Addendum terms, or Riders, are critical clauses that are negotiated and added to boilerplate Oil and Gas Leases, Pipeline Right-of-Way Agreements, Surface Use Agreements, Roadway Agreements, Well Pad Agreements and many other gas and pipeline company offered contracts.
It is critical that every Landowner seize the opportunity to negotiate the best possible Addendum for their oil and gas related agreement. A strong and skillfully drafted Addendum will maximize all compensation opportunities for the present date and well into the future. A strong Addendum will also protect the Landowner’s property for the lifetime of the Agreement and provide strict termination and reclamation requirements.
The Addendum document can be the most important part of any Gas Lease, Pipeline Agreement, Roadway Agreement, Surface Use Agreement or any other natural gas Agreement presented to a Landowner. Your oil and gas lawyer should use their experience to negotiate the strongest possible Addendum for the property owner. However, despite any attorney’s best efforts, all Landowner concerns may not be entirely eliminated by way of the added Addendum. An effective attorney may maximize compensation and significantly reduce the natural gas or pipeline company’s activities and control of your land, but these accomplishments still may not make the Gas Lease, Pipeline Agreement or other Agreement acceptable to the individual Landowner. Each Landowner may have different concerns and Addendum terms must be tailored as must as possible to meet these individual concerns.
Leasing your gas rights or entering into a pipeline or any other agreement with a gas or pipeline company is an individual decision. A Landowner should not sign any agreement until they fully understand all of the terms contained in the final agreement and have made an informed decision that the terms of the agreement and negotiated Addendum are sufficient to address or outweigh their concerns. Doug is Pennsylvania’s Landowner Lawyer and has drafted detailed Addendum for hundreds of natural gas agreements. We can help you obtain the strongest possible Addendum for any natural gas agreement, contact us today!