I recently had occasion to reread an article from 2021 by Jude Clemente, a contributor to Forbes and the Principal at JTC Energy Research Associates, LLC. The article contains an excellent analysis of the benefits of fracking and the problems with the arguments against it. The article is entitled “Why…
You can’t watch a newscast these days without seeing a Senator or Congressman or some other talking head insist that the actions of the current Administration in curtailing domestic oil and gas production and pipelines were unwise and that oil and gas production must be restarted immediately. The posture of…
As anyone who reads my blog is aware, I am a Texas oil and gas attorney who only represents mineral, royalty and surface owners and I never represent oil companies. My passion has always been helping land and mineral owners make the best use of their land and mineral assets…
As most people are aware, President Biden has canceled the permit for the Keystone pipeline with one of his first executive orders. While environmental interests certainly applaud this move, there will be consequences that politicians may not be taking into account. First, without the pipeline, oil will need to be…
In a bit of welcome news for Texas mineral owners, according to the metrics calculated by Baker Hughes, the oil and gas drilling rig count for Texas and the United States is going up. Specifically, the rig count has gone up by 13 rigs since October 9, 2020. This represents…
In August 2020, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) issued the second part of its report on the Wolfcamp shale play of the Midland sub-basin section of the Permian Basin, which you can read here. The report is an interesting analysis of the geology of this area. The accumulations in the…
There is a new book out in September 2020 by Daniel Yergin. As some of you know, he is the author of The Prize (which won a Pulitzer Prize) and The Quest, both of which are essential reading for anyone seeking an understanding of the history and nature of the…
Many Texas mineral interest and royalty owners have seen their royalty checks shrink or disappear altogether in the second quarter of 2020. The covid crisis caused prices to slip to nearly zero in some cases and in response, in April, May and June 2020, many operators shut in wells that…
As oil prices have declined to unprecedented lows, consumers may feel glad for lower gasoline prices at the pump. However, the piper always has to be paid, and nowhere more so than in Texas. As I discussed in a previous post, oil companies have been hit by a number of…
The Texas School Land Board announced new policies in response to the covid pandemic. These policies apply to Texas Permanent School Fund (PSF) lands that are subject to the Texas Relinquishment Act, Texas Natural Resources Code 52.171 through 52.190. According to the General Land Office (GLO) website: “The policies delegates…