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You can run the title by looking through the deed records and tracing the title back to the original land patent and then forward again, looking for any conveyance or reservation of the mineral rights.

That's a great point! I need to create a video about capital gains taxes, one of the main barriers to selling. Sellers with larger minerals tend to use a 1031 Exchange to avoid paying capital gains taxes, but this a 1031 exchange doesn't often make sense for small mineral owners.

Absolutes are rare. In my experience, some companies are driven by profits at the expense of ethics, but it's not fair to paint them all with this broad brush. There are also companies that balance what's beneficial for the company and doing right by their customers, clients, vendors, etc. There are a lot of different types of oil and gas companies involved in energy development - from those that do legal and administrative work (leasing and running title), to engineering and geological inquiry, to drilling or servicing wells, to transporting and refining oil and gas, to the acquisition and divesture of mineral rights, and more. It's really a diverse industry with a lot of opportunities for both "good" and "bad".

@ I will paint it with what ever brush I like!

That's fantastic and much more redundant than my system! Good job in making that happen.

Just out of curiosity, what is a Black Mesa type company? I tried Googling it, but didn't find much.

Interesting about the wind and solar rights. Those seem to be severable only in certain states, so it going to be interesting to watch and see how that develops over time.

@BlueMesaMinerals Yes Ma'am! I called the WV Auditors office today and they currently have no tax base for this yet. This is a new concept I started and have helped other land owners with this declaration of rights. We have good logistics here in my county for supporting this if ever developed. Hope I haven't bored you with this but I feel in the future these rights may have value.

Severing wind and solar rights is becoming fairly common in Texas (we'll see how if the courts uphold this in the future). The following states have anti-wind severance statutes (as of a couple years ago): Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, and Wyoming.

Feel free to call me on bluemesaminerals.com/contact/. Hopefully, with more info I can point you in the right direction.

Unfortunately, as a non-operated working interest owner, you have very little control and very few options. You will probably be stuck with this operator until they sell the operated working interest to another operator. When that happens, it doesn't necessarily mean that things will revert back to the way they were with the previous operator. Your only options may be through legal channels.

I am not a landman, but you can find one through the AAPL at www.landman.org/.

I'm glad this was helpful.

Transferring mineral rights owned by an active corporation is fairly easy, but I'm not sure about your options if the corporation has been dissolved. You'll probably need to consult with an attorney.

I would imagine that California would have more significant consumer protections. The the states involved in this particular example were in the mid-continent area, and the situations were truly awful for the mineral owner. In this case, it was reported to the Attorney General, but I don't know if they ever investigated or if anything came from it.

Thanks. I'm working on a couple of new videos.

You can hire a company to audit your statements and make sure you are being paid correctly. It's expensive, but if you receive significant royalty revenue, it might be worthwhile.

I don't believe this is the case. I have never seen a case where a mineral owner was paid interest on any funds in suspense or back pay. I suppose it could happen, but it doesn't seem to be the norm.

You can find my contact info here: bluemesaminerals.com/contact/

It is often easier to transfer minerals from a trust. One of the most common reasons assets are put into a trust is to avoid having to go through probate, which is an expensive and time-consuming process.

This is a great question, and while I know the answer, I am not an attorney, so I can't give legal advice. You might have to talk to an attorney (or maybe ask ChatGPT to act as an attorney and then verify that information using other sources).

@@BlueMesaMinerals Thank you so much for your prompt reply. What is ChatGPT?

@@bobjohnson5320 ChatGPT is the most popular AI service. You can use it for free at chatgpt.com/, but the paid version is better. Be careful, though. It tends to give incorrect information sometimes.

Yes, there is usually a frenzy of activity before a new well is drilled. The mineral owners in the area will probably receive multiple offers because most buyers are "chasing drill bits". These buyers know that the majority of the revenue the well makes over it's lifetime will be in the first couple of years, so they want the revenue from the initial production.

I completely agree!

Isn't it? I hope this video helps others avoid this really sad outcome.

I'm sorry to hear that you've been through a similar situation. Thanks for sharing - hopefully this information becomes more widely known.

Have the deeds been recorded in the county where the mineral rights are located?

Unfortunately, I'm not an attorney. It's extremely common for the surface owner and the mineral owner to be two separate parties (in fact, hundreds of people could own a fractional interest in the mineral rights). Georgia is not on the list of the top 25 oil and gas-producing states, and my knowledge of mineral rights is limited to oil and gas (and other minerals produced with oil and gas). If I were you, I would consult with an attorney in Georgia. Perhaps a different buyer wouldn't care if the land didn't come with mineral rights?

If you are getting multiple offers, a broker may be interested (after all, they are going to collect a fee for connecting the seller to buyers). It doesn't hurt to reach out to a couple of brokers and gauge their interest.

I believe so. I've heard of companies with this business model.

I just did a video about this very topic: th-cam.com/video/IpOdmLFCn2M/w-d-xo.html

You wouldn't believe how many people call me and disagree!

Thank you for the kind words!

You're welcome. It's often interesting to see how people ended up along various paths (and how much one can grow).

Good advice. You can learn so much from attempting your own title search. The county clerk employees are often quite helpful if you get stuck.

Feel free to request an offer at bluemesaminerals.com or email me at danna@bluemesaminerals.com. Thanks!

It looks Oklahoma has a new system. Try this link: oklahoma.gov/occ/divisions/oil-gas/database-search-imaged-documents/occ-well-data-finder.html

@@BlueMesaMinerals Thank you. I tried that in my quest but with no success. Either I'm doing something wrong or OK doesn't want owners to know something.

@@greenbeginner3353 Oklahoma has the worst public data of any state I've encountered. It's probably not you! What are you trying to find?

@@BlueMesaMinerals I have the address for mineral rights in OK and I’m trying to find anything about its activity with hopes I might start getting checks again some day.

@@greenbeginner3353 Call me at the phone number on my website (bluemesaminerals.com), and I'll look it up for you. Or email danna@bluemesaminerals.com.

Not usually. Most of my time is spent buying minerals and helping mineral owners with various challenges.

Yes, there are actually 7 types, but these are the three basic types. Non-operated working interest is fairly common, too. I should do a video about that.

Weird. It seems like it's working okay for me.

Right, but that is a much broader topic. This clip was specific to mineral ownership over time and the impact of rationalization and decreased production.

Many states are not allowing the wind estate to be severed from the surface, so as long as you own the surface, you probably own the wind and solar rights. It'll be interesting to see how the caselaw evolves.

Thank you for the reply and information. Under West Virginia SB 5 the state has commented that in the event that they own or purchase the airspace above the road interest they already have they have the right to sell or lease that airspace for drone commerce, that is my understanding but for personal land I think things may change in the next few years. But thanks again for your reply!

Texas is really the state you need to make sure you have a clause to keep your minerals.

There are 7 main factors that influence the value of mineral rights. They are listed and explained at bluemesaminerals.com/mineral-rights-value/

No, thank you.

The main reason your royalty checks are lower than your grandparents is due to reduced production and fractionalization as the minerals are passed from generation to generation. The full video is: th-cam.com/video/7d4RUc3uTGA/w-d-xo.html

And you filed the deed before your parents' death.

@@fredstevens4148 From what I understand, most operators do not know that a deed has been filed unless you notify them. That's why notifying the operator is a part of the ownership transfer process. I don't know the legal ramifications of your proposal, though. You may want to consult an attorney.

Thanks@@BlueMesaMinerals

There are tens of thousands of companies in this space. I have not heard of this one, but even if I had, I probably would not publicly comment about another company. Your other question was about knowing if the land has any minerals. This is a complicated question. It depends on where the land is located and what type of minerals you are looking for. Some areas are known to have oil and gas, while others are known to be devoid of economically recoverable oil and gas. Still others have been depleted of their oil and gas. A petroleum engineer could do studies to determine the likelihood of recoverable hydrocarbons, but that could be overkill if the land is in certain areas where the geology and economics are well studied.

@@BlueMesaMinerals I just saw this! Thank you!