land & lithium update

The Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission has approved several large brine units that include land in Lafayette, Columbia, and Miller Counties:

• Reynolds Unit: Lafayette and Columbia Counties 
• Pine Unit: Lafayette and Miller Counties 
• Evergreen Unit: Lafayette and Columbia Counties 

The Reynolds Unit has also completed the state process for bringing remaining unleased brine interests into the unit. 

Why this matters: Your family’s land may be included even if every heir did not sign a lithium lease. That does not ordinarily mean the company owns your land. It may mean the company has received authority to produce brine from a larger underground area that includes your family’s interest.

If the property is still titled in the name of a deceased relative, the company may not know all the present owners. Payments can be delayed while ownership is being determined.

For the Reynolds, Pine, and Evergreen Units, the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission approved a 2.5% lithium royalty. That royalty is based on lithium produced and sold, and it is divided among the brine-rights owners according to their ownership.

There is also a separate annual payment for the brine itself. State law starts with a per-acre amount that is adjusted annually. A 2025 project report listed that payment as $65.05 per acre, but the amount changes and must be checked for the current payment year. 

The warning is important: Not everyone who owns land receives the entire 2.5%. Payment depends on:

• Whether the property is inside the approved unit 
• Whether the family owns the brine rights 
• The number of acres 
• The family’s percentage of ownership 
• Whether a prior owner sold or leased those rights 
• Whether the family’s title records are current 

Smackover Lithium has awarded major engineering and construction contracts for its proposed Lafayette County plant. However, the company still describes full construction as depending upon a positive final investment decision. Its current target is commercial production in 2029. 

In plain English: The project is moving closer, but the final “go” decision has not been publicly announced.

That gives families a limited window to investigate their ownership before production and payment questions become more urgent.

The project has been reported as potentially creating hundreds of construction jobs and about 100 permanent jobs. Those are projections, not guaranteed jobs.

Residents can use the official LiTHIUMWORKS Job Seekers page to find openings with Standard Lithium, ExxonMobil, Albemarle, LANXESS, TETRA, and other employers. 

People should not pay anyone who promises to “guarantee” a lithium job.

The next scheduled Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission meeting is December 8, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in North Little Rock. The Commission also provides Zoom participation and a YouTube broadcast. The agenda has not yet identified a new lithium matter.