Ron, how in tarnation does this relate to oil and gas in Logan County?
Tim, it all relates to oil and gas not only in Logan County, but everywhere. Every move the Earth makes affects output either positively or not so good.
Robert,
Could there be the possibility of a Class Action Lawsuit against OCC and/or Devon? This possibly affects numerous mineral/royalty owners in Oklahoma.
Clint Liles
Ditto…I agree Alan.
Thank you Tim and Kaye! This guy is about to fracking wear me OUT! .
Clint Liles
Robert, sounds like OCC doesn’t particularly care for the type of questions you’re asking! The attorneys response certainly shows how much respect he has for the mineral owners which, should be a wake-up call for all of us!
Thank you Tim and Kaye! This guy is about to fracking wear me OUT!
I have to question any attorney calling anyone and telling them that the OCC or any other client would not respond. In cases like this, silence is truly golden, and there is no logical reason for any attorney being “naive” enough to stick their neck out in that manner, and expect to be on a retainer much longer than the next day.
Furthermore, seismic activity definitely affects Logan county minerals, and people who really want, even need, to know what is going on, pay attention to these matters.
That’s what I have thought all along Mr Brian my well is from a multi well sight but my back ground is not in oil and gas so I wouldn’t know if I was effected in the way you speak of, if I new for sure how the wells and tanks where being operated pertaining to my well they just finished, I would be glad to file a complaint . (Legalized thieves)
File the complaints online at the OCC website. If they start getting lots of complaints it will be harder to deny responsibility. The OCC regulation that Devon is violating is “economic waste”
"Waste" means:
(A) As applied to the production of oil, in addition to its ordinary meaning, "shall include economic waste, underground waste, including water encroachment in the oil or gas bearing strata; the use of reservoir energy for oil producing purposes by means or methods that unreasonably interfere with obtaining from the common source of supply the largest ultimate recovery of oil; surface waste and waste incident to the production of oil in excess of transportation or marketing facilities or reasonable market demands." [52 O.S.A., 86.2]Tim, I must agree! Think we’ve been taken over by a daily dose of gibberish! lol
I have been told this is Mother Nature’s fracking, makes perfect sense to me.
Well, yes. But we might as well just wait. Devon’s oil sales from their water injection sites are well documented I imagine. There is a two year statute of limitations from the time that the lawsuit is filed. Might as well let the possible award swell up a little. Working the regulatory issue is good for now. In about a year I have a lawfirm that is interested in this issue. But for now, force a hearing first at the OCC and get a ruling. You might win, but they are so corrupt the odds are against you. Then you can sue the OCC too, and get a ruling in a unbiased court. For now, I am thinking of starting up my old newspaper the Logan County Traveler, and dedicating a page to shining a light on some of these insalubrious operations. Going to court is playing into their hands right now. It wont take much with the earthquakes, Devon possibly stealing royalties, the acquiescence of the OCC, and the already ruined roads, destroyed bridges, unreported spills, noisy compressor stations, etc, to fill several pages of bad press for the OCC and Devon. That is what will cost them. A steady drip drip drip of really bad press. You cant buy good press when you are pissing everyone off. After everyone is good and pissed off, and letters have been written to the OCC, state senators, the governor, with no effect, then file your lawsuit. By then you might even have some politicians in your corner. I’ve been living on my farm for over 20 years. If you go on your neighbors property and take something that doesn’t belong to you, everyone will know in about a week. You wont be able to buy a meal at the local cafe, or get your hair cut. Some of the hillbillies around here will shoot holes in your mailbox, or any other property you have. Once that starts happening to Devon, perhaps they will decide that being a good neighbor and treating the mineral owners fairly was cost effective after all. You have to realize that oil companies will steal anything they can. They are pit bulls. You don’t give them free reign around your little children. If after 100 years of pumping oil out of the ground in Oklahoma there are no rules requiring oil metering to industry standards, then you have no oversight or little oversight, and a corrupt state. Remember, the state is making it possible for Devon and others to force you to produce your minerals. Devon saw an opportunity to steal some oil away from your well, in my opinion, and not pay royalties on it… legally in their minds. It is good for their bottom line, and their communist Chinese investors. What we have to do is show them that it wasn’t a good decision after all. That is why I would love to see everyone file a complaint on the OCC website, and write their representatives, the governor, and the commissioners. Raise as much hell as you can.
Maybe we could sue the doorknob for not opening the door when it is locked?
“If you ever needed any proof that the OCC were obsequious lap dogs to the oil industry here you go”.
Thanks Robert, For your efforts in trying to get the OCC to see how clearly we ‘mineral rights owners’ were being short changed where commingling of oil is concerned.
There is simply no justice what-so-ever in the OCC’s position!
For Heavens sake, I’d be happy if they’d periodically verify, via inspection, the oil and gas production being reported at these wells, but no! They take it for gospel what the companies are reporting and leave it at that. This is per Donna at the OCC’s Consumer Services Division!
Peace Be To You
Just thought I would update the group on the commingling issues that I raised with the OCC. I filed three complaints:
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That by commingling the oil we were denied the full and accurate API determination made by the tanker truck driver at point of sale. So by commingling a woodford well with a mississippi well or any other future formation we were being denied full value or potential full value for our oil.
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That the commingled multi well sites were not allowing enough residence time for the water and oil to separate in the produced water tank, before that water is pumped to the water injection sites. And that oil that was separated at the water injection sites by Devon, and that they were not paying royalties on that oil.
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That any oil that was separated at the produced water tank, and was gunbarreled over to the oil tanks was not being accurately measured, and allocated correctly to the proper well. According to the pumpers that I talked to Devon is ratio-ing the oil according to a percentage of the whole that each well is making. This is a substandard method of measuring oil and should not be allowed.
OCC’s response? They will not respond to my complaints in writing. Their attorney called me and said they would not respond or answer in any way my complaints.
So basically we are on our own. If you ever needed any proof that the OCC were obsequious lap dogs to the oil industry here you go.
I recommend that everyone file similar complaints if you are affected by these multi well sites. I would also recommend that you email the commissioners that we are going to vote them out of office when the next election occurs. I would like to see numerous complaints on this issue, so that they cannot ignore it, which is what they want to do.
I feel as if Devon treats me as if I was a tick on a dog.
Robert, “Waste” is the strongest legal position I’ve found so far and the only one OCC has a quasi legal obligation to prevent. I’ll keep searching.
A new factor in this matter of petroleum power is Ted Cruz’s new submitted energy bill, which I predict will pass once it is stripped of the Keystone Pipelince portion. The industry appears to be gearing up for the passage of this bill, and they are counting on owning all, meaning 999 % of Mineral rights in the USA, no-one will have less that ten thousand acres of minerals is their feeling. Personally I will be in that one one hundreth of one percent owning less, but my bet is they are active right now at this very minute seeing to it that minor insignificant owners never see a dime in royalties. Their belief…? “Who cares?” No one. The penalties for not paying us is so meager that it would never hurt them financially and so we have been effectively shut down and out.
Robert,
“Could there be the possibility of a Class Action Lawsuit against OCC and/or Devon? This possibly affects numerous mineral/royalty owners in Oklahoma”.
Clint Liles
I like Clint’s idea of a class action and it would be a way of banding together. Is it even possible? Martha or Virginia, what say you? I see it as a matter of justice and equity. By their widespread commingling practices the OC’s are depriving mineral rights owners their due!
I know, the OCC has a lot of political influence in the State but even if such a suit were to get shot down initially—On Appeal or even trying to have it heard on a Federal level might be the key to success. Hey, if the OC’s are doing this in OK they’ve got to be doing it in other states as well----It could be made a Federal class action case for that reason alone, I would think.
This is the Mineral Rights Forum (For all of the US, yes) right. Can we start a forum wide petition to see if those in others States are having the same problem and would want to get involved—Then go from there. Or, would this in some way violate any of the Forums rules?
If it’s possible, I do think this is the way to go----Why not, Big Oil vs “We the People”!!! Something like this could even make it’s way to the Supreme Court if it were that big and it is, I think!
They want us to battle it out in court where the party with the most money wins. A class action suit most likely will not be allowed and we will have to prove our cases well by well, because OCC does not regulate oil pipelines where our oil is ‘joined’. I’ve been singin’ these oil field blues all my life. Sometimes I feel like a motherless child.