POOLING AGREEMENT
Exhibit
10.2
THIS
POOLING AGREEMENT (this "Agreement"), dated effective as of July 1, 2007 (the
"Effective Date"), is between SAVANT ALASKA, LLC, a Colorado limited liability
company, hereinafter referred to as "Savant" or "Operator," and TRUE NORTH
ENERGY CORP. a Nevada corporation, hereinafter referred to as "True North"
or as
"Non-operator." Savant and True North shall be referred to herein, individually,
as a "Xxxxx," and, collectively, as the "Parties."
Recitals
A.
Savant
hereby represents that it owns 100% record title and/or operating rights
interest in that certain State of Alaska Oil & Gas Lease number ADL 390837
dated February 1, 2007, covering certain lands in Sections 29-34, T11N, RI8E,
Umiat Meridian, Alaska (the "Savant Lease").
B.
True
North hereby represents that it owns 100% record title and/or operating rights
interest in that certain State of Alaska Oil & Gas Lease number ADL 390839
dated March 1, 2007, covering certain lands in Sections 25, 26, 35, and 36,
Tl1N, R17E, Umiat Meridian, Alaska (the "True North Lease"). The True North
Lease and the Savant Lease shall be referred to herein, collectively, as the
"Leases."
C.
The
Parties desire to pool and combine their respective interests in certain lands
covered by the Leases in accordance with the terms and conditions of this
Agreement.
Agreement
IN
CONSIDERATION OF TEN DOLLARS ($10.00), and other good and valuable
consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged,
the
Parties hereby agree as follows:
1.
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INTERESTS
POOLED.
The Parties hereby pool and combine their respective interests in
the
Leases insofar as, and only insofar as, the Leases cover the following
described lands (collectively, the "Pooled
Lands"):
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Savant
Lease:
T.11
N., R. 18 E.. Umiat Meridian, Alaska
Section
29: Protracted, All tide and submerged lands shoreward of the line fixed by
coordinates found in Exhibit A of the Final Decree in U.S. v. Alaska, No. 84
Original, excluding ADL 312834.
Section
30: Protracted, All excluding ADL 312834 and less and except the
S/2SW,
Section
32: Protracted, All tide and submerged lands shoreward of the line fixed by
coordinates found in Exhibit A of the Final Decree in U.S. v. Alaska, No. 84
Original, less and except the XX/0, X/0XX/0, XX/0XX/0.
True
North Lease:
T.
11 N.,
R. 17 E., Umiat Meridian, Alaska Section 25: NI2NE/4, SE/4NE/4
2.
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EFFECT
OF POOLING.
The pooling of the interests of the Parties in the Pooled Lands shall
have
the following effect:
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(a)
All
costs (as defined in the Operating Agreement) incurred in the drilling,
development and operation of the Pooled Lands shall be severally borne and
assumed by the Parties in the following percentages (such percentages
hereinafter referred to as "Participating Interest"):
Savant
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91.50
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%
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True
North
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8.50
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%
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(b)
All
production (as defined in the Operating Agreement) of oil, gas and other
substances attributable to the Pooled Lands shall be allocated, as
follows:
(i) This
Agreement does not provide for the pooling of lessors' royalties, overriding
royalties and other burdens on production attributable to the Leases or deemed
leases pooled hereunder. As to each Lease within the Pooled Lands, each Party
shall bear its respective Participating Interest share of royalty, overriding
royalty and other burdens upon production (hereinafter referred to as "burdens")
provided, however, that if burdens attributable to a given Lease aggregate
in
excess of twenty-one and two-thirds percent (21.67%) on production, the burdens
in excess of twenty-one and two-thirds percent (21.67%) shall be borne
exclusively by the Party contributing and committing such Lease to this
Agreement, and provided further, that if burdens under a given Lease aggregated
less than twenty-one and two-thirds percent (21.67%) on production, then the
Party contributing such Lease to the Pooled Lands shall have an overriding
royalty on production attributable to such Lease equal to the difference between
twenty-one and two-thirds percent (21.67%) and such existing
burdens.
(ii) Subject
to the provisions of Section 2(b)(i) above, all production of oil, gas, and
other substances attributable to the Pooled Lands shall be severally owned
by
the Parties in proportion to their respective Participating
Interest.
(c)
The
ownership of the Parties in materials, equipment, and other property, in which
they have participated in costs under Section 2(a) above, shall be in the same
percentages as such were borne.
Provided,
however, that the foregoing provisions of this Section 2 shall be subject to
the
applicable provisions of the Operating Agreement (described in Section 4 below)
with respect to non-consent operations and relinquishments of
interest.
3.
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INITIAL
WELL.
Operator shall commence the drilling of a well in Section 29, T II
N., R.
17 E., Umiat Meridian, Alaska, on or before March 15, 2008 (the "Initial
Well"). The Initial Well shall be drilled to a depth of 11,000' or
to a
depth sufficient to test the Kemik formation, whichever is the lesser
depth. Operator shall cause the drilling of the Initial Well at the
expense of the Parties in accordance with all of the terms and conditions
of this Agreement. AU costs incurred by Operator under this Agreement,
including without limitation the costs of constructing an ice road
and
drilling pad, shall be borne by the Parties in accordance with their
respective Participating Interests. As between the Parties, all operations
on the Initial Well shall be conducted in accordance with the tenus
and
conditions of the Operating Agreement (described in Section 4 below).
On
or before 10 days after receipt by True North of an authorization
for
expenditure (the "AFE") for the Initial Well, True North shall return
one
(1) executed and approved copy of the AFE to Operator and shall pay
to
Operator 25% of True North's Participating Interest share of the
estimated
costs for the Initial Well (the "AFE Costs"). Upon the spudding of
the
Initial Well, True North shall pay to Operator the remaining 75%,
of True
North's Participating Interest share of the AFE Costs for the Initial
Well. If drilling operations for the Initial Well are not commenced
on or
before March 15, 2008, this Agreement shall terminate, and Operator
shall
promptly return to True North the AFE Costs paid by True North to
Operator, less True North's 8.5% Participating Interest share of
any sunk
costs related to the Initial Well, including but not limited to permitting
costs, rig costs, insurance costs, bonding costs, and any other
non-refundable costs which were incurred by Operator under the
AFE.
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4.
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OPERATING
AGREEMENT.
The Parties hereby agree that all operations conducted on the Pooled
Lands
shall be governed by the terms and conditions of the operating agreement
(the "Operating Agreement") attached hereto as Exhibit "A". The Operating
Agreement shall be effective as of the Effective Date. In the event
of a
conflict between the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the
Operating Agreement, the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall
control and govern the point in
conflict.
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5.
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TITLES.
Each of the Parties hereby represents, but does not warrant, that
it's the
100% record title/operating rights interest owner of the respective
Lease
it has contributed to this Agreement. Prior to the commencement of
actual
drilling in the Initial Well, Operator may, but shall not be obligated
to,
obtain title opinions covering the Pooled Lands at the joint expense
of
the Parties, for verifying the interests of the Parties. In the event
of
any material defect of title, the Party that contributed the said
Lease to
this Agreement shall take prompt action to cure such defect to Operator's
satisfaction. If the title defect is not cured prior to the drilling
of
the Initial Well, this Agreement shall terminate in accordance with
Section 6(d) herein. In the event any title subject hereto is lost
for any
reason after the Initial Well is drilled, the Xxxxx whose title is
lost
shall use its reasonable efforts in good faith to reacquire the same,
and
such reacquired interests shall be subject to and burdened by the
terms
and conditions of this Agreement, but regardless of whether such
Party
reacquires such interests, the percentages set forth in Section 2(a)
above
shall remain the same.
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6.
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TERM.
This Agreement shall become effective as of the date first above
written
and shall terminate upon the first to occur of the following
events:
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(a)
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True
North fails to pay to Operator, 25% of True North's Participating
Interest
share of the AFE Costs as provided in Section 3
above;
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(b)
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True
North fails to pay to Operator, the remaining 75% of True North's
Participating Interest share of the AFE Costs upon the spudding of
the
Initial Well;
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(c)
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Operator
does not commence operations for' the Initial Well on or before March
15,
2008;
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(d)
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a
material title defect of a Lease is discovered and not cured prior
to the
drilling of the Initial Well:
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(e)
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the
Initial Well is completed as a dry hole or as a well determined to
be
incapable of production at sufficient rates and sufficient reserves
to
justify development on a field
basis;
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(f)
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all
xxxxx within the Pooled Lands, or lands unitized therewith, are no
longer
capable of producing oil and or gas in commercial quantities and
are
plugged and abandoned; 01' '
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(g)
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the
mutual agreement of the Parties to terminate the
Agreement.
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Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary, the termination of this Agreement shall not relieve
any Party from any liability or obligation which has accrued prior to such
termination.
7.
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AUTOMATIC
TERMINATION AS TO CERTAIN DEPTHS.
At such time as the Initial Well on the Pooled Lands has been drilled
to
its total depth, this Agreement shall automatically terminate as
to all
depths and formations lying 100' below the stratigraphic equivalent
of the
total depth encountered in the drilling of the Initial Well, and
thereafter the provisions of this Agreement shall apply only to depths
and
formation lying above said depth.
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8.
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RENTALS.
Notwithstanding anything in the Operating Agreement to the contrary,
during the term of this Agreement, Savant shall pay all annual delay
rentals ("Rentals") for the Savant Lease, and True North shall pay
all
Rentals for· the True North Lease; provided, however that no Party shall
be liable to the other Party for the failure to pay Rentals, except
to the
extent of such Patty's gross negligence or willful misconduct. If
any
Xxxxx desires to release, surrender, abandon or let expire all or
any
portion of the Leases, such Party shall deliver written notice to
the
other Party not less than ninety (90) days in advance of such release,
surrender, abandonment or expiration and, if so requested in writing
by
the other Party, shall assign such interests to such other Party
on or
before seven (7) clays after receipt of such other Patty's written
request.
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9.
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EXTENSIONS
AND RENEWALS.
The terms and conditions of this Agreement shall automatically apply
to
and burden all extensions or renewals of each Lease, 01' any portion
thereof, acquired by any Xxxxx, or any of their successors or assigns,
on
or before three (3) years after the expiration of such Lease, so
that the
Patties, and their successors and assigns, shall own the same interests
in
said renewal or extension of such Lease as they owned under such
Lease,
regardless of whether said renewal or extension of such Lease covers
only
a portion of the land covered by the expiring
Lease.
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10.
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NOTICES.
Notice shall be given in the manner provided for in the Operating
Agreement at the following
addresses:
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Savant
Alaska, LLC
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000
- 00xx Xxxxxx, Xxx. 000
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0000
Xxxxx Xxxxxx, 00xx Xxxxx
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Xxxxxx,
XX 00000
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Xxxxxxx,
XX 00000
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Attn:
Xx. Xxxx Xxxxx
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Attn:
Mr. John Folnovic
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11.
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NO
ASSIGNMENT. There shall be no cross-assignment of legal title in
and to
the interests in and to the Leases severally held by the Parties,
but such
interests of the Parties in the Pooled Lands shall be held subject
to the
terms of this Agreement.
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12.
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RECITALS.
All of the recitals contained in this Agreement are hereby incorporated
herein, and shall be binding upon the Parties as if expressly stated
in
the body of this Agreement.
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13.
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RELATIONSHIP.
It is not the intention of the Parties to create a partnership, joint
venture, mining partnership or association; and neither this Agreement
nor
the operations hereunder shall be construed as creating such a
relationship. The liability of the Parties under this Agreement shall
be
several and separate, and not joint or collective, and each Party
shall be
responsible for its obligations only. Nothing contained herein shall
be
construed to constitute either Party to be the partner of the other
Party.
The Parties hereby expressly disclaim, waive and release any and
all
fiduciary duties between the Parties hereunder. The relationship
of the
leasehold owners under an Operating Agreement shall be as specified
in
such Operating Agreement.
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14.
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EFFECT
OF AGREEMENT. This Agreement shall be deemed to be covenants running
with
the land, and a burden upon each Party's interest in the Pooled Lands
for
the benefit of the other Party's interest in the Pooled Lands. This
Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of Savant
and
True North, and their respective successors and
assigns.
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15.
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COUNTERPARTS.
This Agreement may he executed in one or more counterparts, each
of which
shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which shall be deemed
to be
one agreement.
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EXECUTED
to be
effective for all purposes as of the Effective Date.
SAVANT
ALASKA, LLC
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By:
Savant Resources LLC, Its Manager
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By:
Savant Operating Company,
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Its
Manager
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By:
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/s/
Xxxx Folnovic, President
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Xxxx
Folnovic, President
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/s/
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxx, President
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Xxxxxxxxx
Xxxx, President
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