I was wondering what the process is when land is noted as active status, but there has been no drilling or production for over a dozen years. It seems that this would block other companies from potentially leasing the property’s minerals. How does one go about getting this removed? Is there help at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission?
Land men has the ability to check on the production status of wells. Just because it says “active” does not mean that it is. Probably just that it has not been plugged and abandoned. If you had a lease, but no production, then you can request that the operator file a release of lease in the courthouse.
Thank you. If the operator shown on record is no longer around or if they do not follow through on filing the release at the courthouse, then can anything else be done? I’m thinking if a landman is interested in a parcel, but it shows active, then he probably will move on to the next parcel while the “active” one just sits there without getting included for any royalties.
Does this work in Texas as well? I had one landman from a jack of trade oil company said my minerals are back with us for non-production. I just want to make sure they are for my pease of mind. Comstock, Mutsui, and other companies are getting closer to our places and want to make sure my ducks are line up. The old leased my parents signed in the 1980’s are pretty weak by today standards and sure don’t someone just buying out these leases. According to the TRRC most of these Alabama Ferry Field wells hasn’t produced in 300+ months and the RRC has them listed as orphan wells on their well site. I am worried if someone does but these wells then we are suck again.
Texas and OK laws will be different, in part due to OK forced pooling. You need to review the lease and the unit(s) that it is pooled into. Find all the DPU which should have acreage plats and reference depths. Have all of those units ceased producing? Are you receiving any royalties? Does the lease have any provisions about partial termination or can any one well hold all the acreage, despite being part of only one of several units and where some units are no longer producing. Have an oil and gas attorney review the lease, the units and unit production. You may be able to file affidavit of expiration on all or part of acreage. This is not do-it-yourself as you need to be careful about the language.
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None of the wells in the hold field has produced by the TRRC in 125 to 300+ months. It’s been since 2008 maybe since anyone has received a royalty check. After that the field been sold several times all the pump jacks and anything of value has been removed from the well locations. Nothing left but rusted out tanks and well head and it would probably been gone with the pump jacks if the wells wouldn’t pressure on them. Crazy thing is I had to ride around with the RRC guys to show them were some of these wells are. They weren’t even on their map or any records of existing.
It all has to do with (1) the terms of your individual lease or leases and (2) all the units formed under each lease and (3) whether there are any producing wells under each unit and lease. Failure to pay royalties due for past and current production is a civil legal issue and may or may not entitle you to claim the lease is terminated. You need to pull all the data together for each lease and related wells. There are cases of 100 year old lease, covering 1,000’s of acres and any one well anywhere on the acreage is holding the lease. As minerals were subsequently sold under some tracts, some mineral owners are not receiving royalties because their section or tract is not producing, but are nevertheless held by production elsewhere.
Thank you the information. I will pull these leases from the courts records and have someone looking over them. I know everyone that’s was tied up in this field and no one has gotten anything in several years. The last wells that was producing stopped over 10 years ago. I know the person that was gauging these wells and he said everything is gone from the location and was plugged. Dang companies sure make it hell on these old lease contacts. I read over a lease that Chesapeake did on the back part of our place in 06 and they had it in the admitted part that when the well is shut end longer than 2 consecutive years minerals would be released. They never done anything on this contract and I am hoping the Murphy Baxter contacts are the same. My mom had Alzheimer’s toward the end of her life and never found the Baxter leased around the house.