’ sign is on the corner of Tienken/Adams on the private property with surface activity leaseallowed. Parks are not for sale.