Split estate
Encyclopedia
In the United States
, a Split Estate is when the property rights to the surface and the underground are split between two parties. It is the result of Homestead Act
s such as the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
or the Stock-Raising Homestead Act
. Who owns the right the exploit the underground is important in case it contains mineral
s, oil
, or natural gas
. It is currently the object of controversies because some landowners are concerned about the environmental impact
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a Split Estate is when the property rights to the surface and the underground are split between two parties. It is the result of Homestead Act
Homestead Act
A homestead act is one of three United States federal laws that gave an applicant freehold title to an area called a "homestead" – typically 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River....
s such as the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, commonly abbreviated ANCSA, was signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon on December 23, 1971, the largest land claims settlement in United States history. ANCSA was intended to resolve the long-standing issues surrounding aboriginal land claims in...
or the Stock-Raising Homestead Act
Stock-Raising Homestead Act
The Stock-Raising Homestead Act of 1916 provided settlers of public land—a full section or its equivalent—for ranching purposes. Unlike the Homestead Act of 1862 or the Enlarged Homestead Act of 1909, land homesteaded under the 1916 act separated surface rights from subsurface rights,...
. Who owns the right the exploit the underground is important in case it contains mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
s, oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
, or natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
. It is currently the object of controversies because some landowners are concerned about the environmental impact