My siblings and I apparently own a few acres of mineral rights in West Virginia. We don’t know much about all of this and I am sure Antero knows this. The amount we supposedly own is really not enough to justify the cost of hiring a lawyer, and I suspect they know that too. I have done research online and sent requests to Antero for changes to the lease, none of which were unfair according to my research. Unfortunately Antero has been uncompromising and are now threatening to force pool. One of my siblings signed a lease right away, my other sibling is ready to sign now primarily to get the signing bonus. Antero wants to do 18% royalty with 18% post production costs, or alternately no post production cost at well head with no other royalties paid down the line. I feel like either way is only in their favor. Do I just accept Antero’s royalty clause and be happy with the signing bonus or am I better off not signing a bad deal?
My sister’s and I have tiny portions of mineral rights in Wetzel County and the land appears heavily wooded per google maps. Years ago, for this same mineral rights, Dad signed a lease with a different company. Dad had received the signing bonus and he got another bonus at 5 years. At the 10 year time, the lease expired, they never cleared any of the land or drilled.
My sisters and I used WV Attorney Kyle Nuttall 304-473-1403 for dealing with Antero in Wetzel County earlier this year. Kyle’s fees are reasonable and I believe he got us the best deal. I’ve used him for other mineral rights issues and he’s been most helpful.