AboutJames H. McConnell, CPL Expertise READ CAREFULLY BEFORE ASKING ME A QUESTION
I will try to answer questions about oil & gas leases, minerals, royalties, and servitudes, if the questioner has provided a good description of the lands. I require a section, township and range for any land not it Texas. I require a survey name and an abstract number if the lands are in Texas. I will answer questions about offers to lease or purchase mineral interests only if all terms of the offer are in the question, including the term, the royalty and the amount offered. Failure to provide this information will result in the question being rejected.
I have answered more than 2300 questions on this site and get as many as fifty in one day. I do not have the time nor am I inclined to deal with detailed questions requiring an attorney. I am not a substitute for an attorney. If you do not write in a cognizant form, I will reject your question. If you have done real research and have a question I find interesting, I will answer it. If you haven't done any research on your own, I will not do it for you.
If you do not rate the first answer, do not send a follow up, because I will reject it. If my time means so little to you that you feel that you cannot take your time to rate an answer, I do not have time to answer another question.
Experience I have been a Professional Landman for more than thirty five years. I have drilled and operated oil & gas wells in Louisiana and Texas and an familiar with the rules and Regulations of the Texas Railroad Commission and the Louisiana Department of Conservation. I have testified in court as an expert witness.
Question could you let me know what the typical elements and cost would be for shallow onshore oil wells of about 2000 feet depth in Tulsa Oklahoma.
Answer You will need to secure a lease, secure a title opinion from an attorney. You will need to settle surface damages with the landowner. You will need to have the location surveyed for a permit. You will need to get a permit from the state to drill, You will need a bid from a contractor to prepare the location for drilling. You will need to get bids from drilling contractors to drill the well. You will need to get bids on whatever you decided to furnish to the drilling contractor in the way of mud, water, fuel, Etc., unless it is a turnkey bid. You will need bids from the logging companies to do the surveys after the well is drilled. You will need bids for pipe for the conductor pipe, the surface casing and the long string. You will need bids for the tubing, packers, and subs for the completion string. You will need bids from cementing contractors for cementing the pipe in the ground or plugging the dry hole. You will need bids for the wellhead, valves and gauges. You will need bids from the casing crews to run your longstring. You will need bids for the tanks, seperators, heater treaters, meters and gauges for the surface equipment. You will need bids from contractors to install the surface equipment. You will need bids for pipe to run flow lines from the well to the pipeline. You will need bids from contractors to tie in the flow line to the pipeline and set the meters. You will need bids to clean up the location, build all weather roads to the location build cattle gaps or gates to protect the landowners property or livestock. Add up all of the costs and that is what it takes to drill a typical well. There is no such thing as a typical well anywhere. The costs of the overhead and geological work should be included in your estimate somewhere, as these costs are real. Every price is subject to the market availability on any given day. You had better figure in a contingency for problems that develop such as a blowout (you can get blowout insurance) stuck drill pipe, fishing jobs when stuff breaks off and falls in the well bore, Etc. Since you are not established as a company, all services will be paid in cash upon delivery. You will probably need a consulting geologist and engineer on the project at about $1000 per day each. Piece of cake.
