... aus Sicht der Landbesitzer, und im Text eine Info warum man tiefer bohren sollte - damit später keine neuen Pachten an den Landbesitzer gezahlt werden müssen.
Landowners get info
Tuesday, August 7, 2007 11:44 AM CDT
NARO members attend gas industry seminar
By Pat Hambrick
The Daily Citizen
The issues landowners face as play continues in the Fayetteville Shale was the topic of a day-long meeting of members of the Arkansas Chapter of the National Association of Royalty Owners (NARO) at Harding University on Saturday. Representatives of the Ark. Chapter, NARO, and the gas and oil industry made presentations and answered questions.
The Arkansas Chapter was established in June 2006 at a meeting in Searcy.
“Virtually all (mineral rights leasing) terms are negotiable,” Mike Turman, Treasurer of NARO, said.
While most landowners in White County have leased their mineral rights by now, Turman and others pointed out that many of those early leases will soon reach the end of the five-year lease period. Turman, who manages land and mineral rights for others, said it is important to “market your lease.”
He suggested collecting email addresses from various land companies and agents. When one company makes an offer, email the other companies for counter offers. Do not give out the company’s names (and blind copy a mass email) or they can contact each other and set a low lease price. Get counter offers not only on the bonus price per acre but on the amount of royalty offered, he advised, because the royalty check “is where the big money is.”
Another leasing tidbit Turman offered was a clause that states that after the primary lease term has expired, the lease is limited to 100 feet below the deepest then-producing formation, so that if the company later chooses to drill another well at a greater depth, a new lease must be negotiated for those mineral rights.
Other topics covered by Turman and Tina Bonner, NARO president, included understanding legal descriptions and types of ownership. Mineral rights are the only non-producing ownership. Royalty deeds can be a special problem, because sometimes an unsolicited check, with paperwork to be signed, arrives in the mail. The elderly or people who have power of attorney for someone else often do not understand what they are signing; they are focusing on the check.
“Be aware of what you are signing, especially if it is unsolicited,” Turman said.
Several representative of Southwestern Energy Company were on hand to offer input from their areas of expertise.
John Thaeler, Senior Vice President of SEECO, Inc., said they now have 19 rigs running in Arkansas.
“If the geology is there, we are going to drill the well,” he said.
George Sheffer, DeSoto Field Manager for SEECO, commented during the break that he and Rep. David Evans, who works in the public relations area for SEECO, had visited with White County Judge Michael Lincoln this week. Sheffer said it is SEECO’s practice to visit with the county judges on a regular basis and to let them know where they plan to be drilling. If there is a road in the area that may not stand up to heavy traffic, this allows the county judge to suggest alternate roads, he said.
Geologist Terrel Shields spoke about the geology of Arkansas and the Fayetteville Shale, and there were discussions on the legislative process and on other Arkansas issues during the meeting. Landowners shared their personal experiences, as well.
Wilma Stewart of Searcy is Secretary-Treasurer of the Arkansas Chapter of NARO and said the NARO Web site has a lot of information available to the public, as well as to NARO members. An attendee said that the general public can email questions and get knowledgeable answers. There are also links to state chapters and to state organizations that deal with the oil and gas industry at www.naro-us.org/ . The toll-free number is 800-558-0557.