Barnett Shale

The noise will stop when we're done

One other change to the noise rules is reducing the grace period for responding to a complaint to 24 hours. A previous version of the rule gave companies 10 days to fix the problem.

Gilbert Horton, a representative from Devon Energy, said the 24-hour grace period is a big improvement. The 10-day rule allowed companies to make all the noise they want if they're drilling for 10 days or less.

“If you were only drilling seven more days, you could say, ‘Screw the noise,’ ” he said.

Walter DueEase, representing XTO, chimed in: “Or you could say, ‘We’ll look into it.’ ”

-- Mike Lee

City committee considers noise changes

Energy companies would have to file a noise management plan with the city before they could drill for natural gas inside the city limits under new rules being studied by a city committee.

The committee met Monday.

The noise plan would require the company to list the protected buildings, such as houses, church or hospitals, within 1,000 feet of the drilling site and provide a plan to protect the surrounding area from noise.

Companies would have to measure noise levels at the place where a complaint is reported instead of at the building nearest the well site.

“It’s a more proactive approach,” said Gary Hogan, a neighborhood representative on the committee.

Among the other recommendations:

-- A change in the measurement of predrilling sound levels. Companies would have to measure the level over three days, including a Saturday or Sunday, instead of one day under the current standard. That is expected to lower the baseline noise levels at most sites because weekends are typically quieter than weekdays.

-- A change to allow some noise at night during fracturing, as much as 3 decibels above background. That would likely prohibit heavy work but allow companies to do things such as restock their sites at night. Three decibels above background is the lowest level that human ears can detect, noise consultant Don Behrens said.

-- A requirement that companies list a local phone number to call for noise complaints. The city’s gas well inspectors have said they frequently call the numbers posted at drilling sites, only to reach an answering service. “I called one and it was in Casper, Wyoming,” gas inspector Tom Edwards said.

-- Mike Lee

Tarrant County signs two more gas leases

Tarrant County Commissioners approved two gas leases with Houston-based Carrizo Oil & Gas Tuesday.

Commissioners approved a deal to lease the mineral rights for the Southeast Sub-Courthouse in Arlington for a signing bonus of $54,000 or $18,000 an acre.

They also approved a deal for 3.1 acres of county-owned right-out-way property in Mansfield for a $37,224 signing bonus, or $12,000 per acre.

Both deals include a 25 percent royalty.

-Aman Batheja

Where's my well? My royalties? Next big questions

After traveling the world for much of his life, John Beaman is now happy to be touring Texas, thanks to the Barnett Shale, S-T staff writers David Wethe and Jim Fuquay report in Sunday's Work & Money section.

But the Johnson County resident, who spent 21 years in the military, is still a little perplexed why it took so long to get the flow of natural-gas royalties streaming into his bank account. His first check didn’t appear until almost a year after drilling began.

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David and Jim report it’s a gripe that’s starting to pop up more and more as the Barnett Shale begins to write to a new chapter. As landmen continue to hand out bonus checks and lease mineral rights from property owners in the urban core of Tarrant County, the earlier wave of lease signers are starting to move onto the next phase – royalties.

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Early Barnett Shale signers are starting to see just what those mysterious royalty checks look like, David and Jim report. It’s one of the biggest unknowns property owners face when they first sign their lease.

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Check out the Star-Telegram's Work & Money Section E on Sunday for the full story, or watch for it at star-telegram.com. It's part of our annual look at oil and gas production in Tarrant County and Texas. The Sunday paper, by the way, is available Saturday in grocery stores.

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-- Scott Nishimura

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(Photo: John Beaman and wife, with the travel trailer they bought with Barnett Shale money)

More Southlake rivalry between Chesapeake and XTO

Just when you thought the competition between Chesapeake Energy and XTO Energy couldn't get any hotter, it takes a new turn.

This time it's in Southlake and involves the Carroll Independent School District.

Fort Worth-based XTO has donated $50,000 to the Carroll Education Foundation, according to our education reporter Jessamy Brown. And it's the largest donation in the history of the 12-year-old organization, Brown discovered.

To make things more interesting, XTO rival Chesapeake has the lease to drill for natural gas under all 402 acres owned by the Carroll school district.

The foundation is a non-profit set up to raise money and donate it to the Carroll school district when needed.

The donation, which was made earlier this week without any fanfair, will make XTO the "presenting sponsor" of the foundation's annual fundraiser later this year, called the Culinary Celebration.

"We have never been gifted this much," Kacy Hankins, the foundation's executive director, told Brown today. "It was not solicited."

For further background, keep in mind that Chesapeake recently announced that it would donate $1 million to the United Way to establish the Barnett Shale Endowment Fund. That same day, the YMCA rushed out a press release saying that XTO was donating $500,000 to help modernize and expand its workout space.

And for one more layer of intrigue, both companies are heavily competing for the hearts and minds of property owners in Southlake and Colleyville and elsewhere in Northeast Tarrant County. Chesapeake, through its land representative Dale Resources, offered thousands of property owners in Northeast Tarrant a bonus of $17,000. XTO, through its rep Colt Exploration, quickly topped that with an offer for $18,500 per acre.

--David Wethe

Erath County saltwater disposal fire

We blogged two weeks ago about the fire at the Infinity saltwater disposal well in Erath County.

A report from the Texas Railroad Commission says the initial explosion blew a saltwater tank up and out of a protective dirt berm. It landed 40 feet away. Contaminated water and hydrocarbons leaked into a nearby stream. Hours later, the operator still had not called a cleanup crew, the report says.

A contractor removed dirt and oil from Alarm Creek, which runs into the Bosque River. No word yet on whether the operator will be fined or penalized.

Saltwater disposal is a big issue in the Barnett Shale, since it takes millions of gallons to process each natural gas well. The industry prefers to get rid of that water using injection wells, which are economical. But opponents say the wells pose a risk not only of fires, but of underground contamination. The water often contains crude oil and other hydrocarbons, along with fracturing fluids, drilling mud and other waste products.

Fort Worth has a moratorium on injection wells, and the city environmental department is working on a pilot project to see if the wastewater can be recycled economically.

You can read the report on the Erath County accident here:

Erath_report.pdf

And a follow-up report here:

Erath_report_part_ii

You can read an in-depth report on the debate over saltwater disposal in Fort Worth here:

Well_plan_injects_pressure_into_wastewater_dispute.htm

-- Mike

Catching up with East Trinity Mineral Leasing Committee (Euless)

The East Trinity Mineral Leasing Committee is well on its way to getting its members signed up for the lease it agreed to last month.

The Euless group, which consists of the Stone Hollow Addition and the Park Hollow Addition subdivisions, is recommending that its members sign the offer from Cheaha Land Services, which is representing Carrizo Oil & Gas.

The lease includes a $19,000 per-acre signing bonus, a 25.5 percent royalty and an initial three year term with an option to re-sign for another two years at $12,667 per acre.

Dale Property Services later sent competing offers of $17,000 an acre, a 25 percent royalty, a two-year primary term and a two-year option.

The Euless group has already held four signing meetings and two more are planned. They are:

• Sat., May 10
• Sat., May 17

Both meetings are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Airport Freeway Church of Christ. That's at 210 Airport Freeway in Euless.

--David Wethe

Brimer weighs in on Railroad Commission

State Sen. Kim Brimer, who's running for re-election in November, sent a letter urging the Senate Finance Committee to find more funding for the Railroad Commission, which has been under fire for its low inspection rate.

In the letter, first reported by the activist blog FWcando.org, Brimer, R-Fort Worth cites a report from the State Auditors Office and urges using money from the state's Oil Field Cleanup Fund. Those are both issues we've reported here at Blogging the Barnett Shale and in the Star-Telegram.

"While the commission is to be commended for the work accomplished with limited resources, it is our responsibility to dedicate funds necessary to guard against potential accidents," Brimer writes.

You can read Brimer's letter here: BrimerLetter5-07-08.pdf

Here's our story about the state audit: Audit_takes_commission_to_task_over_well_inspections.htm

And here's a follow-up showing the number of uninspected wells in Tarrant County (the percentage is right there in the headline, for you speed-readers): Many_wells_go_uninspected_30%_in_Tarrant_have_not_seen_state_scrutiny.htm\

And here's a nifty, clickable map that let's you check wells throughout Tarrant County and see which ones have been inspected: http://www.star-telegram.com/report/

-- Mike

Oakwood Terrace ready to meet

The Euless group Oakwood Terrace is planning its first major meeting since organizing into the shape that it's in now.

Here's all the details on the meetings:

Sat., May 10 at 2 p.m.

Thur., May 15 at 7 p.m.

Both will be identical and will be held in the classroom of the Dalworth Carpet Facility at 12750 S. Pipeline Road in Euless.

You can check out the group's website here.

If you have any questions, you can e-mail the group here.

Also, since our last post that included this group, Oakwood Terrace has expanded to include a group of property owners just northwest that were previously unorganized for natural-gas leases.

The dimensions of Oakwood Terrace are now:

• East of 157
• South of 183
• West of Euless Main
• North of Pipeline Road

No word yet on whether any lease offers are circulating around this area. But if you get anything, let us know at Blogging the Barnett Shale. Click here for an e-mail address.

--David Wethe

Where are you in Euless?

We get calls all the time from property owners trying to figure out if there's a group representing them.

If you have property in Euless, you should check out a cool new tool that lets you type in your address, and the Web site pulls up any one of seven different neighborhood organizations in that Northeast Tarrant County town.

Of course, it's not perfect, because there are about three main gaps where a neighborhood group hasn't formed to represent some property owners. But for the most part, residents are covered pretty well by some group.

You can click on the city's map search tool here.

Here are the seven neighborhood groups listed.

• 360 Northwest Coalition
• East Trinity Mineral Leasing Committee
• Midway Park
• Morrisdale
• Northeast Euless Property Owners
• Oakwood Terrace
• West Euless

--David Wethe

Burleson groups, Chesapeake reach record $27,200/acre deal

Two big Burleson property owners groups have jointly accepted Chesapeake Energy's leasing offer of $27,200 per acre and a 25.25 percent royalty, organizers say. The central Burleson and south Burleson groups together represent upwards of 2,000 acres, including school district and city property, said Carter Mahaney of Burleson Community of Gas Lease Holdouts, the south side group. The other group is the Central Burleson Holdouts. Also bidding was XTO Energy, which offered $22,000 an acre and a 25.5 percent royalty, Mahaney said.

Mahaney said Chesapeake told the groups it has secured several drill sites capable of reaching much of the city, which is partly in southern Tarrant County and mostly in northern Johnson County, the two most productive counties in the Barnett Shale field. He said the groups will rely in the city's recently modified drilling ordinance to provide major environmental and safety protections. Mahaney said his group will continue to accepting members through May 15, and he hopes lease signing will be completed by the end of June.

-- Jim Fuquay

Keller group defines its size

The group North Keller Neighors Together finally announced its boundaries today. You can see it on the right, in this image released by the group.

As we mentioned in previous posts, the natural-gas group includes property owners in Keller, Westlake and Southlake.

Its size has grown from 2,000 to about 2,800 acres over the past week, said Melanie Belcheff, an organizer of the group.

You can check out the group's site here.

North Keller Neighbors Together currently does not have any lease offers that it's considering, but one of the block captains within the boundaries reported the following on April 26:

Just wanted everyone to know that we have had a Landman knocking on doors in
our neighborhood.  At least two of our neighbors have received offers from
BK Bryson Kuba representing XTO.  One offer was for $14,900/acre and the
other was for $17,000/acre for their lease.

--David Wethe

Deja vu

We've been hearing a lot about how energy companies are starting to invest in the Marcellus Shale, a giant gas-bearing formation centered in Pennsylvania that a lot of people have compared to the Barnett Shale.

Now comes news that neighbors in rural Pennsylvania are starting to get organized to get better lease terms and protect their property values. Sounds a lot like what's been going on in North Texas, huh?

Read about it here from the Weekly Alamanac in Wayne County, Pa.: Wayne_county_alliance.htm

-- Mike

Chesapeake snags Sundance Square (downtown FW)

Chesapeake Energy announced this morning it has signed a lease with Sundance Square to drill for natural gas under the 35-block downtown entertainment district.

The district stretches from 2nd to 5th streets and from Lamar to Elm streets. Terms of the deal were not announced.

Chesapeake also did not disclose in its press release specific locations for the drill site other than to say they will be "three strategically located padsites that are located immediately east, south and west of the central business district. These sites will allow natural gas production from under not only Sundance Square, but all of downtown and other nearby areas."

So far, we know one of its drill sites is just south of the Texas and Pacific warehouse on the south side of downtown.

This is an interesting acquisition for Chesapeake because it's right next to the headquarters of XTO Energy, which owns more than a handful of downtown buildings right next to the Sundanace Square area, and has been competing with Chesapeake for leasing mineral rights in downtown.

Here's what we said about this just last month.

And of course, when Chesapeake announced it was buying the Pier 1 Imports building just northwest of Sundance Square, the company said it would be using the mineral rights under that patch of land as well.

"The opportunities for commercial real estate development are tremendous in Fort Worth, and we are pleased to be able to continue the tradition of reviving an important corridor into downtown, while remaining sensitive to the future growth of this area,” said Aubrey McClendon, Chief Executive Office of Chesapeake.

So far, Chesapeake's drilling site in downtown is just 40 acres, the company said in its release, but the meeting with downtown property owners about a month ago included about 120 acres pooled together.

More on this to come.

--David Wethe

Watch out

This link was forwarded on to us from a reader at the Richland Hills Mineral Association. It's old, but definitely good advice.

The Texas Land & Mineral Owners Association reminds you to look at that check in the mail closely. If you happen to cash a check from a fraudulent outfit, you could lose your right to the minerals under your property.

Check it out .....

Beware the Fine Print
By David Duran (Taken from TLMA Newsletter, March 2005)

The next time your eyes lock on to the sight of a check you receive in the mail, make sure and read the fine print. There have been a rash of mineral rights scams circulating around in the past few years.  Scammers target landowners with mineral interests, or people who receive royalties on mineral interests.  The scammers can find lists of these holdings at any county clerkʼs office and use that as a starting point to mail out a wave of letters, hoping to fool at least some of their targets.  The letter received from the scammer may have confusing wording, misleading the target to thinking theyʼre signing a lease, or something other than the intent to take ownership of the mineral interest. If the target then cashes an accompanied check, they lose their rights to the property. (Click here to read the whole story)

--David Wethe

Pool Road Coalition looks for deal by end of May

About 300 members of the Pool Road Coalition, in Colleyville, met last night at the Highland Meadows Christian Church to hear dueling presentiations from Chesapeake Energy and XTO Energy, according to a press release that the group just distributed.

Among other things recently accomplished, the group has hired Mark Nastri of the law firm Munch Hardt to represent it.

Michael Muhm, lead organizer for the Pool Road Coalition, said in the release that his group hopes to sign a deal by the end of May.

But at this point, the group still hasn't chosen any drilling company to endorse.

"You will clearly know when we have reached a recommendation and who we have endorsed," Muhm said.

Click here to check out the group's website.

And click here for past stories on this group.

--David Wethe

Another Southlake group emerges

The Dove Area Gas Group, in Southlake, has popped up on our radar, and it plans to hold a meeting tomorrow with presentations by XTO Energy and Chesapeake Energy.

The meeting will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Johnson Elementary auditorium.

According to the DAGG website, "everyone is welcome to attend." The group says new members can turn in their non-binding letters of intent at the meeting.

Here are the neighborhoods and subdivisions that make up DAGG, according to its site:

• Carmel Bay
• Carroll Meadows
• Dove Estates
• Emerald Estates
• Harbor Oaks
• Huntwick
• Lakes on Dove
• Lakeside Estates
• Loch Meadow
• Lonesome Dove Estates
• The Madison
• Oak Pointe
• Quail Creek
• South Lake Park
• Trail Lake

The group's site also reports that property owners in Lonesome Dove Estates have been offered a bonus of $17,000-per-acre. It's unclear who made the offer, but Dale Resources, on behalf of Chesapeake Energy, made that kind of an offer to a large group of property owners representing about 5,000 acres southwest of 114 in primarily Southlake and Colleyville.

DAGG, which says its mission is to represent more than 800 homeowners, lists its boundaries as:

• White Chapel Boulevard on the west
• Dove Road on the south
• Kimball on the east
• Grapevine Lake on the north

More to come as we hear about it.

--David Wethe

XTO meets with CAMRA and others in NE Tarrant

The Colleyville Area Mineral Rights Association held its long-awaited meeting earlier this week with officials from XTO Energy and its land company, Colt Exploration.

Grady Walker described the meeting as more informational than that of a sales pitch. XTO is currently sitting with the highest offer to many northeast Tarrant County neighborhoods, with an $18,500 bonus offer, a 25 percent royalty and a three-year primary and two-year secondary term. Dale Resources, on behalf of Chesapeake Energy, had previously made an offer for $17,000 an acre, with all of the other terms being the same as XTO's offer.

Walker's group invited representatives from about six of the largest neighborhood groups to XTO's meeting. They included:

• Continental Park Estates, in Southlake
• Pool Road Coalition, in Colleyville
• Hidden Lakes, in Keller
• D/FW West, in Grapevine and Euless
• Southlake Park Oil and Gas Group
• North Keller Neighbors Together, in Keller, Westlake and Southlake
• White Chapel Corridor, in Southlake

There were about 60 people at the meeting, a little more than the number of people who showed up a couple weeks earlier to Dale's presentation at the Southlake Hilton Hotel.

"Now comes the hard part," Walker wrote in a release issued today. "We need to work with these companies to get behind the presentations, lofty words and 'contract examples' to see what specifically they are willing to offer CAMRA members in terms of financial and other contractual commitments."

Walker said after the two-hour meeting, that XTO and Chesapeake are now both considered "excellent companies." He said he now expects "a lot of activity over the next several weeks."

--David Wethe

Saltwater well fire in Erath County

A saltwater disposal well caught fire in Erath County on Sunday. Fort Worth has a moratorium on the wells, which are used to which are used to dispose of the waste from natural gas drilling. Their safety is a key point in negotiations over whether to allow them inside the city limits.

Industry officials have said that the waste is mostly saltwater, and that the wells are the most effective way to dispose of it. Opponents, including residents of Wise, Parker and Erath counties, have been fighting the wells for years. They claim the water is contaminated with crude oil and other hydrocarbons, and that the wells are dangerous.

Here's a clip from the Stephenville Empire Tribune: http://www.empiretribune.com/articles/2008/04/29/news/doc4817276960d9b251704506.txt

For more information, including previous accidents in North Texas, check this story from November's Star-Telegram: Well_plan_injects_pressure_into_wastewater_dispute.htm

-- Mike Lee

XTO Energy offers leases in Haltom City

An S-T staffer who lives in Haltom City's Browning Heights neighborhood says XTO Energy has now entered the leasing picture there, joining two competitors for leases.

A postcard received on Monday advertised an offer that appeared to match a previous offer by Dale Resources. The terms: $12,500 per net mineral acre, 25 percent royalty, and a 3-year primary term with 2 year option at $10,000 per acre.

The postcard reads: "XTO wishes to announce the expansion of its Barnett Shale leasing project to include the Haltom City Area of Tarrant County, Texas. Please contact us for more information."

-- Scott Nishimura

DFW West (Grapevine) gets lease deal with XTO

The DFW West Homeowners group in Grapevine reports it has accepted a lease deal with XTO Energy and its representative, Colt Exploration.

The terms: $18,500 signing bonus, four-year primary lease term, one-year extension option for $11,500 per acre, and a 25 percent royalty. The drill site would be north of Highway 26, Kevin Rhodes, one of DFW West's organizers, told homeowners in an email message.

"We will notify you as soon as the final lease is negotiated," Rhodes says in the email. "We anticipate having multiple lease signing meetings and possibly mailings for those who cannot make it to the meetings."

Click here to visit DFW West's web site.

-- Scott Nishimura

North Keller group organized, waiting for an offer

There's a group that's up and running in the Keller area that includes more than 1,000 acres. Now all it needs is an offer.

The North Keller Neighbors Together group, which includes property owners in Keller, Westlake and Southlake, has been together for about a year, but is not currently considering any offers, said Melanie Belcheff, an organizer of the NKNT.

Some members of the NKNT received offers last year of about $5,500 per acre and a 25 percent royalty, with costs included, from Hillwood Energy and its representative Doyle Land Services. But the companies didn't want to negotiate, so the group rejected the offer "as insufficient," Belcheff wrote in an e-mail to the Star-Telegram. The offer didn't include environmental or royalty fairness terms, she wrote.

Meanwhile, the group continues to meet and add more property owners. Belcheff said NKNT could soon grow to more than 2,000 acres in size.

You can check out the group's website here.

Here's a look at what the Keller Citizen wrote about this neighborhood group.

--David Wethe

Chesapeake's ad campaign

Fort Worth isn't the only regiona where Chesapeake Energy is mounting a big ad campaign. This article from the online journal ClimateWire says Chesapeake is mounting a PR campaign in Washington, D.C., too.

Click here to view the article: Climatewire.doc

Update: Here's part 2: Climatewire_part 2.doc

-- Mike

CATS endorses Titan Resources/Caffey contract

CATS, the southwest Arlington group representing homeowners immediately east of Lake Arlington, said Monday it endorsed a lease with Titan Resources/Caffey Group and will hold informational meetings at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Monday at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 5819 W. Pleasant Ridge Dr. The CATS lease pays a $26,000/acre bonus and 25.5 percent royalty for a 3-year term (and a commitment to drill within 30 months), said organizer Jim MacDowell. He said the extra half-point royalty came from the owner of a planned drill site, near Bowman Springs and Shorewood, who contributed a portion of his override on the lease. Titan is affiliated with Hollis R. Sullivan, MacDowell said. He said the deal was the outcome of discussions with five parties that eventually came down to Titan and Paloma Resources, acting on behalf of Chesapeake Energy.

-- Jim Fuquay

Barnett Shale Newsletter offers information map

The Powell Barnett Shale Newsletter, a subscription-only electronic publication aimed at industry insiders, has created the Barnett Shale PowerMap©, which allows users to view production data for individual wells that can be searched for by location. The map covers the Barnett Shale and other fields in the Fort Worth Basin. To give it a try, visit the newsletter at http://www.barnettshalenews.com. There is a link to the map, along with instructions on how to use it.

The map displays Texas Railroad Commission data, but people who have attempted to use the Railroad Commission's own production information system (http://gis2.rrc.state.tx.us/public/) should find the newsletter's map vastly easier to use. The map will be free through June 15, after which it will require a subscription.

-- Jim Fuquay

Westcliff West and Foster Park (FW) mulling offers

We told readers in the print edition of the Star-Telegram on Thursday that the Westcliff West neighborhood group in southwest Fort Worth is currently mulling an offer from Chesapeake Energy that includes a $16,500-per-acre bonus, a 25 percent royalty and a five-year term.

It's come to our attention that it's actually Four Sevens who is serving as the land agent for Chesapeake on that offer, not Dale Resources.

At this point, there's not competition in that neighborhood, said Marc Meadows, one of the negotiating leaders for Westcliff West. But keep in mind what XTO Energy is doing, he said.  Fort Worth-based XTO has made an offer to the nearby Foster Park neighborhood for a $21,000-per-acre bonus on an initial three-year term and a $15,000-per-acre bonus for an additional two-year option, and a 26 percent royalty.

For background, here's what we've said in the past about Foster Park.

And, here's background on Westcliff West.

"Things are getting a little juicier," Meadows said.

He said he's been told that Chesapeake would meet or beat that offer for Westcliff West, even though it technically hasn't been offered by XTO to his neighborhood.

If that's the case, Meadows' negotiating committee for Westcliff West would recommend signing that kind of a deal, he said.

We'll wait and see.

--David Wethe

SE Arlington group backs record lease with XTO Energy

A big southeast Arlington neighborhood group said Friday it has endorsed a lease with XTO Energy that will pay the area’s highest signing bonus yet reported, $26,517 an acre, along with a generous royalty of 26.5 percent. Mark Middleton, an organizer of South East Arlington Communities of Texas (SEACTX), said the group on April 1 actively started seeking bids to lease the mineral rights of roughly 6,000 acres covered by about 20 neighborhoods in the group. It reached agreement with Fort Worth-based XTO Thursday afternoon, Middleton said. SEACTX also drew interest from Chesapeake Energy, Devon Energy and Antero Resources Barnett Corp, he said. Chesapeake is the busiest driller in the Barnett Shale, while Devon is the biggest producer but has mostly stayed out of the urban area. Antero sold its Barnett Shale properties to XTO in early 2005, but recently re-entered the play, Middleton said.

Middleton said he understands that among the drillers, only Chesapeake had secured a drill site, located just south of Seguin High School. But property owners committed to sign with XTO virtually surround that site, and he expects the two big competitors to work out a deal to give XTO use of the site.
XTO and Chesapeake representatives could not be reached for comment late Friday.

SEACTX extends mostly south and east of Arlington Municipal Airport. Click here to view the group's map of its boundaries.

-- Jim Fuquay

Activity bubbling up in Wedgwood (Fort Worth)

Chesapeake Energy confirmed today that it bought the Southcliff Shopping Center last week in southwest Fort Worth for a potential drilling site.

That has caught the attention of several nearby neighbors and businesses, including the newly formed Greater Wedgwood Gas Coalition.

The shopping center is at the southeast corner of Granbury Road and Interstate 20, not far from Hulen Mall.

Jerri Robbins, spokeswoman for Chesapeake, said the drilling company does not yet know when it plans to start drilling on the land and how much of the 12.75 acres would be used for drilling.

The Wedgwood Gas Coalition was formed in March and is currently working with two offers that came in around that time:

• $17,000-per-acre bonus, from Carla Petroleum, representing XTO Energy, with a 25 percent royalty and a three-year primary term and an additional two-year option
• $13,000-per-acre bonus, from Dale Resources, representing Chesapeake, with a 25 percent royalty and a three-year primary term and an additional two-year option

But Tolli Thomas, spokeswoman for the Wedgwood group, said her coalition is planning to send out a counter offer later this week to both groups and a proposed contract that Wedgwood would like to see.

Here are the six neighborhood associations that have merged:

• Wedgwood Square
• Wedgwood East
• Wedgwood West
• Wedgwood Central
• Wedgwood Middle
• Overton South

The group now represents about 5,000 homes and 2,000 acres, Thomas said. Property owners in the Wedgwood Neighborhood Association (which is different from all the other Wedgwood groups mentioned above) are still deciding whether it makes sense to going the Greater Wedgwood Gas Coalition, she said.

Here's what we initially have said about property owners in the Wedgwood area.

--David Wethe

Grapevine leasing moving closer to downtown?

A property owner in the Sunshine Harbor development northwest of Texan Trail and East Dallas Road, and east of Main Street reports that Cimmaron Field Services is offering a lease with a $10,000-per-acre bonus. The homeowner reports the approach was made by phone and that the agent is following up with one-on-one meetings.

Cimmaron has been offering to sign leases for Chesapeake Energy in Grapevine west of D/FW Airport, where Chesapeake has been drilling.

-- Scott Nishimura

(Archive photo: Grapevine's Main Street Days)

XTO Energy posts $465 million first-quarter profit

Chairman Bob Simpson says this is the start of what should be a record year for the company. Revenue rose sharply to $1.7 billion. Click here for the full story from S-T staffer Jim Fuquay.

-- Scott Nishimura

(Archive photo: XTO President Keith Hutton, CEO Bob Simpson)

SWAPO2 owners get calculations to street centers

SWAPO2 (Southwest Arlington Property Owners 2) is telling property owners today that Carrizo Oil & Gas and its agent, Carburante, have agreed to include acreage calculations to the centers of streets in figuring up the money homeowners are due.

SWAPO2 notes that it had not negotiated this issue when its gas committee agreed to recommend the Carrizo/Carburante lease. "The good news for SWAPO2 is that Carrizo and Carburante...have agreed to include acreage to the center of the street in all cases," SWAPO2 reports in an email update.

The calculation applies only to property owners who have not already received calculations to the middle of streets. Already signed your lease and received your bonus? If you didn't get the center-to-street calculation, you have more money coming, and will be notified "in the coming weeks," SWAPO2 says.

SWAPO2 is also restarting its "online letter of intent" signups. If you signed the original memorandum of intent to be represented by SWAPO2 and didn't make it to a lease signing meeting, you must sign the group's new letter if you want in on the Carrizo lease. Above is SWAPO2's coverage map. Click here to see a larger version of it and visit SWAPO2's web site for more info.

Here's all of our previous posts on SWAPO2.

-- Scott Nishimura

New South Arlington group forms around The Parks

Here's more information on the new neighborhood group that's forming around The Parks at Arlington. It calls itself The Parks Area Property Owners (TPAPO), and the lead organizer is the Rolling Meadows neighborhood. The group met Tuesday at Mount Olive Church in Arlington and is signing up property owners who want to be represented. The contact is Roger Bond, at rbond6@aol.com, voice (817) 467-0068.

This group wants to take in the area west of Matlock Road, north of Arbrook, east of South Cooper Street, and south of Mayfield Road. We don't have any info yet on what offers these property owners are receiving, but if somebody wants to fill us in on what's up, we'd love to publish it.

Here's our previous post on this group.

-- Scott Nishimura

(Photo: Shopping at The Parks at Arlington)

More SEAPO signing dates

The Southeast Arlington Property Owners group has added four more signing dates at the Mayfield Road Baptist Church.

Here are the additional dates, with all of the times being 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.:

• April 22
• April 24
• April 29
• May 1

But the SEAPO groups adds that no more dates have been added for the other signing location at the Vietnamese Martyr's Catholic Church.

Mayfield Road Baptist Church is located at 1701 E. Mayfield Rd. in Arlington.

If you need more information, you can visit the