On November 12, 2015, the Louisiana State Mineral and Energy Board requested comments by December 4^th regarding its to the current State Lease form, which has been in use for oil and gas leases from the Mineral Board since 2000. Gordon Arata attorneys closely reviewed the proposed form and requested an extension of the December 4^th deadline for comments in order to address particular questions and concerns with the proposed form.   In addition, Gordon Arata attorneys submitted detailed and extensive comments to the proposed State Lease form before the deadline.

After discussions with Gordon Arata lawyers and review of comments both from Gordon Arata and others, the Mineral Board’s staff decided to not propose approval of the revised form at this time.  Approval of the proposed State Lease form had previously been set for the December 9^th meeting of the Board’s Legal and Title Controversy Committee; the Committee will now instead discuss the comments received and Gordon Arata’s request for extension.  Gordon Arata expects to be involved in ongoing discussions with the Mineral Board and its staff to help develop the final revised State Lease form.

If you have any questions or concerns about the Mineral Board’s proposed form, please feel free to contact a Gordon Arata attorney.