John A. Thomason
Member , Evansville IN
A Member of Stoll Keenon Ogden’s Evansville office who has been with the firm since 1998, John is part of the Mineral & Environmental Law practice group, as well as the Real Estate group.
A leading nationwide expert on oil, natural gas, and coal law, John is admitted to practice in Kentucky and Indiana and speaks regularly on topics related to mineral and surface rights. He has successfully overseen commercial ventures involving the acquisition of energy properties worth billions of dollars.
Mineral & Environmental Law: John has helped clients navigate complex transactions involving millions of tons of coal and millions of acres of oil and gas reserves. He has performed due diligence and prepared legal documents for projects that have included initial public offerings (IPOs) for midstream gathering operations, transactions to support large mining developments and property acquisitions.
Real Estate Law: John’s real estate practice complements his expertise in mineral law and has helped him secure the acquisition of energy resources in the Illinois Basin and throughout the United States. He can also provide assistance in the broader commercial realm, across a variety of industry sectors.
Renewable Energy Law: John regularly helps landowners in their negotiations with the developers of utility-scale solar and wind projects. He uses his real estate background to provide an insightful analysis of the short-term and long-term effects associated with renewable energy leases.
Education
University of Kentucky College of Law, 1997, J.D.
Vanderbilt University, 1994, B.A., cum laude
Experience
Admitted In
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Indiana
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Kentucky
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U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky
Professional & Community Activities
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Evansville Bar Association
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Energy & Mineral Law Foundation
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Kentucky Bar Association
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Indiana Bar Association
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Campaign Cabinet of the United Way of Henderson County, past co-chair of professional division
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YMCA of Henderson County, past president
Accolades
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AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®
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The Best Lawyers in America®: Natural Resources Law (2016 – present)
Work Highlights
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Acquisition of Coal Reserves
Series of transactions to acquire more than 450 million tons of Illinois Basin coal reserves; SKO served as lead deal counsel, and performed due diligence.
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Midstream MLP Initial Public Offering
An IPO for midstream gathering services for production from the Marcellus Shale. SKO performed due diligence and prepared transaction documents.
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Acquisition of Illinois Basin Oil and Natural Gas Properties
Acquisition of over one million gross oil and gas acres (primarily New Albany shale acreage in the Illinois Basin, but also including acreage in Northern Appalachia, the San Juan Basin, the Powder River Basin and the Rockies). SKO performed due diligence and prepared transaction documents.
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Development Transaction for Coal Producer
Transaction to support the development of a longwall mining operation in Hamilton County, Illinois; initial investment at the closing of $69.5 million, total investment in the project in a range of $400-525 million; SKO served as lead deal counsel, and performed due diligence.
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Acquisition of Coal Mine
Acquisition of Illinois Basin coal mine with 40 million tons of coal; SKO served as lead deal counsel, and performed due diligence.
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Acquisition of Appalachian Oil and Natural Gas Properties
Acquisition of 1.46 million oil and gas acres in the eastern United States (primarily Pennsylvania and West Virginia) with more than 9,000 producing wells. SKO performed due diligence and prepared transaction documents.
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Marcellus Joint Venture for Oil and Natural Gas Producer
A joint venture for a major oil and natural gas producer’s Marcellus shale acreage; the producer to receive aggregate payments of $3.4 billion; SKO performed due diligence and prepared transaction documents.
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Utica Joint Venture for Oil and Natural Gas Producer
A joint venture for a major oil and natural gas producer’s Utica shale acreage; the producer to receive aggregate payments of $594 million; SKO performed due diligence and prepared transaction documents.
Seminars
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- “The Due Diligence Process in a Mineral Transaction,” Speaker, Energy & Mineral Law Foundation 31st Mineral Law Conference Oct. 5, 2006
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