Updated June 29, 2026 When gas company operations affect water on a Pennsylvania property, the issue can be far more serious than an ordinary surface-damage claim. Water is essential to a home, farm, business, livestock operation, recreational property, and long-term land value. If a private water well, spring, pond, stream, wet area, drainage feature, or… Read more »
Posts Tagged: pipelines
Pennsylvania Damage Releases: What Landowners Should Know Before Signing Away Oil and Gas Claims
Updated June 16, 2026 Pennsylvania landowners are often asked to sign documents called Damage Releases, Settlement Agreements, Release Agreements, Waivers, or similar forms after oil and gas activity affects their property. The document may be presented after damage occurs. It may also be presented before work begins, as part of a Well Pad Agreement, Roadway… Read more »
Pennsylvania Reclamation Issues: What Landowners Should Know After Gas Company Operations
Updated June 22, 2026 When a gas company, pipeline company, or contractor finishes work on a Pennsylvania landowner’s property, the landowner may expect the property to be returned to the condition promised in the lease, addendum, surface use agreement, well pad agreement, roadway agreement, or other written contract. Unfortunately, that does not always happen. Reclamation… Read more »
Pennsylvania Roadway and Access Road Agreements: What Landowners Should Know Before Signing
When a gas company wants to build, improve, or use a road across a Pennsylvania landowner’s property, the company may present a Roadway Agreement, Access Road Agreement, Roadway Easement Agreement, Temporary Road Agreement, or similar document. The agreement may sound simple. The landman may explain that the company only needs a road to reach a… Read more »
What Pennsylvania Landowners Should Know Before Signing a Surface Use Agreement
When a gas company wants to use the surface of a Pennsylvania landowner’s property, the company may present a document called a Surface Use Agreement. This agreement may involve a well pad, access road, water line, pipeline, impoundment, above-ground facility, meter station, valve site, staging area, or other surface operation. In many cases, the surface… Read more »
What Pennsylvania Landowners Should Know About Unit Declarations, Unitization, and Pooled Acreage
Many Pennsylvania landowners sign oil and gas leases without fully understanding one of the most important concepts in modern shale development: Unitization and pooled acreage. Years later, the landowner may suddenly receive: At that point, many landowners realize they are unsure: These issues can have enormous financial and legal consequences. What Is Unitization or Pooling?… Read more »
PUGH Clauses in Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Leases: How to Prevent Companies from Holding Your Entire Property
One of the most important—and most overlooked—provisions in a Pennsylvania oil and gas lease is the PUGH clause. Without it, a gas company can drill a single well on a small portion of your property and use that well to hold your entire acreage under lease indefinitely, even if the vast majority of your land… Read more »
Why a Pugh Clause Is Critical in a 5-Year Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Lease with a 5-Year Extension Option
Preventing Partial Unitization from Holding Your Entire Property Without Additional Compensation When a natural gas company presents a lease offering: many landowners focus primarily on bonus dollars and royalty percentages. However, one of the most financially significant protections in that lease is the Pugh clause. Without a properly negotiated Pugh clause, a company can unitize… Read more »
Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Lease Attorney – 18+ Years Dedicated Exclusively to Landowners
Experienced Pennsylvania Gas Lease Attorney Representing Landowners — Never Gas Companies For more than 18 years, I have dedicated my legal career to representing oil, gas, and mineral rights owners across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I have never represented a gas company.I have never represented a pipeline company.And I never will. My practice is devoted… Read more »
The Rescigno v. Statoil/Equinor Settlement: A Landmark $7 Million Royalty Case for Pennsylvania Landowners — What It Means for Royalty Payment Rights in Pennsylvania
By Attorney Douglas A. ClarkPAGasLeaseAttorney.com | PipelineAttorney.comPennsylvania’s Landowner-Only Oil and Gas Attorney Introduction In the spring of 2025, the United States Supreme Court denied certiorari in Rescigno v. Statoil/Equinor & EQT (Equitrans), bringing to a final close one of the most important royalty-related legal actions in recent Pennsylvania natural gas history. I had the privilege… Read more »
