The Mineral Rights Podcast: Mineral Rights | Royalties | Oil and Gas | Matt Sands

What do carbon dioxide, a Texas ranch entrance, and a summit in Washington have in common? Each one could affect your royalty checks. In this month's news episode, we cover a start-up selling captured CO2 to oil producers, which could keep older wells producing for years. We also look at a Texas family that turned down a $21,000 pipeline offer and won a $7 million jury verdict, and at why new pipelines could end the negative gas prices West Texas royalty owners have been seeing. Then we discuss President Xi's visit to Washington and why China may be better prepared for high oil prices than many people realize. We finish with the latest rig count, which is slowly climbing as the price of crude oil stays high As always, links to the articles mentioned in this episode can be found in the show notes at mineralrightspodcast.com.

Congress set aside about $4.7 billion to plug abandoned oil and gas wells, but by the end of 2025 only about 40% of it had gone out, and states had plugged just over 10,000 of the roughly 140,000 documented orphan wells. In this update, Justin Williams and I look at the results state by state, whether the money was well spent, and what you can do if an orphan well is on or near your minerals. As always, links to the resources mentioned in this episode can be found in the show notes at mineralrightspodcast.com.

You inherited mineral rights from your grandfather. You live in a different state. Then you get divorced — does your spouse have a claim to those minerals? In this episode, we break down what actually happens to individually owned mineral rights during a divorce, state by state. We cover the difference between community property and equitable distribution states, why Texas and Louisiana treat the exact same royalty check in opposite ways, and why North Dakota doesn't automatically protect inherited minerals the way you'd expect. If you're the steward of a family mineral legacy, this one's worth your full attention.  As always, links to resources mentioned on the show can be found in the show notes at mineralrightspodcast.com. This information is being shared for educational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice.  For guidance specific to your situation, please consult with a qualified attorney.  

This month's mailbag covers a little bit of everything — huge thanks to Phillip, Timothy, Jodi, Joey, Nick, Gretchen, Tom, and Bruce for sending in such thoughtful questions. From splitting water revenue with the state of Texas, to operators who've gone quiet, to why natural gas prices in Texas aren't reacting to overseas supply shocks, this episode is packed with practical answers for real situations mineral owners are facing today. Be sure to check out the show notes at mineralrightspodcast.com for additional resources.

Oil prices that can't make up their mind, a tribe finally getting the green light to run its own energy business after a 20-year wait, and some of the biggest names in oil and gas quietly writing billion-dollar checks on a technology that doesn't even exist yet commercially, that's what's on the table this month. In this episode, Justin and I break down the Southern Ute Indian Tribe's landmark agreement with the Department of the Interior, dig into why oil keeps swinging up and down (and what that's doing to everything from your grocery bill to your royalty check), unpack why Chevron, Shell, Equinor, and other majors are betting big on nuclear fusion, and close out with the latest rig count numbers, which tell a more optimistic story than the weekly headline suggests. As always, links to the articles discussed in this episode can be found in the show notes at mineralrightspodcast.com.