General Oil & Gas Leasing Resources | Information on Oil & Gas Leases | Land Owner/Royalty Owner | State and Local Government Resources | River Basin Commissions | Valuation of Gas & Oil Rights
General Oil & Gas Leasing Resources
Penn State Extension Services – Natural Gas Resource Management Program
• Lists of attorneys and consultants
• “Royalty calculator” for determining royalty payments
• Discussion forums
• Common terms and general information about the Marcellus Shale formation
Penn State regularly provides educational programs in the areas affected by the Marcellus Shale leasing activities.
Pennsylvania’s Gas Rush – WPSU (Penn State Public Broadcasting)
• Recordings of several TV programs that covered oil & gas drilling issues
• Video Q&A’s
• Upcoming events
• Background information
• Economic analyses
• Geology of the Marcellus Shale
Penn State, The Dickinson School of Law – Agricultural Law Resource and Reference Center
• Laws and regulations related to oil & gas drilling
• Related cases and proposed legislation
• General leasing/drilling information
• Resources related to the Marcellus Shale and shale drilling from other states
• Resources specific to Pennsylvania
PAGasLease.com
• FAQs
• Forums
• Recent royalty offers from companies
• Glossary of terms
• E-Newsletter subscription
Resources from PALTA - an organization focused on natural resource conservation. Includes a library of documents including sample leases and consumer guides, and has link to an Oil & Gas listserv.
NYGasLaw.comSite maintained by an attorney in Southern New York who specializes in Oil & Gas issues.
Williamsport Sun-Gazette – The Future of Gas Leasing
Local paper in Williamsport (Lycoming County) with links to numerous local stories related to oil and gas leasing.
Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Association (POGAM)
• Represents independent oil & gas producers in PA
• Comprehensive News section with stories related to all aspects of oil & gas exploration in PA (not just from the industry viewpoint)
• Extensive links section with links to a number of related trade associations, as well as numerous links to state government resources and specialty publications
Information on Oil & Gas Leases
Checklist for Oil/Gas/Mineral Leases – Michigan Farm Bureau
Explains many of the common issues involved in negotiating leases.
Negotiating Oil & Gas Leases – Purdue University Cooperative Extension Services
Discusses issues to be addressed when negotiating a lease. Some information is specific to Indiana, but the general points are applicable to any lease.
Kanes Forms
This company produces and distributes hundreds of standardized forms for all elements of the oil and gas industry. This site focuses on forms related to royalty owners; a sister site has forms focused on the oil & gas developers and producers.
NOTE: PAR does NOT recommend that agents and brokers attempt to utilize these forms to conduct any aspect of a transaction. This link is provided ONLY as a reference for members to get a feel for what the common issues are and some of the ways they might be handled.
Landmen.net
Resources for landmen (agents who generally work on behalf of drilling or land acquisition companies to obtain oil/gas/mineral leases from landowners). There are very good sample forms and clauses as well various other resources.
Land Owner / Royalty Owner
American Royalty Council
Provides information and advocacy on behalf of oil & gas royalty holders.
National Association of Royalty Owners (NARO)
Organization which represent royalty owners. Does not currently have state/local chapters in the eastern part of the country, but some resources are applicable to PA residents.
West Virginia Surface Owners’ Rights Organization (WV SORO)
Focuses primarily on the rights and responsibilities of those who own the surface rights to land where the oil/gas/mineral rights have been leased, not the owners of the subsurface or royalty rights. The Guide to Oil and Gas is a comprehensive discussion of many issues. You can also find an overview of mineral rights issues under the Mineral Owner Info heading.
State and Local Government Resources
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources – Oil & Gas Resources
Resource page maintained by DCNR, which is responsible for tracking and regulating proposed and operating oil and gas wells within Pennsylvania. Extensive resources relating to the geology of Pennsylvania and geological information on the oil and gas drilling process. Links to various resources for tracking well development across the state.
Counties throughout the Commonwealth are administering Clean and Green differently when it comes to oil and gas leasing and drilling. Provided is a list of known regulations and contact information for each county. If you have a client that is affected by the oil and gas “gold rush” it is important to contact the county assessment office directly. As more information becomes available the list will be updated. Any information contained in this list is for reference only and should not be considered legal advice.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
In New York, the DEC is the state agency responsible for oversight of mining operations. Their Oil & Gas resources page has a lot of information specific to New York, but also contains information about the Marcellus Shale formation and other general information relating to the leasing process.
River Basin Commissions
The most common method for extracting natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation is to drill through the shale formations and then use large quantities of high-pressure water to fracture the shale and release the gas. This process is often called “fracing” (pronounced “frack-ing”). Fracing a single well can use a million gallons of water or more.
Both the Susquehanna River Basin Commission and the Delaware River Basin Commission have been addressing the issues of withdrawing, using and properly treating the water necessary to operate these types of well. The Web sites for both Commissions have sections specifically dedicated to issues relating to Marcellus Shale drilling.
Valuation of Gas & Oil Rights
The links below provide some general information and resources to obtain a better understanding of the issues. They also provide ideas on the types of practitioners used for this purpose.
NOTE: The inclusion of any individual or company is not an explicit or implied endorsement by the Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS®. Be sure to conduct the appropriate research before employing anyone for this purpose or making a recommendation to a client.
American Institute of Minerals Appraisers (AIMA)
Professional organization of appraisers who specialize in mineral appraisals. Qualifications include specialized education, 5 years of experience in the field, and recommendations from at least 3 other mineral appraisers. AIMA members include appraisers from Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.
International Valuation Standards Committee (IVSC)
Non-Government-Organization (NGO) member of the United Nations and works cooperatively with member States and other organizations to create uniform valuation standards worldwide. The current set of standards contains a Guidance Note (GN 14) titled “Valuation of Properties in the Extractive Industries.”
Appraisal Foundation
Creates and updates Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). Appraisers doing valuation work will need to comply with USPAP regulations.
Legacy Royalties
A company that specializes in valuation of lease rights for potential sale/purchase.
Richard J. Miller & Associates
Firm that does valuations primarily for oil companies or for larger royalty owners or owners with complex ownership. Also offers EUREKA software for more simple “do-it-yourself” valuations. (This software has not been tested or reviewed by PAR.)