NATCHEZ — The City of Natchez has received notification the Mississippi State Oil and Gas Board will hear an application for the Arlington oil well in August.

Chairperson Marty Seibert informed the Natchez Preservation Commission that the commission, along with the mayor, planning commission and Historic Natchez Foundation, received a letter from the oil and gas board notifying them of RMB Exploration’s application for the oil well.

The application, according to the letter, is seeking authority to drill a well previously denied by the city on historic Arlington property. The application also seeks to force pool land ownership in the proposed 40-acre oil unit.

Forced pooling essentially forces non-consenting landowners to join the agreements with their neighbors.

The preservation and planning commissions recently denied approval for Biglane’s proposed oil operation on historic Arlington property.

The Natchez Board of Aldermen denied last month Biglane’s appeal to the preservation commission’s decision.

Mike Biglane of RMB Exploration filed an emergency request with the oil and gas board to get on the board’s docket for its June 20 meeting. Howard Leach, attorney for the oil and gas board, previously said the board would take up the Arlington oil well matter at its July 18 meeting.

The letter states that RMB recently requested the matter be continued until the oil and gas board’s Aug. 15 meeting.

Anyone wishing to contest the proposed operation must file written notice of their objection with both the board and RMB no later than 5 p.m. on Aug. 7, according to the letter.

According to a map of the proposed 40-acre unit, the unit includes Arlington, Routhland and the property where Ashburn once stood.

The question before the board, Leach has said, is whether a permit from the oil and gas board for the oil operation would allow Biglane to drill without city approval.

Seibert said if the commission wishes to contest Biglane’s application, it must do so a week prior to the hearing in August.

Historic Natchez Foundation Executive Director Mimi Miller and commissioner Valencia Hall suggested the preservation and planning commissions send copies of the minutes of the meetings when the oil operation was denied to the oil and gas board.

Seibert said she would consult City Attorney Hyde Carby on who would represent the city at the meeting or send any notice of objection to the oil and gas board.