Bogus API numbers?

West Virginia Mineral Rights Doddridge County, WV
1

So I've been trying to research the area where I have gas and mineral rights to understand where the property is, whether it's being drilled on, etc. Especially since I don't live in West Virginia. Long story short, my brother and I were sent awful leases from Antero. We had a lawyer look at them and he drew up better ones. The landman, who pushed like crazy, says the lease is "on hold" and isn't responding to any communication.

So I'm trying to find out what I can and now I think I may have discovered that there are bogus API numbers in the lease to begin with! Here are the numbers in the lease:

TRACT 1:

County: Doddridge

Township: Greenbrier

Acreage: 0.3313

Parcel ID Number: 04-7-0018-0001-0000

The Leasehold is more particularly described in Deed Book 89, Page 89 and is bounded substantially by lands now or formerly owned as follows:

On the North and East by lands of Underwood

On the South by lands of Chipps, Law

On the West by land of Chipps, Campbell

TRACT 2:

County: Doddridge

Township: Greenbrier

Acreage: 3.7000

Parcel ID Number: 04-7-0020-0000-0000

The Leasehold is more particularly described in Deed Book 36, Page 499 and is bounded substantially by lands now or formerly owned as follows:

On the North by lands of Stephen Dolly

On the East and South by lands of James Dukate

On the West by lands of Quanita Crabbe

I know for certain the property is in Doddridge County because we've paid taxes to the Doddridge County Sheriff for years on this. But according to the DEP website, the first tract is in Barbour County (001), based on that API / Parcel ID number and the second tract apparently doesn't exist as there is no "002" county on the DEP site. Plus you can't have a "0000" well from what I can tell, the second tract # they list is to absolutely nothing... right?

If I'm understanding the DEP info correctly, then these numbers should start with 47 (WV)-017 (Doddridge) and then the well number.

Can anyone tell me if I'm right or wrong on this?

Thanks for any help,

Jenn

2

Hi,

First of all a API # will be the same as the permit #, and the permit should not have been issued until everyone in the Plat has signed a lease ( sometimes I wonder about this) but by law is the law. Second, look at your tax statement, they are referencing your tax statement ?? You are right a permit will start 47 (wv) 017 (Doddridge) and than the permit# "example" 47 017 06203. Their is a lot going on in Greenbrier, several permits have been issued to drill, can't tell you if drilling is taking place or not. I also live out of State.

Arnold

3

Jenn: There is a permit issued with Dukate's name, Crabbe and a lot of other people's names on it. The Api# or permit # is 47 017 06297H6A and it is for a well to be drilled in Greenbrier District. The Landmen that I have negotiated with are located in Bridgeport Wv, and have never got the "run-a-round", allways return my calls and answer all questions, however the landman from Ellenboro "Yea" another story.

Arnold

4

Those look like tax map parcel numbers rather than API numbers. The 04 probably means Greenbrier, probably the 7 means the tax map number. The next number, the 18 for the first and tne 20 for the second, are probably the basic parcel number and the 0001 with thr 18 means a smaller parcel that earlier was part of parcel 18. The 0000 after the 0020 probably means that it did not have any tracts subdivided from it. The last 0000 for each probably means thatyou are the only owner of that tract, or something else that the Doddrighe tax office uses. see if those numbers match your tax tickets.

5

THANK YOU Arnold!!

So I looked up that permit and the horizontal drill line goes right smack through the middle of property where I have oil and gas rights! I'll have to find out whether it affects mine or not, as according to the survey map, that property is 29 acres and my rights are 3.7 on that tract. But I'm not sure exactly where. Though interestingly, this permit was applied for exactly one week after we sent a counter-lease offer to Antero.