Failure to be timely paid on ori interest

[William_Douglas_Archer]

I have an ORI on State Leases in New Mexico. For years the operator was Paldin Energy out of Dallas and for the most part they did as they should have until their debt forced them into bankruptcy. We now have a fund out of Houston as the operator. They send me an email supporting the monthly check but several times now, the check has not arrived. They blame it on Covid, the USPS, the weather, don’t know what happened to it and eventually it gets reissued. Just a few months ago, it was the post office’s fault even though neither me nor my two brothers, all living at different addresses, all failed to receive it.

Now it’s the same thing again. With the wells in NM, with the interest being an ORI, is there a state agency that might help make sure the operator is behaving properly?

[TennisDaze]

Unfortunately, you are on your own as oil and gas leases are viewed as private contractual legal issues. State agencies are concerned about compliance with state law and requirements as to drilling and operations. There are some very difficult operators and you are probably not the only owners with this problem. Your best course is to stay on top of this every month, by calls and e-mails.