Hi, I believe I have inherited mineral rights in Centerville - Leon County Texas. I can see 2 leases filed under my dad’s name for the 143 ac tract, but cannot find a report that says what or what percentage he owned. I found 2 other lease for a 39 acre tract that does seem to include a report that says he owned .25% / 7.6 mineral acres, but that one isn’t signed and doesn’t show in the county clerk data.
Do I need an oil & gas attorney for this? I’ve researched several websites and also gone back to look at previous owner deeds etc. I cannot find any information of mineral right ownership.
AB 413 H HARGESS
AB 187 J CHATHAM
Goldstar (Comstock) has been threatening that they can enter the property because they have a current lease for minerals but they will not provide me with proof. From what I can see my father’s leases were only for 2 and 3 years and have expired. Although I don’t think he owned all of the rights. How can I find out if there is other leases for the minerals for that land? My 2 concerns with signing their agreement is I’m afraid they will ruin our well water, and 2, what are the risks of signing? If they say they can come onto the property legally, why have they waited for over a year for me to sign?
From you post, it seems that you own the surface and perhaps a fraction of the minerals. Oil company has right to enter and use a reasonable amount of surface for mineral development. You should be fully compensated for any well pad, electric lines, pipelines and roads. What kind of document do you mean by “agreement”? If you own any minerals, you want to have both an oil and gas lease and also a separate surface use agreement SUA. If you only own surface, then you still need a very detailed SUA which sets out the compensation for any surface use and to set out and limit locations so that the operations do not interfere with your surface use and privacy and future sales value. For example, the well site in a corner or other agreed site and only one road along the edges of the property. There are a lot of restrictions and protections that should be included, including indemnifying you for any injuries to third parties. The oil company usually presents a document that is one-sided in its own interest, so you will likely need an attorney to make sure that it is in your favor.
Wow, I’m just now reading this message. Thank you so much for your reply. By agreement I mean the agreement that they gave me to sign for the seismic testing. I am scared they will ruin our water well because I’ve heard that can happen. They added language that they will test the water flow before and after but I’m more worried about the water quality. They said I would have to do that myself. I have an appt with an attorney on Tuesday but yesterday they said if I didn’t sign I would lose all of my rights on the agreement and I would not receive any money compensation for the testing and they were going in on Monday (tomorrow) to set the flags. That yesterday was my last day to sign, so I signed. I hope all goes well.