Pa. needs Texas' help with Gas !!! (mineral rights, leasing, closing)

[Pa HillBilly]

I am going to post a forum thread from a Pa. landowner. Please read and give us your input. We are so new to all of this and have no experience in dealing with the Companies involved. Any and all input is welcomed.

Thank you;
Pa. HillBilly

"For the past month or two I have been reading,listening,watching everything I can get my hands on in relation to the Marcellus play. The more I understand the more I wonder ...Why are we in such a rush to sign on the dotted line? History shows us that the early signers are those that lose. This play is in its infancy. After reading the forums from the Barnett play in Texas, there are so many similarities to what is going on here. The early offers were in the hundreds then a few thousand and the latest to the holdouts was in the $27,000.00 thousand range. As the Marcellus play proves itself and the "sweet spots" are defined the numbers will change. Granted the average thickness of the Barnett is greater than the Marcellus, and it raises the yeild per acre as a result. But other factors such as the presence of J1 and J2 fractures being present in the Marcellus and the experience and technological advances the actual drillers are gaining should help with the percentage of recoverable gas.
A map posted on this site shows that the thickest area of the shale (300') is in the nepa area of Montrose and then extends outward covering a large portion of nepa. The people from the Deposit NY and surrounding areas just received $2,411.00 per acre for acreage that the map shows a thickness of 150' to 200'. Being very close to the Millenium pipeline project currently underway, this made them very attractive to the Gas companies.
My questions are these?
1. If the people in Nepa are that lucky to have the thickest deposit of the shale sitting right under them, why are they in such a hurry to sign when the history of the Barnett play shows us that by waiting you can increase your $$ dramatically? Very few, if any chances come along in life to make this kind of money. Show me somewhere legal that you can make 10,000% on your investment in two years or so as the holdouts did in Texas.
2. Does the lack of infrastructure to handle the gas come into play in the early months & years of the leasing game? If so, wouldn't that be beneficial to the leasing companies to hold the numbers down as they have years of work to do to just get the product to market? Seems to me they can hold their numbers down and create the atmosphere of urgency and fear as they have while the gas data is gathered and the right of ways are obtained and pipelines laid.
In closing, I realize that many socio economic factors come into play here and each landowner has their own views. Its a game most of us have never played at least on this scale. I respect everyone's own decision for whatever reason they are doing it. It is their right as the owner.
I guess we will all know in 10 years or so.http://www.pagaslease.com/forum/Themes/pagas/images/icons/modify_inline.gif (broken link) "

[blueskies49]

Interesting questions. I can't really help you but just to say that last summer my daughter and husband, who live in a 3-year old subdivision in Tarrant County, received some paperwork in the mail regarding the erection of a gas drill nearby and a share in any profits reaped. They and most of their neighbors signed and a month after the drill rig was set up my daughter received a check for $200. It was a one-time payment only and the rig soon pulled up and moved.

[loves2read]

I don't know what the laws in PA have to say about "pooling"

in TX you can be compelled to participate if your land/minerals are part of pooled resounces--if the company wants to lease the others around you and you are holding out--it may not do you any good to hold out after others have signed--
the trick is to get ALL people who own the mineral rights to agree to hold out--which is what you recommend--
but will they do it--