Phone: 412-281-5060
Oil and Gas Law
Oil And Gas Law Representation For Landowner And Royalty Owners
Oil and gas development can present unique and complex issues that can be intimidating and challenging. At Houston Harbaugh, P.C., our oil and gas practice is dedicated to protecting the interests of landowners and royalty owners.
From new lease negotiations to title disputes to royalty litigation, we can help. Whether you have two acres in Washington County or 5,000 acres in Lycoming County, our dedication and commitment remains the same.
We Represent Landowners in All Aspects of Oil and Gas Law
The oil and gas attorneys at Houston Harbaugh have broad experience in a wide array of oil and gas matters, and they have made it their mission to protect and preserve the landowner’s interests in matters that include:
- New lease negotiations
- Pipeline right-of-way negotiations
- Surface access agreements
- Royalty audits
- Tax and estate planning
- Lease expiration claims
- Curative title litigation
- Water contamination claims
For more information, call 412-281-5060 or send us an e-mail by completing the contact form on this website.
News and Updates
Previous Speaking Engagements of Robert J. Burnett
Hot Topics in Oil and Gas Law
Pennsylvania Bar Institute
December 4, 2019 | Pittsburgh, PA
Update on PA Oil/ Gas Law
Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Landowner Alliance (POGLA)
October 29 , 2019 | Prospect, PA
Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Legal Update
NARO National Convention
October 3, 2019 | Pittsburgh, PA
Law of Implied Covenants
Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Oil and Gas Law Conference
August 8, 2019 | Southpoint, PA
Equitable Distribution of Oil, Gas and Mineral Rights
Allegheny County Bar Association, Family Law Section
July 24, 2019 | Pittsburgh, PA
Latest Publications
- Lease Expiration and Lease Development
- Pennsylvania Superior Court Rules that Oil and Gas Rights Did Not Transfer to Buyer
- Pennsylvania Superior Court Rules That Payment Of Delay Rentals Alone Cannot Maintain A Lease Beyond Primary Term
- Kentucky Court Rules That Lease Expired Due To Driller’s Failure To Market And Produce Gas
- Driller Bankruptcy Could Raise Environmental Concerns for Landowners
- My Driller Filed for Bankruptcy; What Happens to My Lease in Pennsylvania?
- Ohio Supreme Court Rules that Lease Expiration Claim is Subject to Twenty-One Year Statute of Limitations
- Pennsylvania Superior Court Rules That Driller Abandoned Oil/Gas Lease By Failing To Pay Royalties For Over 20 Years
- Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells – More Than Just a Rusty Eyesore
- Can the Payment of a Shut-In Royalty Maintain an Oil/Gas Lease Indefinitely?
- Federal Court in Pittsburgh Allows Lease Cancellation Suit to Move Forward
- Federal Court in Scranton Rules That Litigation Filed by Landowner Did Not “Repudiate” the Lease
- Federal Court Rules that Assignment of Oil/Gas Lease May Not Extinguish Liability of Original Lessee
- Is the Implied Covenant of Reasonable Development Irrelevant?
- Landowners: Act Now or be Bound by Class Action Settlement Terms
- Landowners Beware: Warranty Clause in Oil and Gas Lease Can Obligate Landowner to Repay Signing Bonus
- Murphy Exploration v. Adams: Texas Supreme Court Suggests That Horizontal Well Bore Will Not Drain Hydrocarbons From Adjacent Tract
- New Legislation May Allow Drillers to Revive Expired Oil and Gas Leases
- Non-Producing Oil and Gas Lease Deemed Abandoned by the Pennsylvania Superior Court
- Non-Production During Secondary Term Results in Termination of Lease
- Ohio Supreme Court Declines to Recognize Implied Covenant of Further Exploration
- Ohio Supreme Court Observes That Driller Cannot Maintain Lease Indefinitely by Paying Delay Rentals
- Pennsylvania Superior Court Rules Driller had no Implied Obligation to Develop Deeper Formations
- Preliminary Operations Not Enough To Extend Lease into Secondary Term
- Temporary Cessation of Production: How much time does a producer have under Pennsylvania law?
- To Drill or Not to Drill – Does Pennsylvania Recognize an Implied Covenant of Further Exploration?
- West Virginia Supreme Court Rules That Horizontal Wells Cannot Be Drilled Into Adjacent Tracts Pursuant to 1901 Lease
- Does a Well Passing Horizontally Under a Property Trigger a “Payment in Lieu of Free Gas” Clause? The Pennsylvania Superior Court says “No”
- Royalties and Post-Production Costs
- The New Royalty Bill is Good for Pennsylvania Landowners
- Is Your Driller Really Enhancing the Value of Your Gas?
- Federal District Court Injects Confusion into Definition of Gross Royalty Under Pennsylvania Law
- Are February 2021 Production Royalty Payments Leaving you Out in the Cold?
- Texas Supreme Court Rules That Gross Royalty Clause Prohibits Driller From Deducting Post-Production Costs
- Is Your Driller Trying to Re-Write History?
- Historic Cold May Provide Window Into “Market Enhancement” Under Gas Leases
- Kansas Court Rules that Gas is not Marketable Until it Reaches Interstate Pipeline
- Why Is The Driller Deducting Post-Production Costs My Lease Doesn’t Allow? Kilmer V. Elexco Land Services: A Decade Later
- Ohio Court Rules That Driller Did Not Breach Lease By Deducting Post-Production Costs Incurred By Affiliate
- Federal Court in Kentucky Allows Novel Royalty Claim to Move Forward
- West Virginia Federal Court Rules That Lease Did Not Authorize the Deduction of Post-Production Costs
- Texas Court Rules That Gross Royalty Clause in Addendum Supersedes Royalty Clause in Pre-Printed Lease Form
- Claim Based on Implied Covenant to Market Gas to Move Forward in Federal Royalty Litigations
- North Dakota Supreme Court Rules That “Gross Proceeds” Means No Deductions
- Court Rules Severance Tax Does Not Increase Value Of Shale Gas, Therefore Not A Deductible Post-Production Cost
- Driller Has No Obligation to Pay Royalty on Lost Gas
- Failure to Tender Production Royalty Did Not Trigger Forfeiture Clause
- Federal Court in Pittsburgh Questions Applicability of Kilmer Decision
- Federal District Court in Ohio Rules That Chesapeake Did Not Breach Lease When it Deducted Costs From Royalty
- Federal District Court In Pennsylvania Allows Royalty Claim To Move Forward
- HB 1391: Putting Teeth Back in Pennsylvania’s Minimum Royalty Statute
- Is Pa. Becoming a First-Marketable-Product Jurisdiction?
- Landowners May Face Difficult Burden Regarding Intermingled Gas
- Legislation Revived to Protect Royalty Owners in Pennsylvania
- New Royalty Bill HB 1708 Will Not Help Pennsylvania Landowners
- Ohio Supreme Court Declines to Adopt Blanket “At the Well” Rule
- Oklahoma Federal Court Rules That Driller Must Pay Royalty On Fuel Gas
- Sixth Circuit Rules That Driller Must Pay Royalties On Natural Gas Liquids
- Superior Court Breathes New Life Into Guaranteed Minimum Royalty Act
- Tenth Circuit Rules That Obligation to Pay Royalty on Fuel Gas Depends on Lease Language
- The Difference Between a “Royalty” and a “Royalty Interest” Can Be Confusing and Costly For Landowners
- West Virginia Jury Finds That Eqt Improperly Calculated Landowners’ Royalty On Shale Gas
- West Virginia Moves to Prohibit Drillers From Taking Deductions Which Reduce Net Royalty Below 12.5%
- West Virginia Supreme Court Declares that Minimum Royalty Statute Does Not Authorize the Deduction of Post-Production Costs
- West Virginia Supreme Court to Reconsider Landmark Decision in Leggett v. EQT Production Company
- Who’s Entitled to Free Gas?
- Why the New Minimum Royalty Bill is Constitutional and Good for Pennsylvania
- Pooling and Unitization
- Hordis v. Cabot Oil and Gas Corporation: Landowner Challenges Whether Driller Can Ignore Pooling Clause and Simply Rely on Act 85
- Supreme Court Decision in Briggs v. Southwestern Energy is a “Win” for Pennsylvania Landowners
- Act 85 and Cross-Unit Drilling- More Questions Than Answers for Landowners
- Murphy Exploration v. Adams: Texas Supreme Court Suggests That Horizontal Well Bore Will Not Drain Hydrocarbons From Adjacent Tract
- Has Forced Pooling Come to Pennsylvania With SB 259?
- Houston Harbaugh, P.c Files “amicus Curiae Brief’ On Behalf Of The Pennsylvania Chapter Of The National Association Of Royalty Owners In Briggs, Et Al V. Southwestern Energy (63 Map 2018)
- Not Your Father’s Oil and Gas Lease
- Pennsylvania Superior Court Rejects Rule of Capture in Subsurface Trespass Suit
- Pooling Clause Not Necessary: West Virginia Court Finds Implied Right to Pool Exists Where Lease Silent
- Surface Usage and Pipelines
- Is Your Property At Risk If The Driller Or Pipeline Company Doesn’t Pay Its Contractors?
- West Virginia Supreme Court Rules That Horizontal Wells Cannot Be Drilled Into Adjacent Tracts Pursuant to 1901 Lease
- Adverse Possession – Can Surface Owner Acquire Title to Gas Formations by Mere Passage of Time?
- A Possible Blueprint for Landowners Challenging Pipeline Companies
- Good News for Landowners Means Bad News for Trespassers
- Local Zoning Ordinances May Hinder Oil/Gas Development
- Marcellus Shale Gas is Not a Mineral. What Does This Mean for Lease-holders?
- Not All is Quiet on the Quiet Title Front
- Pennsylvania Landowners May Not Own Oil and Gas Rights Under Rivers and Streams
- Pipeline Operators: Public Utility or Pipeline Futility?
- PUC Decision Suggests Pipeline Operator Has Public Utility Status
- Subsurface Trespass – Can They Take the Gas Under My Property Without a Lease?
- The Accommodation Doctrine: Balancing the Interests of the Surface Owner and the Mineral Owner
- West Virginia Jury Awards Damages to Surface Owner for Unauthorized Well Pad