Royalty Deduction Ripoffs

Royalty Deductions, Circa 2016

Chesapeake, Samson, Memorial Resources, and other oil and gas operators have taken on some shady accounting methods. Mineral and royalty owners are losing a lot of money! Here's how.

Let's say Henry Hub natural gas price is $3.00. Let's assume that your operator's natural gas price is equivalent to the Henry Hub price. It might be higher or lower but we'll use that for simplicity. On your check stub, the oil company might show the gross price as $2.40. Well, guess what. By the stroke of a pen, $.60 just evaporated. And nobody even knows it unless they examine their check stub. $.60 divided by $3.00 is 20%. You just lost 20% right there. And then they have the audacity to make deductions on the stub beyond that. They might charge you for severe compression, dehydration or "transportation" charges. You may end up losing 1/3, 40%, even more by their shady accounting deductions. It didn’t use to be this way! Prior to the "shale revolution," operators might make minor deductions on natural gas checks... a few percent. It's getting worse with these modern-day royalty deductions. With some of this stuff, it is out and out fraud. And now, numerous lawsuits abound, and with good reason.

Some mineral owners / royalty owners have a "cost-free" clause in the oil & gas lease. This is a good thing, but still, companies like Chesapeake might just ignore it and make you sue them. Bad company! If you sign a new lease, make sure to get a good oil & gas attorney that practices oil and gas law IN YOUR STATE and have him/her draw up the strongest "cost-free royalty" clause one can devise! And hope they honor it.

Now, beyond that rant, realize that the Henry Hub is a broad generalization of what regional gas prices could be. The company might have a contract that is somewhat different. It is not simple, but believe me, CHK and other companies are ripping off mineral owners. In some states, one can join a class action suit, and that can be a good thing. Nobody likes lawsuits but these companies are ripping people off. We are being "pencil-whipped" with these bogus "transportation charges."

So far, I haven't noticed such royalty deductions with oil production, it's just for natural gas. Here is to hope that they don't start ripping us off with deductions on our oil checks!

Sell Mineral Rights In Reeves County Texas

Reeves County, Texas is in an oil and gas producing region called the Delaware basin, which is the western portion of the Permian basin. It's capital city is Pecos. Oil and gas wells have been drilled there for several decades. Some people who own mineral rights in Reeves County have earned nice royalties from time to time. And selling mineral rights rather than holding on is an option. Each mineral owner's needs are different.

Recently, Apache Corporation drilled several wells in Reeves County and has established production of both oil and gas. So, what is the best position for a mineral owner? Should you elect to sell mineral rights you own or hold on for a payday? There is no simple answer. Mineral rights include the rights to oil and gas royalties. Which may or may not occur on your tract. For more on selling royalty rights (sell royalties -- the right to enjoy income from oil and gas production), here is more info.

The oilfield is fraught with risk and field development can take decades. As drilling progresses, production history might not be as rosy as first thought. Or, the price of oil or gas could crash, making rapid development cease. Politics can hamper development. Even competing energy sources, such as solar and wind, are gaining, and fast. Many risks are part of the picture. So, whether selling mineral rights or not is the right decision is a tough call. But the time required to earn significant money can make it an easy decision if one needs cash today. By holding out, there is no way to know if and when your tract will get drilled. It could easily be 20 years or even longer. And if nearby drilling produces poor results, it could condemn your acreage of virtually or even totally worthless. Risks in Reeves County are every real, and include more geological risk than in other areas due to a more complex local geology.

For mineral owners who want or need some extra cash for this or that, selling mineral rights in Reeves County, Texas can offer a solution. One can even sell a small portion of what is owned and keep the rest as a gamble that it will some day pay off even bigger. But, it can be a painless solution to raise cash money and it can be done pretty quickly.

Selling royalty rights for cash money is also available to those who own what is called a non-producing royalty interest (NPRI). The existence of NPRI rights is not than uncommon in Texas, including Reeves County.

By the way, we can also help you with selling mineral rights in counties surrounding Reeves County, Texas -- Culberson County, Jeff Davis County, Pecos County, Ward County, Winkler County and Loving County. Also, Lea County and Eddy County in New Mexico.

For those wanting some extra cash from a lump sum cash settlement, contact us if you are interested in discussing selling mineral rights in Reeves County Texas!