A plain-English journal for mineral owners. Read it before you sell to anyone, including us.
You’ve got a well producing on your minerals, and now there’s a thick envelope in your mailbox. Inside is something called a “Division Order” …
If you’ve received official-looking paperwork from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission with your name listed as a “Respondent,” you’re not bei…
1. Confirm what you own (minerals vs royalty vs ORRI; net acres/decimals; location).
If you own oil and gas mineral rights, receiving a royalty statement can feel overwhelming. With deductions, fluctuating production volumes, a…
When selling mineral rights, one of the most critical factors influencing price is the quality of the title. Buyers want assurance that they a…
Selling mineral rights in Oklahoma can be a complex process, especially if you have inherited them or are unfamiliar with the documentation re…
The Western Anadarko Basin has been playing second fiddle to the SCOOP and STACK for some time now, but the sleeping gas giant appears to be r…
if you find yourself needing to sell your mineral rights to qualify for Medicaid, Berlin Resources is here to assist you every step of the way…
Oklahoma Senate Bill 212: Impact on Mineral Ownership and Guidelines for Mineral Buyers
Berlin is neither an attorney or a CPA, but has recently had a few clients ask her about the differences between Transfer on Death Deeds versu…
Are you an owner of mineral rights and royalties in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, or Arkansas? If so, it's essential to understand that various fac…
If you are a mineral rights owner, you may be wondering how your assets are valued. Mineral rights and royalties are often seen as lucrative i…
Minerals such as oil and gas are valuable resources that have the potential to generate significant profits for their owners. However, owning …
All, if you're a mineral owner in Oklahoma and you're looking to sell your oil and gas mineral rights, you may be wondering whether you should…
If you own mineral rights in Oklahoma, you may be considering whether or not to sell them. While it can be a tough decision, there are several…
Berlin is back (she hopes). After a long hiatus, it is time to shake off the cobwebs and start writing again.
Berlin wanted to advise you that we have recently added two calculators to our website that will be useful to Oklahoma oil and gas mineral own…
Berlin believes it is about time to start chipping away at the giant iceberg of issues surrounding post-production deducts and the litigation …
On 11 December 2018, Riviera Resources, Inc. (“Riviera”) announced that it signed a definitive agreement to sell its interests in properties l…
Occupational licensing in the United States is on the rise. It has been estimated that up to 25% of jobs now require a license.[1] There are a…
Bethany McLean argued in a recent New York Times piece that some exploration and production companies who drill and frac horizontal oil and ga…
Mike Shellman at Oily Stuff, pens the best blog on the oil business. He often writes regarding the unsustainability of the shale drilling busi…
With the announcement of Longpoint Minerals II securing $802 million to purchase Oklahoma (and Texas) mineral rights and royalties, the froth …
Berlin isn't an attorney and she hesitates to provide legal advice to her readers, but she must opine on the plaintiff's answer to maybe the b…
It is a weird feeling to get an unsolicited offer to purchase an asset from another party. Berlin's initial thought is something like 'well, i…
Berlin's friend Bruce called her up on Friday, and after he finished ranting about planting his tomatoes before the last frost date, he got do…
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has been regulating on the fly as to rule changes on multi-unit horizontal wells. One of the recent change…
It can happen to the best of us, it was three years ago and nobody was drilling deep gas in Custer. You signed an oil and gas lease with an op…
Bruce was a bit pissed when he called up Berlin today. Apparently, his fence line weaning efforts cost him about 6 hours of sleep after he fou…
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission (the 'OCC') plays a large, but often misunderstood role in the Oklahoma oil and gas industry ecosystem. Th…
Are you going to fill up the boat with acres of leasehold and Oklahoma mineral rights or worthless paper and wasted efforts?
Berlin was having coffee at the sale barn this week where she ran across an ol' boy named Keith. Keith asked Berlin what she did when she wasn…
Berlin received a call today from Sage, a good friend who also happens to be a company landman, Sage reported that an Oklahoma mineral owner (…
Berlin received another call from Bruce today. He was angry and slightly confused. Bruce was sure that some fly-by-night lease flipper was fix…
Today, Berlin was approached by a fellow oil and gas royalty owner (let's call him Bruce) who needed some assistance as he just received an un…
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced that LAWRENCE H. WOLF, a/k/a “Larry,” was arrested yesterday for defrauding banks and f…
Tyler Cowen recently posted about the five smallest industries by firm size.
Pretty Boy Floyd looking awfully content with himself after cold drafting an Oklahoma oil and gas mineral owner.
Just a couple of war dogs, Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman toast to their partnership in the 1970s. Courtesy of Barbara Tversky
Has the time arrived when it can be said that mineral and royalty buying outfits have truly lost their minds? Received a forwarded letter from…
(This post originally appeared on www.oklahomaminerals.com on July 11, 2017)
The Arkoma Basin has been playing second fiddle to the STACK for some time now, but the sleeping gas giant appears to be rubbing the sleep fro…
(This post originally appeared on www.oklahomaminerals.com on April 19, 2017)
(This post originally appeared on www.oklahomaminerals.com on December 3,2016)
(This post originally appeared on www.oklahomaminerals.com on November 8,2016)
John McFarland at Oil and Gas Lawyer Blog has a thought provoking post about Chesapeake's trade to Saddle Barnett Resources, LLC in the Barnet…
While the SCOOP and STACK receive most of the national press from bankers who love generalizations, trends, and acronyms, the venerable Golden…
Berlin has received a number on inquiries recently about the types of oil and gas interests one can buy/sell/trade. While these are detailed i…
Because of its premier position in the heart of the STACK, leasing and transaction activity has not slowed in Canadian County, Oklahoma in 201…
There are many reasons why one would want to protest another's applications at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. Protests serve a purpose, …
'My buy it now price is $1000 per acre and 1/4 because that's what my cousin got from Newfield in 2N-4W.'
Woody Allen said that. He's not my favorite playwright, but he has a point. How many big company landmen are willing to meet an Oklahoma miner…
I won't use his name, he's a pro, but a dinosaur. He did business with Joe Dan Trigg and John A. and the Calders and the Dines, and the Culpep…
Times have been better, but they have been worse. Oklahoma oil and gas operators are in a pinch. Did Chesapeake experience a dead cat bounce t…
Most oil and gas leases contain what is commonly known as a shut-in royalty clause. The clause developed over the years to mitigate the harsh…
Pooling is the process of combining the interests of two or more tracts in the same spacing unit. The area is called a pool, or a unit. Poolin…
One of the most common provisions an oil company landman will try to negotiate is an option for the oil company to extend the primary term of …
What is the Oklahoma Surface Damage Act? The Surface Damage Act requires oil companies to negotiate in good faith with landowners to determine…
One of the very first questions that a mineral owner will be asked if he wants to sell his Oklahoma mineral rights or oil and gas royalties is…
The Anadarko Basin is a a geologic depositional and structural basin centered in the western part of Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle. The Bas…
The rule of capture is common in almost all oil and gas producing states. The rule establishes the ownership rights to natural resources. For …
Today a woman, let's call her Ruth, from outside Duncan called the shop and said her mother passed last September and she and the three other …
After the Oil and Gas Lease, the Division Order is the second most common instrument the Oklahoma oil and gas mineral and royalty interest own…
The Pugh Clause is named after the Louisiana Barrister Lawrence Pugh in 1947 after the state Supreme Court ruled on Hunter v. Shell Oil Co., 2…
In our last post, we discussed the basics of the Oil and Gas Lease. Today we will discuss some of the finer points, provisions, and clauses of…
For the mineral owner, the Oil and Gas Lease is the most common, but also the most important legal instrument that he will have to negotiate. …
Older commentary on the Oklahoma oil and gas business. Some of it aged well, some of it is a time capsule. All of it is honest.
It’s no secret that Berlin is not a fan of the newly re-branded OIPA — OKOGA. They often complain that the oil and gas industry is unfairly ta…
As yall are well aware, Berlin's finance (that's 'fuhnance') prowess is on par with her triple lutz, triple toe, which is non-existent. That b…
Here are a few links that Berlin read over the weekend that will be of interest:
NewsOK business writer Jack 'in the' Money, reported a new partnership, BCE-Mach, LLC ('Mach'), that was formed earlier this year between Mach…
Mark Papa of Centennial Resource Development, Inc. ('Centennial') has made some bold statements recently regarding the future of oil and natur…
If Berlin was a betting woman, she would venture to guess that an organization with the words 'Independent Petroleum Association' in the title…
Somebody owns the oil and gas mineral rights beneath Lynyrd Skynyrds' feet.
The always outstanding Matt Levine of Bloomberg, wrote great commentary on a recent Wall Street Journal piece about share buybacks in the oil …
The Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association claims to represent more than 2,500 individuals and companies from Oklahoma's oil and natural g…
Down goes Frazier and Linn Energy, Sandridge Energy, and Chaparral Energy. All in bankruptcy within a month of each other. American Energy Par…
Is Chaparral Energy the next Mid-Continent operator to fall? After the announcement that they hired restructuring advisers and the fact they h…
Mr. McClendon passed today. He pioneered the modern land grab and the lease play. One didn't have to deal with the dinosaurs or the remains of…
Linn Energy, LLC is a large Mid-Continent operator. By rough estimation, they operate 1484 wells in Oklahoma alone in both the Anadarko and Ar…
We are the boiling frog. Our liberty is evaporating before us and we are distracted by the promises of entitlements we cannot afford.
Received a call from a fellow landman at a well known, but failing company in the City. Apparently, his boss's mother-in-law received an offer…
When did Marathon Oil buy TXO Production? Was it '92? Despite the fact the Marathon has owned this acreage for 20+ years, they still can't mak…