Sell Or Lease Mineral Rights
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The Tuscaloosa shale is also called the Tuscaloosa marine shale. It is an oil and gas "play" (area of interest) extending across central Louisiana into south Mississippi. This oil and gas play is close to being the same geological age, the same stratigraphic equivalent as the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas. The Eagle Ford shale has had a few years of drilling, hundreds of wells, that proves that it is a viable oil and gas play. The Tuscaloosa shale (Tuscaloosa marine shale) is just a concept at this time. Some wells have been drilled in the past several years, but they didn't work out to be profitable. But now, partly due to the success of the Eagle Ford shale, the Tuscaloosa shale is "heating up." Several wells are planned for drilling later this year.
The Haynesville shale is a shale play in Northwest Louisiana and East Texas. It was discovered in 2007 and announced publicly in 2008. It is a pure natural gas play, no crude oil is produced along with the gas. Conversely, the Tuscaloosa shale is known to contain crude oil, as well as natural gas. This is a plus for the Tuscaloosa because crude oil enjoys a much higher price on a relative basis than natural gas. Of course, none of this matters unless production of oil and gas in commercial quantities is found in the Tuscaloosa.
Over the past couple of years, a few companies have assembled large lease blocks of oil and gas leases in the Tuscaloosa shale in central Louisiana. Oil leasing and gas leasing picked up steam in 2010. We hope for the best... that the Tuscaloosa shale (a.k.a. Tuscaloosa Marine shale) will turn out to be a success! The widespread oil and gas leasing that has occurred means that several hundred thousand acres of leases are "on the books." Keep your fingers crossed!
An oil and gas lease (oil, gas and mineral lease) is a contract between a mineral owner (Lessor) and an oil and gas company (Lessee). In Louisiana, the mineral owner has the right to drill and explore for oil and gas on his land and property. However, very few mineral rights owners are wealthy enough to do that, in that oil and gas exploration is not only very risky, it costs a lot of money! So, it is rare for a mineral rights owner to drill on his own. Instead, he contracts with a company through an oil and gas lease, giving the right to drill and explore for oil/gas to the Lessee in exchange for consideration. The consideration usually includes an oil and gas lease bonus (signing bonus), may or may not provide for annual rental payments, and also provides for a royalty (royalties) if oil production or gas production (or both) is obtained.
Louisiana has long been a state enjoying much oil and gas lease activity. Yet, most of this has occurred in two regions -- north Louisiana and south Louisiana. North Louisiana not only has a lot of old, shallow production (say, less than 3000' subsurface) in the Caddo-Pine Island field of Caddo Parish and shallow wells in DeSoto Parish, Webster Parish, Claiborne Parish and the Monroe Gas Rock field or northeast Louisiana, but also deeper production (8000' and deeper subsurface) from the Hosston, Cotton Valley and Smackover plays. The deeper production is found in many parishes but quite a bit is in Bossier Parish, Webster Parish, Claiborne Parish, Lincoln Parish, Bienville Parish, DeSoto Parish, Caddo Parish and Jackson Parish. Central Louisiana, where the Tuscaloosa shale play is, had not enjoyed much leasing. That's because not much oil production or gas production has been found! Hopefully, this will change with the Tuscaloosa shale (Tuscaloosa Marine shale).
If you do not have an oil and gas lease on your property in central Louisiana and wish to lease your land, you may contact us and we might be able to help. The parishes where we might interested include: Vernon Parish, Evangeline Parish, Allen Parish, St. Landry Parish, Concordia Parish, Beauregard Parish, Avoyelles Parish, West Feliciana Parish, East Feliciana Parish, St. Helena Parish, Tangipahoa Parish,Rapides Parish, Point Coupee Parish, Washington Parish, St. Tammany Parish, La Salle Parish and Catahoula Parish.
If you are already under an oil, gas and mineral lease and wanting or needing a cash windfall, there is another option and that is, you may be able to sell mineral rights in the Tuscaloosa shale. You can also sell mineral rights and royalty rights if you have not signed an oil and gas lease. Good luck!
In Louisiana, which is where the early focus is, parts of the following parishes are of interest: Vernon Parish, Evangeline Parish, Allen Parish, St. Landry Parish, Concordia Parish, Beauregard Parish, Avoyelles Parish, West Feliciana Parish, East Feliciana Parish, St. Helena Parish, Tangipahoa Parish, Rapides Parish, Point Coupee Parish, Washington Parish, St. Tammany Parish, La Salle Parish and Catahoula Parish. Or, here's a nice, neat list:
Meaning large numbers of mineral acres, not, literally, a large mineral owner, haha. If you are an oil company or gas company that owns a drillable lease block or if you are a mineral owner with significant acreage, give us a call, maybe we can make a deal to get a well drilled. It's fun talking about it, anyway!
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