As America’s thirst for petroleum and natural gas grows, energy companies are scouring the West for new sites to drill. Now, there’s a new guidebook and Web site, Oil and Gas at Your Door, that gives landowners a preparedness primer for the day that an oil and gas company man comes knocking.

Produced by the Oil and Gas Accountability Project, a citizens’ alliance, the guidebook presents a clear and realistic picture of the options landowners have when faced with development on their property.

Because many landowners own only the surface portion of their land, it’s unlikely they can stop drilling. However, landowners concerned with how an oil or gas rig will affect their property aren’t helpless. The guidebook suggests four steps: 1) Don’t panic; 2) Get educated; 3) Find allies; 4) Understand which government agencies are involved.

For a copy of Oil and Gas at Your Door, contact: the Oil and Gas Accountability Project, P.O. Box 1102, Durango, CO 81301. Or call 970-259-3353, fax 970-259-7514, or visit www.ogap.org.