Who Are We

The MCPOA was organized and funded by approximately 30 plus citizens and property owners who have become very concerned by the turn of events overtaking Montague County by the drilling for oil and gas in the Dye Mound area south and southwest of Saint Jo.  No one is opposed to producing natural resources, but they are concerned by the value destruction that surface owners are encountering from oil companies tearing up their land with total disregard in some instances of surface owners� needs and well-being.

A classic case of heartless arrogance and assault of a surface owner�s homestead and residence is the Tom and Sherri Davis property located at 875 Weed Road, which is in between Highway 59 and Catholic Cemetery Road.  Their 42 acres of very nice and scenic rolling land with beautiful trees and water flowing through a creek is no longer what it was.  On a Friday afternoon in May, people representing EOG Resources, Inc. showed up on their property and told them they had the mineral lease on their property and they would be back on Monday morning to start building drilling pad sites to drill not one, but three oil and gas wells.  No previous notification, just get the hell out of the way.  In thirty short days, more than half of the Davis property was destroyed by EOG Resources, Inc.  The Davis�s dream of living in the country has changed into a hellish nightmare.  They are now paying property taxes and continuing to make monthly mortgage payments on a piece of property that in all probability is worth one third of what they paid for it, compliments of EOG Resources, Inc.

If you are wondering who EOG is, think back a few years to Enron, Ken Lay and the accounting fraud, corruptions and bankruptcy in 2001.  Investors lost billions, 22,000 employees lost their jobs and substantial retirement savings and more.  At least six former officers are serving time in a federal prison.  EOG Resources, Inc., formerly Enron Oil & Gas, Inc., was spun out of Enron before the bankruptcy.  As much as you want to try and put a good and fair face on EOG Resources, Inc., it takes only one trip to see what is left of the Davis property to get a clear understanding of how much they are interested in trying to work with the surface owners.  The landman representing EOG told the Davis�s next-door neighbors, Tom and Becky Wilson, they would not have these problems if they had bought the mineral rights when they bought the surface property.

Everyone whole heartily agrees there is a desperate need for more petroleum energy in this country.  There is no reason in the world why it cannot be done without deliberately destroying surface owners� property.  Water is also considered a natural resource and a necessity of life.  You have to ponder how long it will be before that resource is endangered.  After the resources are depleted, what will be left?  We all need to think about the coming tomorrows.  The best way to clean up a mess is to prevent it from starting.  Rural property without water does not have much value.

The MCPOA is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to informing and protecting all property owners, both city and rural.  Montague County is blessed with rich resources of good hard working people, abundant water, oil and natural gas, good agricultural land, abundant wildlife and some of the most scenic land in Texas.  It is a rich asset that needs to be maintained and preserved for future generations.

Because of the separation of surface estate and the mineral estate laws in Texas, sometimes hard choices are presented to property owners that cause conflict between the two estates.  There are many of these conflicts starting to occur in Montague County.  EOG Resources, Inc. and others have publicly stated they intend to drill over 3,000 oil and gas wells in the county over the next 10 years.  If that is true, Montague County is about to become a very different place.  It is a sure bet that you can say goodbye to scenic countryside, and abundant water and wildlife.  It is another sure bet that you can say hello to industrial scenery, contaminated water, depleted wildlife, higher property taxes and lower property values.  One would have to ponder why anyone would want to move from the DFW Metroplex to the industrial zone that has been created on the Catholic Cemetery Road.  That is not why people move to the country.  What is taking place in this area will affect all of Montague County citizens in one way or the other.  Time is against all property owners whether they realize it or not.

Can something be done?  YES!  It will not be easy, but it can be done.  All property owners and both sides of the estate need to work together to bring some type of organization to the disorder that is about to occur.  Pressure can be brought to bare.  One energy company should not be the ruination of Montague County.  There are other energy companies operating in this county that don�t have the attitude of �The public be damned.�  They operate as good responsible citizens.

Informed, knowledgeable and educated citizens make better choices.  The MCPOA is dedicated to providing needed information for property owners in one location on our website that is presented in layman understandable language, not courthouse language that needs to be interpreted by an attorney.  We hope to cover a lot of difficult areas that are becoming everyday topics of conversation.  It is going to take time and money and help from a lot of people.  Join the effort today and help yourself and others to become knowledgeable about the property laws of Texas and Montague County.