Lower commodity prices and slowed production have been in the news for months, but with those lower prices comes lower royalty payments. The Business Journal reports that one local landowner, Robert Crosser of Lisbon, Ohio, has noticed dramatic decreases in his monthly royalty payments from Chesapeake Energy Corp.

Production at Chesapeake’s well on the Crosser property began last year, with royalty payments coming in at more than $100 an acre. Today, the royalty checks pay about $20 or $25 an hour. Other landowners are experiencing similar situations.

Even though the industry is slow, drilling companies aren’t abandoning the Utica Shale. Companies like Chesapeake are renewing leases for properties that haven’t been drilled yet, and activity in the central and southern areas of the Utica hasn’t completely dried up.

Via: The Business Journal > Royalties Collapse in Utica as Oil Prices Finish