Anyone have seismic testing done on their property?

[buckeyefarmer]

In Ohio they have been going down the state roads. never heard of dynamite involved, just meters and thumpers. read up on it at Go Marcellus & Utica Shale: Leasing, Drilling & Mineral Rights - All things pertaining to the Marcellus & Utica Shale

 

[ptgdigger]

I had the same issue in PA, kinda "strayed" like 500 yards onto the property from a neighbors who had signed, blamed it on their surveyor. Charges were already in the ground but not detonated, got an injunction to keep them from setting off the charges till I could look at the options, when I served them the paper they said they'll just cut the charges and leave them in place ,called the DEP office that handles the gas permits , abandoning charges in place is illegal so I told DEP where to find some The place was swarming with DEP guys within an hour.

Long story short, my well guy is a geologist and he hit them with so many conditions and future testing clauses that they were begging to just cut me a check and walk away BUT it is illegal to leave the charges in , it is somewhat hazardous to remove them! So we ended up letting them detonate 1 charge per 30min without data collection under the supervision of DEP, they had to pay my well guy for all the harassment and me for the time and trouble.

This wouldn't happen to be Appalachian Geophysical Services would it? If it is I'll give you the info on a good well guy /geologist , you tell them your going to retain him and see if they start chewing Rolaids

Ray

 

[clemsonfor]

I don't know that I can tell you what you want to hear, but I'll give you my experience. I own 76 acres here in Ohio, but like you, I do not own the oil and gas lease (was kept by the prior owner).
I was approached about seismic testing on my land and was offered a small amount per acre ($3 or $6) if I remember right. They gave me some story about having to stay 200' from any structure and said that they wouldn't do any brush or tree cutting with anything bigger than a machete. I questioned a couple of oil people in the area and based on their recommendation I decided to decline the offer. Never heard another word from them and they never showed up on my land.

A few months later, out of curiosity, and because of all the increased oil and gas activity in the area, I took the original oil and gas lease to a local lawyer to inquire as to my rights as the land owner. I was told that whatever was agreed to on the original lease was the word with the bark on it. He told me that I was lucky to get away with declining the seismic testing offer and that they could have forced me to allow it if they had wanted to. As it was, I got away with it. Not sure why, but they tested all the ground aroung my acreage, but never pressed the issue with me. In fact I never heard from them again. I even went so far as to tell them that they could not use my lane to access the property next to mine.

So I guess my answer to you is to go and talk to your lawyer. Have him go over the original lease for the property you are on and see if there is any way to hold them up. You should also make sure that they kept the holes far enough away from you house

They may not have pressed you so that they would not be on your bas side right away for no reason. 76 acres is not a ton of acreage, and if they tested all around you they probably could make a relatively good guess that you either did or did not have anything under your dirt by what they found next to you, I think they may also have some side scanning capability as well? They probably figured that it was not necessary to press their ability to test your property and get you all upset and mad at the company for something that may not even be necessary in the long run.

 

[forgeblast]

I have had it done, In fact they are working on the well pad on my neighbors property now. They drill holes, put the "boom" in and then they string sensors all over the property in grids. There will probably be copters flying around that day dropping off supplies. They will detonate and the sensors will pick up whats under ground. They will come back the next day and strip all the flagging and wires and sensors up and be gone to the next day.
I had the boss come to my house to sign the papers this was geokinitics, for twenty acres we ended up with 100 dollars. I was able to talk with the guys doing the drilling and learned a lot from them. They left my property in great condition and were polite.
stormspoons.com | Our Experience with Marcellus Shale Drilling is my website/blog and I have written about our experiences so far with the various companies and have some pics about the pad going in. Any questions please ask.
The Natural Gas Forums - Index is also a very good site about drilling.

 

[pappy19]

As a contract right of way agent for major oil and gas companies for the past 30 years, I must comment on a few things. First and foremost you are the surface owner and therefore nothing can happen on the surface without your expressed permission. Do not ever give anyone permission to do anything without something in writing. Nothing verbal, period. If they make you any kind of offer that affects the surface, get it in writing. Yes, they have mineral rights, but that is a totally seperate ownership from the surface rights. Yes they can obtain court orders to access the property to conduct seismic testing, but not without the "normal and customary" per/acre payment and damage settlement afterwards. Also, and most important, if they decide to drill a well, they will need to pay you for any roads and gathering pipelines to send the product to where-ever, and that is another surface easement and payment situation. You will definately need a good land/oil/gas/leasing attorney and make sure that the "company" agrees to pay your legal fees on top of your agreed upon payment. Make sure any agreement has a reasonable life span and expires. You may have a renewal clause or total expiration. Also have an environmental clean up or HAZMAT clause. Noise and lights at night from the drill rig can be an issue as well and needs to be addressed. I could go on and on but a good attorney should know what questions to ask and what the answers should be. Good luck and keep us informed.

Pap

 

[tcartwri]

I'm on the seismic end of things. I have done blasting and vibroseis for all different kinds of projects. The charges they will be using will be small and the damage very local to the hole. Do not try to tamper with the charges, because if there was an error loading they could be lethal. I can't comment on the land use regs in the states, but up here leaving charges in the ground without the landowners permit, is a big no-no.

 

[jakdeere]

Thanks pappy 19 and tcartwri. I dropped the papers off at my attorneys today and should hear back from them soon.