Tags: Carolyn  Haynesville  HVX200  Lease  Roy  Shale  
Channel: News & Politics
Uploaded: July 4, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Author: ziocody
Length: 03:33
Rating: 5.00
Views: 3672
Carolyn Roy Property owners are practically panicking in response to all the talk of mineral lease bonuses and the prospect of being passed over. It's all part of the dynamic of this larger-than-life play...as oil companies jockey for the power-position in a game where acreage is gold, and business-minded individuals see an opportunity. If information is power, expertise is priceless - and right now, both are in demand. A number of "consultants" have emerged, offering advice on mineral leasing. Some have professional experience, but not all, and not all of them represent landowners exclusively. City councilman Mike Long is a landman himself, and knows the "play" is indeed a lot like a game, only with higher stakes. "It's a big monopoly game in oil and gas, so this is how it typically works and everybody rushes in to grab up as much acreage as they can and then all the back room wrangling and deal-making and trading starts to occur." Now, a number of online players are competing for a piece of the action, looking to cash in on the confusion by offering professional help in negotiating leases, by promising better terms and higher payouts. "Of course, you know, we have a profit motive," says Tim Goedders, says Shreveport entrepreneur and co-founder of louisianagasandoilleaseholdouts.com. "If we don't reach a negotiated threshold for them, they owe us a dollar a mineral acre." Goedders teamed up with Shreveport attorney John Settle in the venture, and says "the key is that the landowners receive their quote, 'fair share,' and that's one of the reasons too that we encourage them. If they've got this newfound money to plow some of it back into the community. So it's an idea where it's a win-win for everyone and that's a lot of Tim and I's motivation, is to structure something so that everybody wins by this." Attorney Walter Johnson is also capitalizing on the power of the web to get the word out about his services. "I think the big thing is that since we're able to use the web, there's so much power in that device, that technology." Johnson's concept for haynesvilleshalelandowners.org rounds up all the experts a landowner or neighborhood association looking to lease might need. "I think we have a comprehensive package we have legal, geology, we have tax, we have financial assistance, and then we have the administrators that are trying to keep up with people...What makes us different is we're an advocate for the community."While most of these sites are perfectly legal and legitimate, their intentions might not always be entirely altruistic, and City Councilor Mike Long suggests they shouldn't be confused with truly non-profit neighborhood associations, "As an association, if you base your fee structure for your members on a commission or on a piece of their royalty or what we call in the business an override (ORRI), I have a real problem with that."It's judgement call each landowner has to make: take on the oil and gas companies alone, or hire someone else to do it for you. Just make sure they're truly working for you. Either way, all sides agree on two things: landowners will do best if they get informed, and get organized.