Hello all. Great to discover this group. I am a newbie helping out my elderly mother in law. Please forgive in advance any dumb questions.
Got an offer recently from Global Geophysical Services to conduct 3D survey as part of Round Prairie. Landman Wally Jackson seemed helpful.
Two question for this group:
1) Rate: They are offering $5 an acre for 435.72 acres = $2,178.60. Is this standard/fair?
2) Liability: Contract includes what I assume is standard language about Global holding owner/grantor harmless against any suits, damages, etc. (but not tenant farmer). Initial payment, they say, covers normal wear and tear. Any other damages caused by survey beyond that will be paid to grantor. Again, standard and fair?
I was wondering if we need to look out for protection for the tenant. Contacted a lawyer in Wolf Point but she wanted $250 to review 1-page doc so I thought I'd start here. :)
I can post exact language if helpful.
Roosevelt County Plots are:
S27, T30N, R57E, E2SW, NW
S34. T30N, R57E. NENW
S30, T30N, R58E, NW
Any insights greatly appreciated. My 90-year-old mother in law is eager to get resolution, so any help appreciated.
Thanks and Best, Joe
Buddy Cotten has a blog post on Surface Acess Fees. I highly recommend it. It can be found by going to the blogs on the home page and selecting view all, then it will be at the bottom of the first page. I thought there was another blog with helpful tips on geophysical contracts, such as not giving them the option to lease your acres for O&G for a set amount. I think much in the surface acess fees blog applies, I would definitely want a security fee, I would ask for double the money per acre also and remember that if a protection is not spelled out explicitly in the agreement it doesn't exist. I have heard stories of a crew taking a dump 100 feet from the landowners house wiping their rear with a shop towel and throwing it on the ground. I'm fairly certain that the company didn't authorize such behavior and it may not be much in the greater scheme of things but what else might they get up to that the office would not authorize ? I think you need a better agreement than the company offered and someone to watch to make sure that the agreement is kept. Remember the company may sell the information from the shoot to multiple companies and are doing it to make a profit off your acres, it could very well be that they will hire someone else to shoot it for them. There's money in it for them, there should be a little money in it for you.