June 3, 2008

Reminder: WV SORO Meetings Tonight & Thursday; PA Leasing Meeting June 9

Tonight, Tuesday, June 3, 2008 ~ WV SORO Meeting in Putnam County
7PM ~ Main Putnam County Courthouse (not the Judicial Annex), 3389 Winfield Road, Winfield, WV
The meeting will include a presentation & question and answer session on surface owners' rights, and a discussion of legislative options for expanding surface owners' rights in West Virginia.
For more information contact Norm Steenstra at (304)-346-5891 or norm@wvsoro.org.

Thursday, June 5, 2008 ~ WV Farm Bureau Meeting on Oil & Gas Drilling
7PM ~ Tyler County Consolidated High School, 1993 Silver Knight Drive, Sistersville, WV
Dave McMahon, Attorney, WV SORO founder and author of the WV Surface Owners' Guide to Oil & Gas is the featured speaker.
Topics of discussion will include surface owners' rights and general information on leasing for surface owners who also own their minerals.
This meeting is sponsored by the WV Farm Bureau. WV SORO members are welcome to attend.
For more information contact Jamie Kinsey at 304) 472-2080 ext. 301 or jamiek@wvfarm.org.

Monday, June 9, 2008 ~ Penn State Extension Service Gas Leasing Program for Landowners

West Virginia Supreme Court News

Appeal Refused in Tawney Royalty Case
On May 23, 2008, the West Virginia Supreme Court voted 5-0 to deny a request for an appeal from NiSource and Chesapeake Energy. Their action upholds a jury verdict that required the natural gas companies to pay $405 million to plaintiffs, including $134 million in unpaid gas royalties, awarded in a Roane County class-action lawsuit. 
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Marcellus Well Spacing Suit Sent Back to Lower Court
In an opinion issued last week, the state Supreme Court sent a dispute about whether wells drilled to the Marcellus shale should be considered "shallow wells" or "deep wells"  back to an unspecified lower court for hearings. In response to our friend of the court brief, the ruling stated that WV SORO "should be given an opportunity to assert its interests and views" challenging plans by oil and gas producers to extract gas resources under land owned by our members.
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