The Oil and Gas Addendum

An Oil and Gas Blog for Landowners. The law of oil and gas here in Pennsylvania and throughout the Marcellus Shale region is complex and continues to evolve and change. If you own oil and gas rights, keeping up to date on these changes and trends is critical. The Oil and Gas Addendum is your resource for timely and informational articles on the latest developments in oil and gas law. Our oil and gas practice here at Houston Harbaugh is dedicated to protecting the interests of landowners and royalty owners. From new lease negotiations, to title disputes, to royalty litigation, we can help. We know oil and gas.

Superior Court Breathes New Life Into Guaranteed Minimum Royalty Act

Superior Court Breathes New Life Into Guaranteed Minimum Royalty Act

As the debate in Harrisburg heats up this winter regarding the practice of deducting post-production costs from oil and gas royalties, the Pennsylvania Superior Court has made clear that the Guaranteed Minimum Royalty Act, or GMRA, remains a viable component of Pennsylvania oil and gas law.

In Southwestern Energy Production v. Forest Resources, 2013 PA Super. 307 (Nov. 27, 2013), the Superior Court held that an “assignment back” clause negotiated by the parties, which resulted in the lessor’s royalty being less than the statutory minimum of 12.5 percent, violated the GMRA.

The opinion breathes new life into the GMRA, which had been relegated to the proverbial sidelines after the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Kilmer v. Elexco Land Services, 990 A.2d 1147 (Pa. 2010). The Southwestern Energy decision should serve as a reminder to both landowners and gas drillers that the GMRA can and will be enforced and that the Pennsylvania Superior Court will closely scrutinize all royalty clauses. In light of the renewed debate in Harrisburg regarding Pennsylvania’s minimum royalty requirement, the Southwestern Energy decision is both timely and instructive.

At issue in Southwestern Energy was a 2002 oil and gas lease that provided for a 12.5 percent production royalty. The 2002 lease was subsequently amended and modified by two letter agreements executed by the same parties in 2002 and 2005. The letter agreement executed in 2005 modified the royalty clause by assigning 50 percent of all production royalties to the lessee.

Although separate documents, both the 2002 lease and the letter agreements referenced and incorporated each other. In response to a quiet title action commenced by Southwestern Energy in 2011, the lessor filed a counterclaim seeking to invalidate the 2002 lease on the grounds that the “assignment back” clause in the 2005 letter agreement violated the GMRA.

Southwestern Energy moved to dismiss the lessor’s counterclaim on the basis that the 2002 lease and the 2005 letter agreement were separate, distinct agreements. Since the 2005 letter agreement was independent from the 2002 lease, Southwestern Energy argued that the “assignment back” clause did not violate the GMRA. The trial court agreed and dismissed the lessor’s counterclaim, noting that “the royalty to be paid remains one-eighth; the assignment back to [lessor] simply divided that royalty.” The trial court concluded that the 2005 letter agreement was “distinct and collateral” from the original 2002 lease and, therefore, the GMRA was not implicated.

The trial court’s narrow reading of the 2002 lease and the 2005 letter agreement was rejected by the Superior Court. The panel concluded that both documents “must be construed together” as a single, integrated agreement between the parties. Since the parties’ agreement failed to guarantee a royalty of at least 12.5 percent, the 2002 lease violated the GMRA and was invalid, the court held.

In its opinion, the Southwestern Energy panel made two striking statements regarding the GMRA.

First, the court said that the “assignment back” clause violated the GMRA because it resulted in the lessor’s net royalty being less than the statutory minimum. Specifically, the court said “a provision in a lease couched in the guise of an assignment back of a portion of a defined royalty that results in a lessor’s net royalty being less than one-eighth fails to guarantee the minimum royalty mandated by the GMRA.”

The use of the term net royalty, as opposed to gross royalty, introduces a new analytical framework in assessing compliance under the GMRA. Under this new analysis, it appears that the GMRA may be violated if the landowner’s net royalty falls below 12.5 percent. This is a remarkable departure from Kilmer and its progeny. In Kilmer, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that the net-back method of calculating royalties does not violate the GMRA, even if the net royalty after deductions is less than 12.5 percent. The Southwestern Energy opinion suggests otherwise.

Second, the panel suggested that when reviewing a royalty clause under the GMRA, the reviewing court must look beyond the literal text of the clause and assess whether the effect of entire lease will result in a royalty being less than 12.5 percent. The Southwestern Energy court warned that “a lease that contains a clause, which, when read alone, facially provides the lessor with at least the minimum royalty is nonetheless noncompliant with the GMRA, if, when read as a whole, it fails to guarantee that minimum royalty.”

This language implies a different approach than espoused by the Supreme Court in Kilmer. Under this new test, a royalty clause that provides for a 12.5 percent royalty but nonetheless authorizes the deduction of certain post-production costs may violate the GMRA because when read as a whole, the lease fails to guarantee the minimum statutory royalty of 12.5 percent.

When read in conjunction with the court’s emphasis on the term net royalty, the Southwestern Energy decision could represent a significant change in Pennsylvania oil and gas jurisprudence. Both statements may reflect an emerging judicial preference toward re-establishing, and perhaps expanding, the protective sphere of the GMRA.

Such a preference, however, is at odds with Kilmer. As such, both landowners and gas drillers alike should carefully monitor the aftermath of Southwestern Energy, as well as the ongoing political debate in Harrisburg. Only time will tell if Southwestern Energy was the beginning of a new and dramatic judicial trend or simply a bump in the road.

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Oil and gas development can present unique and complex issues that can be intimidating and challenging. At Houston Harbaugh, P.C., our oil and gas practice is dedicated to protecting the interests of landowners and royalty owners. From new lease negotiations to title disputes to royalty litigation, we can help. Whether you have two acres in Washington County or 5,000 acres in Lycoming County, our dedication and commitment remains the same.

We Represent Landowners in All Aspects of Oil and Gas Law

The oil and gas attorneys at Houston Harbaugh have broad experience in a wide array of oil and gas matters, and they have made it their mission to protect and preserve the landowner’s interests in matters that include:

  • New lease negotiations
  • Pipeline right-of-way negotiations
  • Surface access agreements
  • Royalty audits
  • Tax and estate planning
  • Lease expiration claims
  • Curative title litigation
  • Water contamination claims
Pittsburgh Oil and Gas Lawyer Robert Burnett attorney headshot

Robert Burnett - Practice Chair

Robert’s practice is exclusively devoted to the representation of landowners and royalty owners in oil and gas matters. Robert is the Chair of the Houston Harbaugh’s Oil & Gas Practice Group and represents landowners and royalty owners in a wide array of oil and gas matters throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Robert assists landowners and royalty owners in the negotiation of new oil and gas leases as well as modifications to existing leases. Robert also negotiates surface use agreements and pipeline right-of-way agreements on behalf of landowners. Robert also advises and counsels clients on complex lease development and expiration issues, including the impact and effect of delay rental and shut-in clauses, as well as the implied covenants to develop and market oil and gas. Robert also represents landowners and royalty owners in disputes arising out of the calculation of production royalties and the deduction of post-production costs. Robert also assists landowners with oil and gas title issues and develops strategies to resolve and cure such title deficiencies. Robert also advises clients on the interplay between oil and gas leases and solar leases and assists clients throughout Pennsylvania in negotiating solar leases.

Head shot photo of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Lawyer Brendan O'Donnell at Houston Harbaugh

Brendan A. O'Donnell

Brendan O’Donnell is a highly qualified and experienced attorney in the Oil and Gas Law practice. He also practices in our Environmental and Energy Practice. Brendan represents landowners and royalty owners in a wide variety of matters, including litigation and trial work, and in the preparation and negotiation of:

  • Leases
  • Pipeline right of way agreements
  • Surface use agreements
  • Oil, gas and mineral conveyances