We’ve been getting TONS of questions since drilling started on the new well at Harwood and Boulevard 26 on the Tarrant County College (TCC) campus. We have some answers for you …
Q. Many of you are concerned that your property near that location is being drained and you want to know why you haven’t received a lease offer.
A. The wells going in at TCC are being drilled by Chesapeake based on leases from TCC and the commercial property owners adjacent to the campus. This map shows the currently permitted well paths from the two well locations on TCC operated by Chesapeake. Chesapeake has only leased large tracts of commercial property to drill under from these wells. This includes TCC, Walker Creek Park, and two large apartment complexes plus the Birdville campus behind the Venue. Our attorney approached Chesapeake months ago and they said they weren’t interested in dealing with large coalitions. The property they are drilling under was leased before the bottom fell out of the natural gas pricing, and they haven’t made any large lease acquisitions since.
The well that is currently drilling is NOT draining any residential properties. Keep in mind that these Barnett Shale wells are not traditional straight down well bores that drain a radius around the well location.
The wells being drilled are horizontal wells. The well bore starts out going straight down, then kicks off at an angle roughly parallel to the surface. The production perforations are made along the horizontal section of the casing to drain a vertical area through the Barnett Shale.
Q. Another frequently asked question is what the NHMOC is up to these days and when you can expect to receive a lease offer.
A. The NHMOC is still at work for you. Despite the poor economy and the dramatically lower bonus offers that some homeowners have reported, there is still interest in leasing and we have received inquiries from several companies. We believe we are close to inking a deal with one company. We expect to be able to give you more specific information in the near future.
The best encouragement we can give you for the moment is to make sure that you and your neighbors have signed an MOI so that we can present the best possible footprint to interested companies. One of the big things they are looking for is the amount of committed property that we, as a coalition, are able to bring to the table. The more properties we have under MOI the better they like us and the better terms we will be able to obtain.
We are always glad to receive your comments and questions and we really appreciate your active participation in the coalition. Keep those cards and letters coming!
Kathy Maestas
Webmaster
2 comments
rlopez1 says:
October 4, 2011 at 9:20 pm (UTC -5)
I received a letter from R. J. Griffin of Purple Land Management claiming to be the landman for Chesapeake asking to set an appointment about lease signing. Has anyone else received the same letter? Are there additional updates from NHMOC to post?
Techkat says:
October 5, 2011 at 1:47 pm (UTC -5)
There is an update. It will be posted today.