September 7, 2013 – TriCities.com – Putting a face on gas royalties tied up in lock-box escrow accounts

Putting a face on gas royalties tied up in lock-box escrow accounts

Posted: Saturday, September 7, 2013 9:31 pm

BY MICHAEL L. OWENS | BRISTOL HERALD COURIER

RAVEN, Va. — Bonnie Clemons doesn’t realize she just might be the symbolic face of the frustration surrounding a federal lawsuit seeking at least $30 million in natural gas royalties tied up in a sort of lock-box escrow account created by the state.

She’s a 65-year-old widow who relies on a cane and walker to shuffle barefoot about her home and front porch, and she winces in pain if she stands for too long in the same spot or leans just so.