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Landman asks school board to authorize state nomination for oil-and-gas lease bids on school parcels
Summary
Greg Bridal of Highlander Oil and Gas asked the board to authorize the state to nominate three Section 16 tracts owned wholly or partly by the district for sealed-bid oil-and-gas leases, saying the proposal is conventional drilling, not carbon capture, and that the board can set minimum royalty terms.
Greg Bridal, a landman for Highlander Oil and Gas, asked the St. Martin Parish School Board to adopt a resolution allowing the state to nominate school-owned acreage for sealed-bid oil-and-gas leases on three Section 16 tracts that the company hopes would be included in future wells.
Bridal said the request covers three separate Section 16 parcels, some held in division with Iberia and Assumption parishes, and described recent activity nearby: "This is a conventional oil and gas project," he said. "Absolutely no" carbon capture. He told the board Highlander has drilled ultra-deep wells in the basin and would like the district parcels to be included in future drilling units. Bridal added the board can set minimum royalty rates or surface-right limitations in the state's advertisement and that the state board can reject bids it finds unacceptable.
Board members asked about royalty percentages, surface-use restrictions and whether the district could instead handle bidding internally. Bridal said state rules set minimum royalties but the board may dictate higher minimums in the public notice. Following discussion, a motion to authorize the state nomination was moved and passed.
