U.S. builders hoard mineral rights under new homes

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7. I am in the middle of the Utica shale boom, that is not uncommon around here. Some land owners found

out all their mineral rights were sold off a hundred years ago, they couldn't get anything. The former owners of my property sold off certain veins of
coal only so I was able to lease gas rights. Then others sold off their gas rights forever for as little as $20 an acre ten years ago, nobody knew how valuable
the gas was back then. I signed a 5 year lease on my property almost 2 years ago for $5000 an acre, I don't think they will drill before the 5 years is up.
Right now they are working like crazy building the infrastructure to process and transport the gas before they drill. I went to a town meeting last night about
a 30 " pipeline and compressor station they are going to build here. Like I said me and my neighbors that had gas rights got $5000 an acre almost two
years ago. The leases have gone up since then our county just signed a lease on their 400 acres for $7500 an acre.