Top leasing for oil and gas: the legal perspective
Top leasing, whereby a lessee acquires a lease on a mineral estate currently under a valid, existing lease, is not a new phenomenon in the oil and gas industry. The legal issues surrounding top leasing have been the subject of reported cases for more than fifty years, but during the last decade the practice of top leasing for oil and gas has increased dramatically. Although courts in many jurisdictions have upheld the validity of a properly drafted top lease, concerns regarding the legal ramifications of the art and practice of top leasing for oil and gas persist. This article outlines those concerns in an understandable manner and offers a few suggestions as to how an oil and gas company engaged in top leasing might be able to avoid litigation.
- Research Organization:
- Davis, Graham and Stubbs, Denver, CO
- OSTI ID:
- 5598938
- Journal Information:
- Public Land Resour. Law Dig.; (United States), Vol. 20:1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
03 NATURAL GAS
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
LAND LEASING
LEGAL ASPECTS
MINERAL RESOURCES
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
LEASING
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
RESOURCES
021000* - Petroleum- Legislation & Regulations
031000 - Natural Gas- Legislation & Regulations
294002 - Energy Planning & Policy- Petroleum
294003 - Energy Planning & Policy- Natural Gas