Merlin Orr Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Well, after a long battle they have finalized a drilling location for the gas well on my property. The first chosen location has now become the location for the SECOND well they will drill on my property. The first well will be drilled right in the middle of my gun range about 120 yards from my back porch deck. They originally staked the well in the center of my back yard 235 feet from my back door. After much wrangling they have graciously consented to move it to the center of my gun range. This will put the wellhead between my home and my shop building and I will not be able to get to my shop without getting on the road to go around the gas well between me and my shop. My property is a near 1/4 mile square with the new well site being very near the exact center of the property. It will now also have a 30 ft. wide road cut to the well site with a pipeline from the well head crossing the property in some direction to come later. They have made a "final offer" of 8K with no allowance for the covered concrete slab and range dirt work. If I fight this they will put the wellhead in my back yard right off of my rear porch. The law states the wellhead must be at least 200 feet from any structure. I am screwed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skywalker Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Merlin, sorry to hear about that, it sucks... Hope you won't loose your natural sense of humor for this though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 They have made a "final offer" of 8K with no allowance for the covered concrete slab and range dirt work. If I fight this they will put the wellhead in my back yard right off of my rear porch. The law states the wellhead must be at least 200 feet from any structure. I am screwed. I guess you can't quickly install some more "structures", can you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Import an endangered species. That should slow the bastards down. Sorry to hear it, man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Merlin, I used to work for an evil oil company. I learned not to put it on my resume though. I just tell prospective employers I was in prison for those ten years and I get treated with much more respect. No, you are not totally screwed. Depending on state laws, you may have a chance. Bad news, you need to talk to an attorney who specializes in right-of-way. You can make it more expensive for them by delaying, court costs, ect. Stand up and give them general hell and you can possibly get the well where you would like to have it. Let them know you intend to fight and you may get them to move it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted December 20, 2004 Author Share Posted December 20, 2004 I just tell prospective employers I was in prison for those ten years and I get treated with much more respect. LOL! "Don't tell my Mom I work in the oil patch. She thinks I play piano in a whorehouse." Mr. Go Rilla I do have the 3 Toed Yellow Eyed Barn Dwelling Blind Tree Newt on my property... Maybe I can call the SIERRA CLUB ( your friend and mine) and they will help me save my Gun Range! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Merlin, stop whining.... with the gas royalties, you are going to buy the adjoining 200 acres anyway...just build another range over there.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Merricks Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 What's a gas well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted December 20, 2004 Author Share Posted December 20, 2004 What's a gas well? Just like an oil well but for the production of natural gas. There is no "pump" on the site but it will have a large valve arraignment to allow the gas to be taken out of the well. My property sits over a huge natural gas formation in Central East TX. Can't remember the name of the field... TL - If I owned the mineral rights it might be a little more palatable. But alas, I have no mineral rights at all..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ima45dv8 Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Well, after a long battle they have finalized a drilling location for the gas well on my property. The first chosen location has now become the location for the SECOND well they will drill on my property. The first well will be drilled right in the middle of my gun range about 120 yards from my back porch deck. They originally staked the well in the center of my back yard 235 feet from my back door. After much wrangling they have graciously consented to move it to the center of my gun range. This will put the wellhead between my home and my shop building and I will not be able to get to my shop without getting on the road to go around the gas well between me and my shop.My property is a near 1/4 mile square with the new well site being very near the exact center of the property. It will now also have a 30 ft. wide road cut to the well site with a pipeline from the well head crossing the property in some direction to come later. They have made a "final offer" of 8K with no allowance for the covered concrete slab and range dirt work. If I fight this they will put the wellhead in my back yard right off of my rear porch. The law states the wellhead must be at least 200 feet from any structure. I am screwed. Have they said how deep they plan to go? (This won't help your cause; I'm just curious.) ...Mark former Oilfield Trash, er....., I mean......piano player! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted December 20, 2004 Author Share Posted December 20, 2004 How Deep? Do you mean while they have me bent over or with the well? Whichever you mean I guess they will keep drilling till they get the gusher. I really don't know as I am not on conversational terms with these folks..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Near Buffalo, Tx, it is either the Caddo or the Duffer formation....usually in those formations, about 6 or 700 feet down...maybe a little more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Merlin, You're such an ingrate. Just thank the a-holes for the free target stand for your 338 Lapua and get back to shooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Merlin,You're such an ingrate. Just thank the a-holes for the free target stand for your 338 Lapua and get back to shooting. I was thinking something along the same lines. Take out a HUGE insurance policy, then go shooting. A Fitty Big Muthafunkin' Gun should do the job nicely. BOOM-shakalaka!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 "...If I owned the mineral rights it might be a little more palatable. But alas, I have no mineral rights at all..... " Crap. I would continue to legally whine and bitch. Also spent time in the Prudhoe patch. Very interesting bit o' fun. Yeh, and what Eric said, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cking Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Raise holy hel@ and they will come around to putting it wherever you want. You can also get free gas for your house use. Plus if deed says you've got the mineral rights then you can get a portion of proceeds!!!!! Your letting them walk all over you!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted December 20, 2004 Author Share Posted December 20, 2004 GAD ZOOKS! Some great suggestions here! Just got in and read the last several posts... LOL.. Wonder how far off you need to be to bust one off into a drip gas storage tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 depends on how big the drip tank is and how full it is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Merricks Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Wow! I always thought if you owned land that included what was under it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpolans Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Wow! I always thought if you owned land that included what was under it. Nope. And in TX, mineral rights take priority over surface rights. There are some things a surface owner can do and there are some regs/laws that can limit what can be done in producing the minerals. Best get thee to an oil and gas law attorney if you haven't already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Nope, John. When you buy the land you usually just get the surface rights. Unless you inherited your little old parcel from your Great Uncle who got the mineral rights with the property way back before anyone knew there was gold in them thar hills! Most people don't live right on top of a kazillion dollars worth of oil, gas, or minerals the way folks in Texas and Wyoming do, so it's never an issue. Merlin, tell the lying POS land man that you want a farm tap. (I don't mean to say that all oil company land men are lying pond scum. I actually know one who is an honest gentleman.) A farm tap is where they give you free gas for your house and barn and you get to call them up at 2:00 AM in January and tell them to come out and add some methanol because your gas line is frozen off. Watch out for "appurtenances" in the ROW agreement. This is the fine print that allows them to come in and install something like a 3516 Caterpillar compressor package that you've probably heard running somewhere. Wyoming law requires no more that 1 gas well per 80 acre spacing. If you have 1/4 mile square that should be about 40 acres. Does Texas allow 2 wells on a forty? Call a lawyer that specializes in ROW. Ask him right up front if he has any conflict of interest. (Does he ever work for the company that wants to drill your land.) And what he would charge you for a consultation on the matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Merlin, get a lawyer NOW. You have some rights in this somewhere. Find out what they are and call that your weapon against getting stepped on and ripped off. Amen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 The 338 Lapua will be cheaper, more effective, and vastly more entertaining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted December 21, 2004 Author Share Posted December 21, 2004 There is a very limited amount as to what I actually do. They can and will put in the well. The law says it - the wellhead - must be 200 ft from any existing structure. The company will concede small thing to prevent total alienation of the landholder - but if it hurts their pocketbook or overall layout of their wells... The wells are laid out on a master grid pattern and it will not be varied by any large amounts or they can put in less overall sites. The area I live in is over a very rich field. I can only hope to minimize the negative effect to my overall property. It still sucks but I have to be realistic about my expectations. If I take it further - and push comes to shove - I have little/no RESONABLE expectation of successfully changing the overall outcome. I may, however, end up with the well next to my back door instead of out of view in the woods. The taxes generated by the oil and gas producers in my area of many times that of any other local industry. Maybe I am cynical but I don't think the court system or anyone else will sympathize with my viewpoint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AikiDale Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Well, after a long battle they have finalized a drilling location for the gas well on my property. The first chosen location has now become the location for the SECOND well they will drill on my property. The first well will be drilled right in the middle of my gun range about 120 yards from my back porch deck. So if they are drilling in the middle of your gun range, and you have surface rights, I would suppose they have to drill around your shooting? You should be practicing when they want to drill. Heck, I'd even post a sign warning to be carefull because of the active firing range.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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