Oil and Gas Update – December 2012
Since my last update in July, I have perceived a trend of a southward movement of the Utica play. There is presently a good deal of leasing activity in Belmont, Harrison, Noble and Guernsey Counties. Word is that some of the best wells to date have been drilled in that area. Certainly, Carroll County and Columbiana Counties are seeing large numbers of wells drilled, but leasing there is not as...Read More
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Title Defects
Before a landowner will be paid a signing bonus for executing an oil and gas lease, the Lessee needs to make sure that the person who signed the lease is the person who owns the oil and gas underneath the subject property. To know for sure, the energy company has to spend a good amount of time doing research at the local courthouse. There, they search through old deed books and try to...Read More
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Arbitration
Before the recent interest in eastern Ohio’s utica shale, gas leases were written a little differently. One big difference between the leases of old and the new leases has to do with how the Lessor (the landowner) and Lessee (the energy company) settle disputes. Where old leases didn’t quite restrict the methods by which the parties could settle their disputes, new leases can...Read More
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Atty. Eric Johnson Gives Speech at Covelli Centre
Late in 2011, I was asked to give a speech at the first annual Youngstown Ohio Utica & Natural Gas Conference & Expo, held at the Covelli Centre in downtown Youngstown. Our friends over at the Youngstown/Warren Chamber of Commerce were kind enough to record the bulk of my presentation. It is viewable below: Read More
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Oil and Gas Lease Amendments
Now that much of the new leasing has slowed down, many of our clients are being asked to sign a lease amendment. These people are already under a lease from many years ago. The trouble with an old lease is that they were written to accommodate shallower wells, as well as the way the oil and gas business operated thirty some years ago. The environment has changed dramatically since then, and...Read More
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Ohio Oil and Gas Leasing Update July 2012
Six months ago I wrote an update on Ohio oil and gas leasing. Since that time, lease activity in Ohio has changed somewhat. New Utica wells continue to be drilled, but it can take a while to learn about their production capabilities. Some of these wells will be drilled and left alone for a period of at least 4 weeks. This is done for geological reasons and has to do with the pressure of the...Read More
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Johnson & Johnson featured in Washington Post
Our expertise in the field of oil and gas law is drawn on from all over the country. Not too long ago the Washington Post ran an article about the Utica shale and its implications for eastern Ohio. It cites an article I wrote just a little while ago. You can read the article from the Washington Post here. Read More
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Johnson & Johnson Featured in the Business Journal
Our friends over at The Business Journal recently ran an article about us. It describes the increased business we’ve been doing in conjunction with the oil and gas activity in the area. After a long lull in the local oil and gas industry, we’ve found ourselves quite busy amidst the Utica shale play. Our reputation continues to bring us new clients, and we’re very grateful...Read More
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