Hi, I am a stock holder of Samson Oil and Gas (SSN), not the Samson you are talking about but I can tell you, Samson Oil and Gas are doing a 3D seismic over their whole remaining acreage in Goshen County in October. Has been permitted and staked this month. The cost of doing the 17,000 acres is estimated at US$2m acccording to their research partner Enercom. I have also read that Samson (your Samson) are joining with Chesapeake (CHK) in the 3D survey you are talkiing about. They are the most prolific driller onshore US in shale plays and are still buying into Niobrara.
see news here
"By SCOTT BORKGREN
Reporter
Tuesday, September 21, 2010 9:36 PM Mountain
Clearly, it indicates that there is another play as big as, if not bigger, than what Chesapeake is looking at in our county, County Commission Chairman Ed Werner said.
This is the inclination Allstate Permit Services gave when they discussed their future involvement in Converse County. Allstate has been contracted by Samson Investment Company to enter into permits with county landowners for the purpose of 3-D seismic imaging of an area larger than 240 acres roughly 20 miles north and east of town. The actual imaging will be performed by Geokinetics.
Allstate and Geokinetics will be performing the same role for Samson that Dawson Geophysical and McDonald Land Services have been performing for Chesapeake Energy, but they will be doing it in a different area of Converse County.
Allstate Senior Permit Agent Michael Sabin said seven mineral and permitting agents are currently in Douglas, but potentially 45-60 seismic crewmen could be in town in late October.
With the special conditions that we have with the landowners, we are not really starting this project until after hunting season and we will be off the properties no later than March 31, Sabin said. They say that Douglas is the northern extreme of the Niobrara Oil Shale field, and I think it is pretty obvious from what Samson is doing and from what Chesapeake is doing that they are pretty convinced there is something underneath the ground.?
Sabin said a permit agent will likely be present during imaging on property to assure a land owners specific agreements are being followed.
I know that some of the landowners havent been happy with the previous company that was up there, but I think we can alleviate a lot of these anxieties by having a permitting agent on site for these land owners, Sabin said. This is not 1975 or 72 or 1980 where people came in, made a quick buck, got the heck out of Dodge and left the landowners holding the bag. These people are in it for the long run. They have invested hundreds of millions of dollars and they want to be a working neighbor."
all the best