CHAPTER 21 WORKSHOP: LEASE AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES

• Jurisdiction: United States

Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Pooling and Unitization
(Nov 2006)
CHAPTER 21
WORKSHOP: LEASE AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES
Jay Spielman
Geologist
Bureau of Land Managment
New Mexico State Office
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Pascual "Pas" R. LaBorda
Section Chief and Supervisory Petroleum Engineer
Bureau of Land Management
Montana State Office
Reservoir Management and Operations
Billings, Montana
Armando Lopez
Regulatory Agent
Yates Petroleum Corporation
Artesia, New Mexico

JAY SPIELMAN

Jay Spielman is currently a Petroleum Geologist for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), New Mexico State Office, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He began his career as a staff Geologist in the BLM Billings Resource Area in 1976. In 1983, he transferred to the Reservoir Management and Operations Section, in the Montana State Office in Billings, and worked as a Petroleum Geologist there from 1983-2001. He transferred to the New Mexico State Office in 2001. He has 18 years of experience in the administration of oil and gas unit, gas storage, and compensatory royalty agreements, and provides program oversight for oil and gas reservoir management on Federal and Indian lands in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas. Jay has been a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists since 1985. He graduated from Ohio State University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Geology in 1974, and has two years of graduate education (no degree), with an emphasis on stratigraphy, paleontology, and mineral resources.

PASCUAL "PAS" R. LABORDA

Pascual "Pas" R. Laborda is a Supervisory Petroleum Engineer and the Section Chief for the Reservoir Management and Operations Section for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Montana State Office, in Billings, Montana. He graduated from the Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology (Montana Tech) in Butte, Montana with a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering in 1983. He worked in the BLM -- Miles City District Office -- in Miles City, Montana as a staff Petroleum Engineer (1983-87) where he was responsible for reviewing, processing, and approving oil and gas operations; BLM -- Reservoir Management and Operations Section, in Billings, Montana as a staff Petroleum Engineer (1987-01); and is currently the Section Chief (2001-present), responsible for the administration of oil and gas unit agreements and program oversight of oil and gas operations on Federal and Indian lands in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Pas has been a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) since 1978, and is currently the Section Treasurer for the Billings Petroleum Section of the SPE.

ARMANDO LOPEZ

Armando A. Lopez is Chief Regulatory Agent for Yates Petroleum Corporation in Artesia, New Mexico. He graduated from New Mexico State University with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in 1975. He worked in the Hobbs District Office of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as a staff Petroleum Engineer (1976-78), Agreements Section of USGS Roswell and Albuquerque Offices as Staff Petroleum Engineer (1978- 80), Supervisor of the Agreements Section USGS Albuquerque (1980-81), Production Unit Supervisor USGS, and Minerals Management Service Roswell (1981-83), Chief, Branch of Fluid Minerals, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Roswell (1984-91), Assistant District Manager for Minerals BLM Roswell (1992-94), Lead Technical Expert for Lands and Minerals Division BLM Roswell (1995-05). From 1984-05 Armando was directly involved in the administration and approval process of operations and agreements for the of Southern half New Mexico.

Scenario 1

If a federal lease is committed to a unit and part of the lease lies outside the unit boundary, (a) what happens to the lease? (b) What happens if there is a producing well on the federal lease on that portion of the lease that lies outside the unit boundary? (c) What happens if there is a producing well on that portion of the federal lease that lies inside the unit boundary?

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