Scroll down for maps of leases in Onondaga County!
The Deceptive Practices of LandmenYou have to wonder about the deceptive practices of landmen. Are they purposefully lying? Were they taught to lie? Are they just following company policy to get the paycheck? They're either really stupid or really evilly smart. Concrete evidence of their deception is being made available, from the landman's handbook found in a driveway in Ohio to the recent audio recording of a landman's pitch to a landowner. We are hearing from throughout CNY that the practices evidenced in Ohio are quite similar to what landowners in NY are experiencing.
This page is designed primarily to help people who were lured in by the landman's siren song, but also to enlighten the rest of us as to just what our neighbors have had to face. If you have had experience with a landman, document that experience at the Landman Report Card. |
A new scam...(4/2/2012) From the Town Supervisor of the Town of DeRuyter: I have recently become aware that a land agency by the name of Griffith Land Services, Inc. from Houston Texas is reaching out to property owners in Chenango County. The land agents are asking that people SELL their hydrocarbon (mineral) rights. This is NOT a lease, they want to purchase the mineral rights permanently separating the mineral property underground from the surface property. If anyone is approached by this or a similar offer, I urge you to please contact a lawyer immediately.
|
Leases
Did you get a Force Majeure letter? The gas companies are claiming that NYS's moratorium (which doesn't exist) allows them to enact the Force Majeure clause of landowners' leases (even if they don't have that clause!) and extend the lease indefinitely. From attorney Joe Heath: Why Force Majeure claims are invalid. An example letter to Chesapeake rejecting the use of Force Majeure to arbitrarily extend gas leases.
Did you sign a lease, and want to get out of it? Many of the leases in Onondaga County were signed in 2006, meaning that their five-year terms are up in 2011. However, gas companies use many loopholes to attempt to extend leases, and it takes work on the part of the landowner to ensure that they have ended. Attorney Joe Heath has created many resources to help with getting out of leases, and is hosting workshops upon request. Many thanks to GDACC for compiling this information!
Template for dealing with gas companies upon expiration of your gas lease
Article: Residents with expiring leases fight gas companies.
Did you sign a lease, and want to get out of it? Many of the leases in Onondaga County were signed in 2006, meaning that their five-year terms are up in 2011. However, gas companies use many loopholes to attempt to extend leases, and it takes work on the part of the landowner to ensure that they have ended. Attorney Joe Heath has created many resources to help with getting out of leases, and is hosting workshops upon request. Many thanks to GDACC for compiling this information!
Template for dealing with gas companies upon expiration of your gas lease
Article: Residents with expiring leases fight gas companies.
Were you (F)leased?
Fleased is a group of leased landowners. They are providing a voice for fellow landholders who leased mineral rights before we knew that shale gas exploitation threatened our land, air, water, and communities. To learn more, contact fleasedny@gmail.com.
Banks may not give mortgages for leased properties
Gas and Oil Leases Impact on Residential Lending
by Greg May, VP - Residential Mortgage Lending Tompkins Trust Company
March 24, 2011 (letter) (info in powerpoint)
Elisabeth Radow: Homeowners and Gas Drilling Leases: Boon or Bust? - NYS Bar Association Journal
by Greg May, VP - Residential Mortgage Lending Tompkins Trust Company
March 24, 2011 (letter) (info in powerpoint)
Elisabeth Radow: Homeowners and Gas Drilling Leases: Boon or Bust? - NYS Bar Association Journal
More maps of leases in Onondaga County
Gas Leases by Towns |
|
