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Permalink Reply by 0ym9x5ag7ury2 on December 19, 2012 at 4:36pm

Elmer,   I've been looking for landowners in Wayne County WV and I started a Wayne County site here on GMS.com .  This is the first time I've seen your post from April, so I am a little late on commenting.

I have seen land in Wayne and Cabell County that was leased in 2005 by Chessapeake Energy and other middle man companies that gather leases and wait for the big companies to come in and purchase the leases from them for large sums. Don't lease your land for $5 an acre to a landman and loose out on the bonus that will be paid when the Oil & Gas companies move down your way to harvest the Rome Trough.

I live in Columbiana County Ohio and have seen lease bonuses from $5 an acre to just under $6,000 an acre. Timing is everything when leasing. Having a land owners group is essential to get a fair bonus and a good contract written by the landowners. Wirt and Wood County WV have started a landowners group now to protect each other from the poor leases being brought to their doors by landmen. Hopefully the landowners group will move down through WV as the drilling starts, as they have done in Eastern Ohio.

I own land in Wayne County, about 10 miles East of Prichard WV. The land had a 2005 lease that expired in 2010 without being renewed, since all the excitement is focused on the "Triple Play" of Marcellus, Utica, and Point Pleasant Shales in PA, OH, and Northern WV. Wayne County sits in the middle of the Rome Trough where there are 16 different Oil and Gas plays as you drill through the layers. When the technology is perfected, I believe the big Oil and Gas Companies will be heading down your way to start drilling.

Tapping only the Utica Shale at 8000 feet up here in Ohio where we have Wet Gas, a landowner with a good lease with 15 to 20% Gross Royalty will make a fortune when the production starts. I have estimates of Dollars per acre per month that were exceeded by the Royalties one land owner was getting, it was more than I thought. People still don't realize how much they are going to make and I don't like telling them due to the large amount. I only tell people when they are considering selling their mineral rights. For instance a Man who called me to ask for permission to hunt had 20 acres that he was going to sell the minerals for $100,000. I looked on the Ohio Dept Of Natural Resources map on line and saw that his land was in the path of a drilling rig, which is why the mineral rights buyers were trying to steal his mineral rights. I told him how much per acre the estimated production would pay and told him to write it down. He said there was no way he would sell his minerals now that he knew he would make the  $100,000  in one month if they only drilled under 2 acres.

I see Ohio as being on the beach of an ancient ocean, and Wayne County being in the center of the ocean that lived and died enough times to leave behind 16 different layers that the Oil & Gas companies will be producing from. I found each layer described in a Kentucky brouchure on line that described each layer by  name and told the estimated production. I have the information on my desktop if you are interested.

Protect your mineral rights and don't sign any contract that a landman brings to your door, or pipeline company for that matter. You will regret signing any contract when the drillers move in and your lease doesn't protect or pay you what the minerals are worth.    Good Luck. Ron

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Permalink Reply by gary SWF on January 14, 2013 at 4:48am

Ron, Could you post your file here on your "Kentucky brochure" on the 16 layers of possible production areas that the O/G folks might use?.....Thanks in Advance....Gary

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Permalink Reply by guy dillon on January 22, 2013 at 3:53am

Ron, you have any late info on when any O/G may start drilling for the Rome Trough?  I own 65 acres of mineral close to Prichard, WV.

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Permalink Reply by guy dillon on January 14, 2013 at 4:11am

Ron,

     Hello, my name is Guy Dillon.  I have 65 acres of minerals here--about 8 miles south of Prichard.  Would like any info on the Rome Trough.

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Permalink Reply by elmer elliott on January 14, 2013 at 4:53pm

do you have any family in wayne ?? i know several dillon's from that area

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Permalink Reply by guy dillon on January 15, 2013 at 1:40am

Elmer,

    Henry Dillon over at Radnor/Echoe area...his Dad and my grandpa were brothers.

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