Marcellus Shale Experts,

I am looking for some advice on some property that my family has in Butler County. We have 19 acres and we have been contacted by Royal Dutch Shell. We are trying to decide if we want to accept some of the current offers for leasing and royalty rights OR if we should wait a couple years and see if the prices increase. As a family we do not necessarily need the money now and we are interested in seeing how much the prices might increase over the next 5 years, BUT we are concerned about the following and are looking for advice on these particular issues.

1. If the neighbors around us lease their rights to Royal Dutch Shell in the near future, does that limit us on competitors? If Royal Dutch Shell starts to put in infrastructure on neighboring properties, will other competitors still solicit us for leasing rights?

2. No one in our family is currently living in Pennsylvania, so our "on ground" knowledge is minimal. Is there a leader of a property owner group in Butler Country that we could talk to?

Thanks for any help!

I've also attached photos of the letters we have received if that helps at all.