Gas and Oil Part 1

I don't even know where to start with this whole saga. While I like the idea of Capitalism, I don't like the idea of sneaky, lying, smash-the-poor-stupid-little-guy Capitalism. But that's what you get when you deal with Big Oil. I don't begrudge them the right to make money and I don't think they should be taxed out the whazoo. Maybe I'm naive, but I do think that they should behave with integrity and honor. Doing business with the oil companies and pipeline companies (leasing land for exploration and drilling or putting an interstate pipeline across our place) has been a roller coaster for us. We learned really fast that what the "Landman" tells and what eventually happens are not the same things. We've learned that the person sitting at your dining room table with a contract is not the person with the authority to change that contract. And we definitely learned that you do not want to sign that contract. I hope that we "grew up" and are not the poor-stupid-little-guy anymore. On the other hand maybe we're just the guy-making-the-lawyer-rich since we run all contracts by him now.

We've had four separate things going on. The Pipeline, The Seismic Graphing of the Rock Formations, The Gas Well at the Wade Place, and the Leasing of Minerals. In the future we will probably/hopefully have a Well at the New Place too.

I'll probably make a post about each topic so I don't get confusing. Because it is. Even I get confused sometimes....there are separate pieces of land, several sections to be leased, two well sites, three companies, contractors who want to come on the place,....

I won't be able to go into tons of financial detail because of confidentiality clauses and for personal reasons.