WV Gas drilling complicated by severed estates, co-tenancy

When lawmakers passed a large Marcellus shale bill late last year, one major issue still loomed — how to pool mineral tracts fairly without posing a threat to the rights of surface and mineral owners.

In West Virginia, it is very common to find surface owners who don't own the minerals beneath their soil. Sometimes the valuable minerals below even can be held by more than one — and often many more than one owner.

That's why most in the industry have said lawmakers in Charleston aren't done. The state lacks forced pooling legislation for shallow wells.

http://www.statejournal.com/story/17747080/gas-drilling-complicated...

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Rollins Snelling on October 12, 2012 at 7:26am

My two sisters  and I own mineral rights in 5 different parcels of land in Barbour County ranging from1/3 to 1/2 interest in 22acres,40acres,58 acres 35 acres and305 acres.  W e inherited it , and we don't know much about it. We have the tax certificates, and we have some legal descritions but don't know how to find the physical location to go to the properties and see if anyone is drilling on them, We are concerned that someone with a small piece of it may be doing horizontal drilling and sucking all the oil and gas from our part of the properties mineral rights. With this new technology it seems that there needs to be a way or agreement that someone cannot cheat the other owners of mineral rights by drilling horizontally. Can someone tell me how to protect this from happening and how to find a physical location from the tax cert like 1/3 interest in 22 og,unsold MinGlade district BarbourCounty Tax ticket no, 8194. All these properties are in the Glade district

Permalink Reply by Nancy Mosley on October 13, 2012 at 3:37am

To Rollins Snelling:

I believe the only way to find the physical location is to trace your ownership back to see where the minerals were severed, then trace the surface forward to see if it got subdivided, or combined into a larger acreage tract. Then trace forward to the current owner. If you live in the county, you can go to the courthouse. Some counties have their deeds online, or have people in the courthouse who can help over the phone. Good luck.

Permalink Reply by Rollins Snelling on October 13, 2012 at 7:25am

Thank you Nancy, are you in Barbour County?

Permalink Reply by Nancy Mosley on October 13, 2012 at 1:07pm

No,

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