Houston Oil & Gas Attorneys

Trust a Team with a History of Results Against Oil & Gas Companies

Oil and gas disputes arise when landowners who possess land being drilled are not receiving the payment and treatment they deserve. Oil and gas disputes also involve workers who are injured while performing their job duties. We can help if you are facing these kinds of disputes. Arnold & Itkin represents clients who own mineral rights to protect their rights to fair royalties, environmental protection of their land, and other concerns of landowners. Landowner concerns vary widely and range from maximizing income from royalties to protecting land from unnecessary damage to ensure it remains viable for other purposes such as farming and grazing.

Our Houston oil and gas attorneys have what it takes to protect your interests. If your rights are violated in any way, we're ready to fight for the fair and swift recovery you deserve. Call (888) 493-1629 to learn more.

About United States Oil & Gas Law

U.S. oil and gas law relates to the acquisition and ownership of mineral rights in oil and gas, both before discovery and after capture, and adjudication regarding those rights. During the 1930s, the Texas Legislature empowered the Texas Railroad Commission (TRC) to "prevent physical waste" in the oil production fields in East Texas. Through the years, Texas legislators have authorized additional authority.

Today, the Texas Railroad Commission is the regulating authority for oil and gas production in Texas.

Recent booms in exploration and production in the Barnett Shale in Texas and the Haynesville Shale are forcing landowners to face the unfamiliar complexities of oil and gas law as they negotiate oil and gas leases for the oil and gas operators that are swarming their communities. If you hold mineral rights for land in these or other areas where there is active exploration or production, you may need an oil and gas attorney.

Helping with Oil & Gas Leases in Texas

An oil and gas lease is a contract that conveys rights to extract and market the oil and gas resources below a tract of land and specifies the terms under which exploration and production will be conducted. Oil and gas agreements include terms that specify a royalty that will be paid to the landowner for gas or oil produced and the schedule for payment. Oil and gas leases are usually negotiated with landowners by "landmen" who represent oil and gas companies. Oil and gas leases have nuances that differ from standard contracts, making an experienced attorney's services particularly valuable when negotiating leases or resolving related conflicts.

Landmen provide services to oil and gas companies such as:

  • Determining mineral rights ownership
  • Negotiating leases for exploration and production
  • Researching title status and resolving title issues
  • Unitizing or pooling of interests in oil and gas reservoirs

Landmen represent the interests of the oil and gas companies they work for and a usually far more knowledgeable about the nuances than the landowners. Consequently, uninformed landowners can be at a significant disadvantage when negotiating an oil and gas lease.

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Many negotiable considerations should be evaluated and explicitly addressed in the lease agreement:

  • Environmental Issues - Lease terms should address conservation and land protection to protect water, agricultural, grazing, and development potential. They should address the operator's responsibility for environmental cleanup and address issues such as potential equipment abandonment on the property after drilling and production have ceased.
  • Lease Term & Deadlines - Oil and gas leases are usually limited to a finite period. However, they may have clauses that provide automatic extension based on certain circumstances. Missed deadlines may constitute a breach of contract on the part of the oil and gas operator, and production after a missed deadline may not be subject to the lease terms.
  • Water Rights - Water rights issues should be addressed to avoid potential conflicts over water resources. Scientists at the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin see the potential for conflict in some parts of the Barnett Shale, where water use for hydraulic fracturing could begin competing with other uses such as drinking and agriculture.
  • Indemnification & Insurance - Oil and gas companies may seek overbroad indemnification for damaging events that could occur during the lease term. Leases may include terms that limit the scope of indemnification, require operators to carry ample insurance to cover most eventualities, and require that the landowner be named on the policy as 'additional insured.'
  • Royalties - Most leases will include terms specifying the royalty rate, method of calculation, and payment schedule. A lease may also specify limits or prohibitions of royalty-reducing deductions for post-production expenses.
  • Scope of Lease - Lease terms should clearly define the scope of the land and resources included in the lease and may include limits and exclusions on the depth of drilling, specific mineral resources, and other factors.
  • Lessee's Qualifications - The lease terms may specify specific qualifications the lessee must have and maintain, providing assurances that they are qualified to develop and produce under the lease terms.
  • Surface Issues - Leases may include terms that deal with equipment placement and surface use, limiting where and to what extent operators may place structures and equipment. The terms may limit surface damage and require surface repairs.
  • Pooling of Interests - Pooling of interests occurs when land tracts from multiple leases are combined in a pooled unit to drill a single well. With pooled interests, the well production is considered to have occurred on all the leases in the pool. Royalties are generally paid in proportion to the landholder's amount in the pooled unit.
  • Delay Rentals - In an "unless-delay rental" lease, a lessee agrees to pay delay rentals so long as the lessee is not drilling on the property. An "unless" lease terminates automatically if the lessee fails to drill within the specified time or pay the delay rentals.
  • Assignment of Rights - A lease may include terms that limit the company as lessee from assigning their rights to another party.
  • Bonuses - Lease terms may stipulate sign-on, production, or other bonuses.

Duties of an Oil & Gas Company Under a Lease

  • Duty to Develop - 
    The implied duty to develop the lease to the extent that a reasonable operator would have.
  • Duty to Protect Against Drainage - 
    The implied obligation to drill an offset well to protect a common reservoir from drainage if a well is drilled to extract its resources from an adjacent tract of land.
  • Duty to Market - 
    The duty to market hydrocarbons produced and obtain the best price/terms possible for the sale.

Property Damage from Drilling Operations in Texas

Drilling for oil and gas can be a messy business. Heavy equipment can damage roads and fields. Earth-moving equipment can clog creeks and block drainage. Leaking tanks can pollute ponds and creeks. Property damage and conservation issues, including explicit assignment of the responsibility to clean up, should be addressed in new oil and gas leases—and many existing leases should have land protection clauses included within them.

If an oil and gas company produces a nearby well too quickly, it can damage reserves under your property. Oil and gas operators have a duty under Texas law not to produce wells at such a high rate that the methods of production cause damage to nearby reserves; such damage may constitute negligence, making the operator potentially liable for damages. For example, hydraulic fracturing, now commonly used to extract gas from "tight" reservoirs like the Barnett Shale, carry a danger that the fracture will propagate too far. Adjacent formations may be water-bearing.

How We Can Help with Oil & Gas Litigation

There are many more kinds of issues you can run into as a property owner, such as being underpaid for royalties, pipeline easements, quiet title, and more. If one of these situations describes what you are going through, we may be able to help. Oil and gas litigation might include claims by royalty or mineral owners who need help with issues such as title research, finding out their rights, or division orders. Division orders can sometimes cause concern because oil and gas companies will combine multiple properties into a unit and then pay landowners based on a percentage. Sometimes that percentage will lead to an incorrect payment amount.

When premises are leased, landowners may develop some of the following concerns:

  • The company may refuse to develop the land as promised, leaving the lessor without payment.
  • Oil and gas drilling operations also have the potential to damage property.
  • Lessors may even wish to terminate a lease with an oil or gas company.

Contact an Oil & Gas Lawyer in Texas Today: (888) 493-1629

Our attorneys are skilled in commercial litigation and have handled many cases of oil and gas disputes. This is a winning combination you need on your side for an oil and gas dispute. Our firm can thoroughly evaluate your case to determine if you have a commercial litigation claim. Should you become our client, we promise to offer you the highest quality of legal assistance possible. We're the team people turn to when they want to show oil and gas companies that it's time to be fair. Call us now at (888) 493-1629 for help.

Common Questions

  • What Are Oil & Mineral Rights?

    Oil and gas mineral rights are the rights to explore, remove, and produce oil or gas located in or under a specific land property.

  • What Is the Standard Oil & Gas Royalty Paid to Landowners?

    There is no standard oil and gas royalty rate. Oil and gas royalties paid to mineral rights owners depend on several factors and are negotiable. Because market factors that drive oil and gas royalty rates vary over time, newer leases in high-demand areas can earn higher royalties than older leases. If you are a landowner trapped in a lease paying lower than market royalties, evaluate the terms of your lease carefully. There may be circumstances that provide an opportunity to break an existing oil or gas lease, freeing you to negotiate a new, more favorable lease. Although Texas statutes address the rights of landowners in oil and gas leases, no authority is charged with oversight to ensure private landowners are getting paid due to royalties. Landowners have few options but to take matters into their own hands, carefully monitor their interests, and go to court when necessary. It is not uncommon for oil and gas companies to find ways to shave money out of oil and gas royalty payments by under-reporting production, overstating post-production expenses, and other means. When they do, an experienced Houston litigation attorney can bring the resources and expertise to make a strong case against them and claim the royalties you are owed.

  • Can I Break an Existing Oil & Gas Lease?

    Circumstances may enable you to break an oil or gas lease without undesirable consequences. Oil and gas companies have certain implied duties, including a duty to develop, protect against drainage, and market. They may also have specific duties and deadlines spelled out in the oil and gas lease. If any of those duties are not fulfilled within the deadlines, they may be in breach of contract--affording you an opportunity to exit the agreement. Nuances in oil and gas lease agreements may also limit the scope of a company’s rights based on the depth of exploration. New technologies that make deeper reserves accessible may create opportunities to renegotiate existing leases or enter new leases for deeper exploration.

  • What Type of Property Damage Is Covered Under My Lease?

    When oil and gas companies lease land to perform drilling operations, they have an obligation to comply with the land protection terms of the lease. This may include preventing or cleaning up environmental pollution, removing equipment, or repairing damage to roads. The type of damage and the responsibility of the oil or gas company to restore your property or compensate you for damage will depend on your lease agreement. If the company violated your lease, you could be entitled to financial compensation. Your best option is to have an experienced Texas oil and gas attorney review your lease and determine whether you have a case.

  • What Damage Can Oil & Gas Operations Cause to My Land?

    Abandoned equipment, polluted water sources, ruined roads and fields, and damaged reserves are all examples of property and environmental damage caused by improper oil and gas operations. Drilling is complicated, hazardous, and messy, but this is no excuse for property damage or environmental harm. Whether your property was damaged because of a blowout, explosion, or another catastrophe, or as a result of unsafe or improper drilling and remediation, you could have grounds for a lawsuit against the oil company.

  • The Oil & Gas Company Wants to Negotiate a New Lease. Is That Standard?

    Many oil and gas leases were established years before advanced drilling and production techniques were developed. As a result, the terms of your current lease may not allow the company to utilize new technology without your permission. This situation may provide you with an opportunity to consider renegotiation of the lease or breaking it, depending. We can discuss your lease for a better assessment of your options.
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