6/17/2008 - 6/13/08
"Anne Potter Russ owns 60,000 of the 65,000 acres of mineral rights that Tecton Energy has leased in the Galisteo Basin. She inherited them from her grandfather, George William Potter Sr., who bought them in 1947.
Last fall, when Tecton announced plans to drill for a million barrels of light, sweet crude on the land in south Santa Fe County, area residents reacted swiftly. A public outcry resulted in oil and gas drilling moratoriums at both the state and county levels, and prompted Santa Fe County to start drafting new oil and gas regulations.
Until recently Russ, 48, has been a silent figure in the drama that has area residents predicting the environmental death of the Galisteo Basin and oil and gas developers threatening lawsuits.
Now, the perky, blond mother of two who lives in Kansas, where she edits a magazine about philanthropic events, says she wants her voice heard. "What I'm trying to do is put a face on the name of the Ortiz Grant," she said. "My face should represent the fact that I am not a corporate board. I am a person. And I understand the concerns."
In describing how her grandfather acquired the mineral rights decades ago, Russ said: "It was sort of on a lark. He saw an ad in the paper ... for a sealed bid auction on a parcel of land. He put in the one and only sealed bid and received the mineral and surface rights for the Ortiz Grant."
Russ said her grandfather was president of a small mining company that mined ores such as iron and copper. But that's not why he bought the land. "The historical significance appealed to him," she said. "He thought: 'Well, yeah, I like that part of the country, and I think it would be kind of fun to own something like that. My family could own a Spanish land grant.' "
Russ said her grandfather later sold or leased the surface of the land but kept the mineral rights.
In 2006, Ortiz Mines Inc., a corporation Russ heads, leased those mineral rights to Tecton Energy." more>>>>
Last fall, when Tecton announced plans to drill for a million barrels of light, sweet crude on the land in south Santa Fe County, area residents reacted swiftly. A public outcry resulted in oil and gas drilling moratoriums at both the state and county levels, and prompted Santa Fe County to start drafting new oil and gas regulations.
Until recently Russ, 48, has been a silent figure in the drama that has area residents predicting the environmental death of the Galisteo Basin and oil and gas developers threatening lawsuits.
Now, the perky, blond mother of two who lives in Kansas, where she edits a magazine about philanthropic events, says she wants her voice heard. "What I'm trying to do is put a face on the name of the Ortiz Grant," she said. "My face should represent the fact that I am not a corporate board. I am a person. And I understand the concerns."
In describing how her grandfather acquired the mineral rights decades ago, Russ said: "It was sort of on a lark. He saw an ad in the paper ... for a sealed bid auction on a parcel of land. He put in the one and only sealed bid and received the mineral and surface rights for the Ortiz Grant."
Russ said her grandfather was president of a small mining company that mined ores such as iron and copper. But that's not why he bought the land. "The historical significance appealed to him," she said. "He thought: 'Well, yeah, I like that part of the country, and I think it would be kind of fun to own something like that. My family could own a Spanish land grant.' "
Russ said her grandfather later sold or leased the surface of the land but kept the mineral rights.
In 2006, Ortiz Mines Inc., a corporation Russ heads, leased those mineral rights to Tecton Energy." more>>>>
Link to Ortiz Mining Company poll referenced in the article, click here.
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