Five agriculture and mineral owner groups announced the formation of the Royalty Owner Coalition of Oklahoma, a nonprofit corporation to create a structured, consistent and strong voice for the interests of Oklahoma mineral owners.
Representing approximately 150,000 individual members, the founding organizations of ROCO include the National Association of Royalty Owners of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, American Farmers and Ranchers, Farmers Royalty Company and the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association.
ROCO will work with elected officials on legislation impacting mineral owners including royalty payment accuracy and transparency, drilling incentives and long-lateral development, force pooling reforms, surface damages, produced water disposal and recycling, and other issues.
The coalition also plans to develop educational programs to inform its members, state elected officials, state legislators, administrative agencies and the public of the obligations and opportunities of mineral ownership in Oklahoma.
The founding member organizations created ROCO to fill the void in mineral and royalty owner advocacy following the dissolution of the Coalition of Surface and Mineral Owners and retirement of its executive director Terry Stowers.
“With my retirement, I was very pleased to see COSMO’s prior partners step up and decide to carry on our past 18 years of work for Oklahoma’s mineral owners by creating this stronger and sustainable organization,” Stowers said.
The founding ROCO board of directors include Mason Mungle of FRC, president; Scott Blubaugh of AFR, vice president; Jared Boehs of OK-NARO, secretary; Rodd Moesel of OKFB, treasurer; and Michael Kelsey of OCA, governance.
