From Oil Leases to Nuclear Futures: Why Landmen Are More Relevant Than Ever

When you think of the oil and gas industry, your mind probably jumps to roughnecks on drilling rigs or engineers working deep in the heart of oil fields. But behind every lease, every well, and every energy deal, there’s often a landmanmaking it all happen.

I recently sat down with Doug Sandridge, a seasoned oil and gas executive and landman, to break down the world of landmen — who they are, what they do, and why their role is vital to the energy sector (and beyond).

Here’s what I learned:

What Exactly Is a Landman?

At its core, a landman is a professional who negotiates rights to extract natural resources — like oil, gas, and minerals — from private or public lands.

They’re the bridge between landowners and energy companies, ensuring that companies can drill or mine legally, while also making sure landowners are compensated.

Doug shared that landmen wear a lot of hats: part negotiator, part researcher, part dealmaker. In many ways, they’re the unsung heroes of the oil and gas business.

What Does a Landman Do?

Doug broke it down simply: landmen are responsible for securing the legal right to develop oil and gas assets.
That work includes:

• Researching land and title records: Digging through county courthouses, online databases, and archives to find out who actually owns mineral rights.

• Negotiating leases: Sitting down with landowners to negotiate bonus payments, royalty percentages, and lease durations.

• Clearing title issues: Solving legal hurdles (like heirs, liens, or disputed claims) that could block projects.

• Managing contracts and agreements: Keeping lease and operating agreements in order and enforceable.

• Representing companies or landowners: Some landmen are company employees; others work independently or advocate for landowners directly.

Doug pointed out that good landmen combine communication skills, negotiation savvy, property law knowledge, and a strong respect for history and record-keeping.

How Has the Industry Changed?

Doug reflected on the shifts he's seen across decades in the industry.
While traditional landman work used to mean a lot of face-to-face meetings and literal courthouse crawling, today’s landmen use digital tools to research records and manage negotiations.
Still, relationships and trust remain the cornerstone of the profession.

Doug emphasized that despite changes in technology and energy markets, the core skills of a landman — negotiation, research, relationship-building — are timeless.

Land Stewardship, Nuclear Energy, and a New Era of Deal-Making

Doug isn’t just looking backward at the legacy of landmen — he’s looking forward too.

In his recent work, Doug has been writing about the ytt Northern Chumash Tribe and their efforts to manage land and energy development responsibly.

Through these case studies, Doug explores a critical overlap: how land stewardship, traditional landman skills, and emerging energy opportunities like nuclear power are converging.

The ytt, whose ancestral lands stretch along California’s Central Coast, have been active stewards of their territory for thousands of years. Today, their leadership is especially significant as conversations around the future of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant — located on their traditional lands — continue. Their voice highlights the need for genuine collaboration between energy developers, tribal nations, and local communities.

Doug believes that as the world pivots to nuclear energy for clean baseload power, proper deal structuring will become more important than ever.

Just like oil and gas projects required careful title research and landowner agreements, future nuclear siting — whether it’s small modular reactors (SMRs) or larger plants — will require thoughtful negotiations with landowners, communities, and tribal nations.

In his words:

“We have a chance to build the next energy era on a foundation of trust, transparency, and long-term thinking — but only if we get the deals right.”

Their experience underscores the critical role that proper deal structuring — rooted in respect, transparency, and stewardship — will play in the next energy era.

Why Does It Matter?

Without landmen, energy projects would stall at the starting line.
No leases, no drilling. No siting, no new plants. No energy, no progress.

Doug put it best:

"Landmen help keep the wheels of the energy economy turning — often without much spotlight or credit."

Whether we’re talking about powering homes with natural gas, building the future of nuclear energy, or expanding clean renewables, landmen are often the first to open the doors.

Final Thoughts

Chatting with Doug was a reminder that every industry has its hidden linchpins — the people who quietly, expertly make things happen.
In oil, gas, and now the clean energy transition, the landman plays that crucial role.

As we enter a new era of energy innovation, the art of building good deals — fair, thoughtful, sustainable ones — will matter more than ever.
And it just might be the landmen, once again, leading the way.

🔎 Check out Doug Sandridge’s blog series highlighting how the ytt Northern Chumash Tribe is setting a new standard for land stewardship and energy development — and what lessons it holds for the future of nuclear siting and renewables.