Larimer and Weld County Farmers Union chapters host mineral rights leasing forum on May 15

Agricultural land and mineral rights owners often feel at a disadvantage when approached by a company wishing to lease their lands for potential oil or natural gas production. Recent interest in finding the boundaries of the Niobrara oil shale area may spark an uptick in such leasing activity. The more you understand about the leasing and production process before signing a lease or renewal, the better you can feel about the outcome.

The Larimer and Weld County Farmers Union chapters are sponsoring a meeting on May 15 to address leasing, drilling, and production concerns. Neil Ray, President of the Rockies chapter of the National Association of Royalty Owners, and NARO board member Cristy Koeneke will be available to address these issues as well as Tracee Bentley, the Director of Policy and Legislation in the Governor’s Energy Office, and Thom Kerr, Permit and Technical Services Manager for the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

Local legislators have also been invited to talk about oil and gas issues in the 2012 legislative session. Attendees will get time to share their experiences with the mineral rights leasing process and to ask questions. Coffee and light snacks will be furnished.

The meeting will be May 15, 7 to 9 p.m., at the Poudre Valley REA community room, 7649 REA Parkway, Fort Collins (east of I-25 at the Windsor exit). The meeting is open to the public. For more information, contact Tom Wingfield (Larimer County Farmers Union) at 970-221-1158 or Ray Peterson (Weld County Farmers Union) at 970-737-0385.