Road Use, Improvements, & RUMA’s
As we recently explored in “Why So Much Traffic,” one of the most prevalent impacts to the communities surrounding oil and gas activity is that of increased traffic – and not just pickup trucks. In this video, Derek drives along an access road to a local drilling site. Access roads are built to connect the well pad to usable roads. In some cases, the access road includes portions of county and township roads. When that’s the case, the operating company (in the state of Ohio) must work with the local governmental agencies to create “Road Use Management Agreements” or “RUMA’s.” A RUMA is the agreement between the operator and the government declaring what is considered “fair use” and what the operator’s responsibility is to fix/maintain/improve the roads. (RUMA’s are what is used in Ohio, but many other states have similar processes.)
In Appalachia, many roads are hilly and curvy. Many of our rural country roads are not built for the heavy traffic that it requires to build a well pad, drill, frac, and produce a well. Thus, many companies, end up spending a lot of their own money to enhance existing roadways so that they can use them. Many dirt roads across Appalachia have been widened and paved or chip-and-sealed. Many have also been structurally reinforced. Be sure to watch the video to learn more and to see it firsthand!