My name is Chris Fierro and the oil and gas industry has greatly impacted my family, and our land in a rural area near Carlsbad. It has created a huge rift in my family that lasts to this day. Although, I do not see my mom’s side of the family, where this rift was created, I always hear the disagreements, and arguments whenever we get together for family related events. It is a crazy situation that I am only now beginning to understand, since I am 19 years-old and was not aware of the history.
It all started about 4-5 years ago. One of my mom’s uncles passed away. He was one of many siblings leaving nine of his brothers and sisters. This uncle oversaw the family farmland, and everything related to it. When he passed, he did not have a set will of who would inherit the land or family house. The days after his funeral they were all in talks to see what was going to happen to the land. Unfortunately, the siblings in the family were mostly in disagreement on how to move forward with keeping or selling the land.
The situation was complex because the family farmland, which has been in the family for generations, requires labor-intensive care and with aging siblings this was difficult. In addition, a few years before my mom’s uncle passed, oil deposits were discovered underneath a big chunk of the land. One oil company disregarded the fencing that outlined the property and built a well without even talking with my family. Ownership did not really matter to the oil field company.
The company built an oil well on our family land and were not remorseful of what they had done. They claimed that it was just a mistake and that the land was not even marked as being private property. Instead of settling the dispute legally, they immediately offered money, as if this would fix everything. The company offered $800,000. Yes, that was the number. My jaw still drops seeing all those zeroes. While my family took the money, half of the siblings were furious. It was their family land and losing any of it, even if it was a little piece, was heartbreaking to them.
When the well was built it had in a way ruined the land around the area. Trucks travel through the area many times a day, the surrounding area is just gravel and trash. The land is not looked after, the only thing in that area is the oil well. The farm is not really a true farm anymore as they do not farm any crops, but they try to keep most of the land maintained. It’s hard for them though with the oil well, the traffic, and the trash the workers leave behind. It is all so difficult.
The oil company that did this makes me upset. Hate is a strong word, but I really do hate what the oil company did to the land. They put an oil well and knowing they did wrong they just used their power and money to pay off the whole situation. I do not blame my family for taking the money. The oil company has the power to dust off situations like this without true consideration of families, history, legacy and land. They took land away from my family, took a bit of history from them just for the sake of oil which has ruined the surrounding area with the trash and truck traffic.
Keeping this land, even if it is not used for farming, is more important than selling it off to oil companies. It has history and keeping it in the family where future generations have land for any other endeavors is important. The oil industry hurts the environment and it’s time is extremely limited in our world. Having this land means more than a quick payoff in money, the land has more value the time it stays in the family. The land holds the history of our family and how we got here, grew and thrived in Carlsbad.
