Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on July 15, 2010 at 3:31

If your ownership of the minerals is documented in the conveyance records of Natchitoches Parish, any interested operator will find you when the time comes. Contacting companies is a personal choice. My experience is that if you want to receive "opening offers" that are always less than what the company is willing to settle for, go ahead and give them your contact and ownership information. The industry benefits greatly from the lack of patience exhibited by many mineral owners. I know the waiting is hard for some. If you own 20 acres "on I-20", you may also own mineral rights "under the I-20 Right of Way" as those who lost their surface to the Interstate retain those mineral in perpetuity.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by The_Baron on July 15, 2010 at 4:07

Just to clarify Skip, the minerals under the row of any road would depend on the conveyance. if there is no reservation, the minerals will transfer to the government.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on July 15, 2010 at 5:12

Thanks, Baron. You are of course correct. For some reason I had Interstates on the brain and was thinking I-49.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by The_Baron on July 15, 2010 at 7:33

The same would apply for I-49.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by TLW on July 15, 2010 at 4:19

Thank you for the information.  It looks like patience it is!  How do I know if our ownership of minerals is documented in the conveyance records?  In our deed there is no mention of mineral rights.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on July 15, 2010 at 5:20

Deeds which reserve to the seller all or a portion of the minerals must do so with specific language. If there is no reservation in your deed, you would receive ownership of the minerals if indeed the seller owned them. To know if the seller owned the minerals you would have to run the title to your land back in time by reviewing the appropriate conveyance documents looking for a prior reservation. If you find one, then you have to research to find out if the servitude created by that reservation has prescribed (ten continuous years of no production or operations). You may wish to make a trip to the Natchitoches Clerk of Court's record room and perform a title search. It's a good place to spend a hot summer afternoon and having copies of the documents could help facilitate the negotiation of an Oil, Gas and Mineral Lease in the future.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on July 15, 2010 at 6:15

If TLW's land is in a unit it is quite possible that a well not on the property is holding an old lease in force and the royalties are going to another party who owns the minerals.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Two Dogs, Pirate on July 15, 2010 at 7:19

Why would the road running from Robeline to Marthaville have anything to do with who owns the minerals? I can show you several tracts of land on Hwy 120 that the landowners don't own the minerals and will never own the minerals because they belong to the state. There is land along hwy 120 that was owned by International Paper at one time that could be held by past servitudes.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Two Dogs, Pirate on July 15, 2010 at 7:49

I worked on a duster a few years back at Shamrock. There was a well off of that loop road, can't think of the name of it, just North of 120 a couple of years back. Is the Christmas well still producing? That well paid out a lot of money through the years.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Two Dogs, Pirate on July 15, 2010 at 8:16

All that I have talked to said there was not a more deserving person that this could have happened to than Mr. Christmas. The well I worked was in Section 6-T8N-9W, the driller told me that he had seen water wells with more gas than this well HOSS RA SUF, Wall #226291.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by The_Baron on July 15, 2010 at 7:37

"since Hwy 120 only runs from Robeline to Marthaville in Natchitoches Parish, it didn't happen"

I tried to come up with a witty response to this nonsense, but alas I just can't bring my tired mind to work today....

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Henry on July 15, 2010 at 6:02

TLW,
You should spend this time getting smart on leasing. Read the many discussions on this site about what (and what not) to ask for as part of your lease. There is a lot more than just bonus and royalty to negotiate. As a minimum, you should ask for these features: cost-free royalties, vertical and horizontal pugh clause, no warranty of title, lessee must notify you every time the lease changes hands.

Depending on how you feel about it, there are other things you might want to negotiate. These include: no surface use, shut-in provisions, etc.

Read, read, read on this site about all of this, so that you are ready to negotiate the whole lease, not just bonus and royalty, when the time comes.

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page