Buddy Cotten,
Buddy, I enjoy your writings and thanks so much for doing them. You are a very unselfish person which is a rarity on this site but is also a rarity in life, in general, today.
I need to lean on you for some technical knowledge with the following:
In Jan 2007, I leased acreage to a drilling company for a shallow well
which (arguably) came up dry and abandoned after a Feb drilling. The two year lease that I signed expired in Jan 2009.
Some months after the drill, the State oil and gas board, issued a cap order which the original driller(Lessor) ignored even after repeated threats of large fines over a period of many, many months.
During that time the following events occurred:
......The Lessor sold at least 10% of the Company(I have documented and I am sure that many more 10%'s were sold that I am not aware). This was done upon completion of drilling and while the well was awaiting tie-in.
......At the same time this was happening, the State O & G BD issued a "change of operator" even after they had issued a "cap" order and continued to issue them to different companies up until this day.
I talked to the state inspector for that area and he said these companies that received "change of operator" approvals from the state were using the well for SWD.
......MY QUESTIONS ARE:
1. Can just any company use a well of this type without my permission (Mineral Rights Lessee to the original driller) or a new lease.
2. Since my original lease expired in 2009, is this strictly a matter between the Land Owner and the companies that are going on the land
and using the well for whatever? Could the Land Owner have a lease
and I not be advised since my well was abandoned but, as of this day, has not been capped per the Stat O & G BD?
Any help you can give me on this, Buddy, would be greatly appreciated.
Bob Buie Sr
PS_Seems like the oil companies got the money and I got the "shaft".