Erik Ahlenius, executive vice president, oil, gas and mineral manager at Jefferson Bank, is cautioning that mineral and royalty owners should be even more aware of the prices they’re receiving amid the volatility. “Keeping track of the price operators are getting paid and realizing versus what’s on your check stub is super important,” he told the Reporter-Telegram. “Mineral owners need to look at those check stubs and understand the numbers on that stub. That is the best data you have.” Owners should take the values of the production listed and match them with what’s reported to the Railroad Commission and comptroller’s office, he said. If the numbers don’t match, he said, they should have a conversation with the operators about why and use their leverage to enforce lease terms.
“There are all sorts of valid reasons” the numbers might not match, he said. “Occasionally, though, you have bad operators.” Ahlenius said mineral and royalty owners, like oil and gas operators, feel the oil price spike will be short-lived. He sees emerging plays like the Barnett and Woodford in the Permian and some in South Texas’ Eagle Ford, Austin Chalk and Pearsall formations. Still, he said the South Texas plays offer only a couple of new targets, while the Permian offers multiple targets.
“The Permian Basin is the gift that keeps on giving with new targets and leasing opportunities,” Ahlenius said. In addition to paying attention to the data on check stubs, he advised mineral and royalty owners with publicly traded operators active on their leases to follow the operators’ quarterly earnings reports.
Family offices have the same generation gap as other sectors, he said. There are fewer younger professionals, deterred by the industry’s boom-and-bust cycles, available to succeed the older employees who managed minerals and royalties and are now retiring. “Succession planning is important,” he said.
By: Mella McEwen | Oil Editor | Midland Reporter-Telegram
June 20, 2026
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