I’m SO confused. My Mineral interest were pooled in 2023 for S27-6N-7W but no well was ever drilled. Now I get a letter from Camino wanting me to do a pre-pool lease on the same interest plus an additional interest in S34-6N-7W. I already received a pooling bonus in 2023. I reached out to the land man with Camino who sent the offer, which was ridiculously low, and he said they had no record of my pooling it and said to send via email to them all the information showing I owned it. I did. Never heard back from them. Then today I get a certified letter saying they are pooling. Does anyone know about these sections and if I should just wait it out or try to contact Camino directly to do a pre-pool lease? TIA! Terisa
This happens all the time. Pooling orders are usually for six months, one year, or 18 months, so if they do not drill, the order is over. The advantage to pooling is that if they don’t drill, you can get another bonus with another pooling.
Camino had a permit for the Bennett 0607 22-27-1MXH which was filed in 2022. I suspect that they might be planning to go back into the area and drill that well to the north or they might extend their plans to drill another well to go a bit farther into section 34 since the technology has improved since 2022. They have filed 2025-001318 for a Woodford well into 34. Also case 2025-001323 for a second Bennett well into the Miss. It may replace the shorter one. The map has the Miss well that was just in 22 & 27 and the additional well. You can either lease with Camino (but get an attorney to help you with the wording) or you can just pool again. If it were me, I would pool right there and take the highest royalty. Saves the attorney fees. Camino has two rigs running in the township already.
are the readers aware of a concement clause.
Commencement clause goes in a lease. A good one has wording to the effect of having a drilling rig onsite capable of drilling to TD and drilling to the right. The pooling order time frame is giving the operator a time line in which to begin drilling, but the clause is not in the pooling.
Yes, a commencement clause as described above is very good to have in a lease! In fact, I am putting one to good use right now as one of my leases is about to expire and the operator is aware of that clause and is now asking me to extend my current lease so they won’t have to pool me. I was apparently the only one of their lessors with such a clause. This gives me leverage for better terms on any extension or new lease that I am asked to sign. They also may try to just get a rig on site and drilling prior to expiration, which is fine, but we will see. I may have to send the land man up there to take a picture of the site on expiration day to verify drilling has commenced.