A consultant hired to negotiate Erie’s multimillion-dollar deal with oil and gas operator SM Energy Company has submitted his invoice — and is asking the town to consider paying him about $30 million. Residents have begun circulating a petition that has the potential to overturn the deal entirely.
Matt Owens of Alameda Mineral Advisors sent the invoice June 26, shortly after the Erie Town Council approved a sale of town-owned mineral rights within the drilling area for SM Energy’s planned Draco well pad.
Under the agreement with SM Energy, Erie would receive a $4.5 million cash payment; a 3% share of production revenue for the Draco project, which town officials estimated could generate more than $19 million for Erie over the next two decades; about 160 acres of land on County Line Road valued at roughly $14 million; and the plugging and abandonment of 17 wells…