The Bakken and Eagle Ford may currently be the largest unconventional oil producers in the U.S., but the two fields certainly do not hold a monopoly on horizontal oil. In fact, North America's shale oil plays may prove to be just as abundant and diverse as the continent's natural gas plays. SM Energy's (SM) earnings and operating update …

Last Thursday, officials at the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology released highlights of its two-year study of the Barnett Shale field. This is ground zero for the American shale revolution since it is where George Mitchell and his engineers tested the thesis that by drilling horizontal wells and applying substantial…

One of my reasons for getting on here was simply to get my own unfiltered information on the exciting developments going on in the shale oil & gas areas of the country and see what jobs there may be lurking out there for an architect whose last position was principal in a civil engineering consulting firm.

In this area of the country, I encounter cohorts, work colleagues, and academics totally oblivious to the sea change taking place in the energy industry. I mention the…

Obama energy choice backs natural gas as ‘bridge fuel’ to reach clean energy

Ernest Moniz, a physics professor at the…

Attorney Spotlight: Ben Elmore



It's an offer many of us have experienced. A land man calls with an offer of “mailbox money” for the mineral rights on your property. What do you do? What have you done? According to oil and gas lawyer Ben Elmore,  read closely before signing on the dotted line. If you don’t, it may come back to haunt you.

Mailbox money is a slang term of the shale era. “You wake up one day and you get a call from a land man” promising $1,000 an acre…

By Keith Mauck

Well, that was the best $20 I’ve spent in…

Recently a GHS member asked a few pointed questions that demonstrate the frustration felt by anyone who has labored through deciphering their royalty statement only to discover they're being paid far less for their gas than the prices reported on TV. 

Whole books can (and have) been written on the issues surrounding the payment and reporting of royalties, and this post is not intended to be as comprehensive. Rather, I hope this post will address some common and reasonable concerns…

Attorney Spotlight: Eric Camp



Years ago in Burleson, Texas, a company eager to extract natural gas from the Barnett Shale entered negotiations with property owners who were just as eager to profit from the minerals beneath their suburban development.



For a while, the talks favored…

Link to the WSJ OpEd >

The agency's groundwatercontamination finding is undermined by the U.S. Geological Survey.

By KEITH MAUCK

It has been four decades since Richard Nixon launched "Project Independence" with the goal of making the United…

Transzap, Oildex Named to Software Magazine’s Software 500

Software Magazine Ranks Transzap, Inc. & Oildex as one of the World’s Largest Software Companies

DENVER and HOUSTON – December 13, 2012- Transzap, Inc. today announces its inclusion in Software Magazine’s Software 500 ranking of the world’s largest software and service providers, now in its 30^th year. Transzap and Oildex…

This post touches upon a commonly misunderstood issue: That the word "royalty" is used to described many different kinds of mineral right, which are governed by separate legal regimes in many cases. 

These distinctions become relevant when one has questions like "Does XYZ's royalties expire when a lease expires?" or "Are my royalties subject to prescription?" The answers to these questions and others depend on what kind of…

There is no set “form” demand letter. A demand letter can be formal or informal, written by an attorney on behalf of a client or written by an individual on his own behalf, demand payment or demand some other action from a party. No matter the form, a demand letter’s purpose is the same – avoid litigation and expedite a resolution of whatever dispute exists between the parties.

This article contains guidelines and tips for drafting an effective demand letter – one that is more likely…

Disclosures During Oil and Gas Lease Negotiations - Texas and Louisiana



The oil and gas industry has always been subject to booms and busts. Barnett Shale and Haynesville Shale lessors are recovering from their first “bust.” Their roller coaster ride started with oil and gas lease terms of $200/acre and a 1/8th royalty, up to $27,200/acre and a 1/4th royalty, and then back down to $500-$5,000/acre and a 1/5th royalty. In some cases, it seemed like the “going rates” changed…

The State of Louisiana is undoubtedly the largest landowner in the state, and therefore is likely the largest mineral owner as well. Just like any other party, the State often acts aggressively to protect and establish its ownership of mineral rights throughout Louisiana. This blog post is meant to give a summary of some of the legal issues surrounding ownership of mineral rights when the State of Louisiana is involved.  This post is for educational purposes only, and is certainly no…

One of the unique aspects of Louisiana property law is the regime governing servitudes. For Louisianans and out-of-staters alike, the nomenclature and rules can be quite confusing. This post is to provide a brief summary of the ins and outs of Louisiana servitudes, in their basic forms, in hopes of alleviating some of that confusion. I will go into more depth into mineral servitudes because that is subject matter of this site.

This post is meant to be educational, but certainly should…

I have leases with 11 different operators and have tried to come to terms with the best and the worst. On this site it is sometimes very apparent who is the worst, but not a lot about who might be the best. I have a new worst, that actually has pushed CHK down to second place. Samson Resources has always given me heartburn, but since the recent boy out by KKR has catapulted them to the front of the line. Samson has recently added a section to their Web-site that shows their core values and…

I went on line and then called TRRC cause I couldn't figure it out.  Talked with a woman named Nancy, absolutely no help.  Called the office of John Pintera and a woman called me back.  Her name is Ramona Nye.  Super lady game me all that I asked for...until my internet crashed!  Thanks ma. Bell, again.  Kudos to Ms. Nye.

It has been a while since I posted and some things have happend on the lease that may be of interest.

About a year ago, they drilled a horizontal Hainsville, the Wells 2H, but it has never been completed, probably waiting for gas prices to increase.

And recently they brought in the Wells 3H, a Hardwood Cotton Valley. It has been doing quite well since Jan 9, 2012, producing about 4M a day plus some condensate. Waiting for that first check.

And since all…

Natural Gas Prices  Remain at 10-Year Lows

On Tuesday, March 27, 2012 Natural gas futures ended the day to fall 1.8 cents to $2.21 per 1,000 cubic feet after dropping 5 cents on Monday, Mar. 26th.  Natural gas supplies are currently more than 50 percent above the five-year average for this time of year.

On Monday, March 12, 2012:  Natural gas futures price fell to a new 10-year low, falling by 5.5…

In the first half of 2011, the Big Four benefited from tight supply-demand conditions for many key services, as frenzied drilling activity in North American shale oil and gas plays strained the industry’s capacity to meet these needs.

In particular, a shortage of pressure pumping capacity–a service critical to hydraulic fracturing–had enabled service providers to push through substantial price increases in recent years.

Hydraulic fracturing is a process whereby producers pump a…