Within the oil and gas industry, oil and gas exploration companies are often referred to as operators or producers. The Operator of an oil gas well is the entity responsible for drilling wells and the ongoing maintenance of the producing well.
Usually the operator is the same company that pays out the royalty checks, but this isn’t always true. Sometimes operators outsource this to a different company who takes the oil and gas to market for the operator and handles the royalty payments. This is why we generally use the word “Producer” when describing the entity responsible for paying royalty checks to mineral owners.
To understand exactly who you need to contact it’s best to look at your revenue statement for your royalty payments. The oil company listed on the check is most likely the company you need to contact. If you aren’t receiving royalties yet, then check the name on your division order or your oil and gas lease. Some companies are a lot easier to contact than others and response times can vary between companies as well.
When communicating with mineral owners, producers often use the phrase “owner relations” to describe this part of their business. When searching for your producer contact information, if you find an “owner relations” email or phone number that’s usually the best place to start.
To help you out contact your oil and gas company, we’ve created a directory for you to search for the contact information by state where your wells are located. Be sure to use the filters in the top left corner to select the state you want to search within. If you’re unsure of who your oil and gas company is, look at your revenue check. If you don’t have revenue checks, try looking at your oil and gas lease or your division order.