The "New West" is an area where retirees, second-home buyers, developers and ranchers own their private slices of heaven, but often not the underlying oil and gas estates. That's because the mineral rights have been severed from the surface; in many cases, these splits date back decades or more. In Wyoming's Powder River Basin, for example, the Bureau of Land Management administers 10% of the surface rights in the coalbed methane play, but 63% of the oil and gas rights. The U.S. government began reserving titles to certain subsurface minerals in the early 1900s, which previously could have been patented under the Homestead Act. The result was a patchwork of land titles and subsurface leases on federal lands. In other cases, private parties severed the minerals themselves in various property transactions. The conflicts that arise when companies attempt to drill their subsurface-only leases can be quite heated. For some individuals, the very existence of subsurface leases beneath their properties is news indeed. Although many surface-estate owners don't understand that the mineral owners have the right to access their minerals, the courts have consistently upheld that prerogative. J.M. Huber, a private firm based in Edison, New Jersey, has been active in oil and gas exploration since 1919. The company operates properties in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. Huber has been actively promoting a greater understanding between surface and mineral owners. "We want to make sure that people really understand what is going on," says Bob Currie, director of corporate communications. The company has produced a video, "Straight Talk about Coalbed Methane Natural Gas," for distribution to surface owners, local officials and concerned citizens. The goal of the video, which features comments from Huber employees, state officials, county commissioners, local nonprofit organizations, local economic development boards and surface owners, is to demystify the business and offer some insights. "People are confused about severed mineral rights, and this helps them to understand their rights and obligations." More important than what a company says, however, are the actions it takes. Huber engages in other community efforts as well-it hosts town meetings, natural gas fairs and educational events, and contributes to the local chapters of Big Brothers and Big Sisters and Habitat for Humanity. And, Huber always strives to negotiate a surface-use agreement for its locations. The agreement, which is a contract between the company and the surface owner, allows access for the company and provides terms for producing the well throughout its life, says Scott Zimmerman, Huber's Denver-based vice president of coalbed methane. "The agreement is meant to settle all issues related to surface impacts from the development." These include provisions to install sound-abatement panels, berms and landscaping. Huber also goes the extra mile for its surface owners, maintaining and improving roads, graveling driveways, and plowing for houses that are snowbound in the winter. "We're not required to have a surface-use agreement, because we could bond and drill, but we look at that as a breakdown in communication," says Currie. "We strive for an equitable relationship with our surface owners." Huber has won several awards for its efforts. This August, it received two 2001 Outstanding Oil & Gas Operations awards from the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission, one for community relations and one for noise-impact mitigation. The Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission also recognized its "Straight Talk" video for its informative and non-confrontational manner. In most cases, the firm's efforts to establish good relations with the communities in which it works have served it well, says Zimmerman. Still, not all areas are alike. Huber recently ran into stiff local resistance to its proposal to drill on some 18,000 acres of leases that it holds in Gallatin County near Bozeman, Montana. Although it has a state permit to drill two wells, the county has imposed a moratorium on drilling for coalbed methane and conventional wells. The company has a lawsuit pending against the county, contending that it is being deprived of its mineral rights. In truly American fashion, sometimes the best efforts fail and the courts must decide which side will prevail.