As part of a preemptive plan to avoid unwarranted drilling on Ohio University property, trustees passed a resolution Friday that allows the university to draft its own lease.
OU President Roderick McDavis or a designee now has the ability to draft a lease outlining regulations for drilling companies in response to House Bill 133. When completed, the lease will go before the board for approval.
At January’s Board of Trustees meeting Chair C. Robert Kidder requested that OU prepare a report regarding the implementation of HB 133 and the protection of university mineral rights under that statute.
During Spring Quarter, OU followed through with the plan to gain feedback, organizing forums on all regional campuses including a panel discussion in Athens.
The trustees heard from the Ad Hoc Mineral Rights Committee on Thursday about the resolution before announcing the decision at Friday’s full-board meeting.
“I appreciate the amount of research that was done. (Hydraulic fracturing) is certainly not definitive. It’s all over the place. Living in Southeast Ohio, I know that and appreciate the information,” said Trustee David Brightbill.
According to HB 133, the Oil and Gas Leasing Commission is made up of five individuals, including State Geologist Larry Wickstrom, whose job is to oversee and coordinate the leasing of land owned or controlled by a state university or college for exploration, development, and production of oil and gas.
If OU chooses not to enter into a lease prior to the organization of the commission, the Board of Trustees will have to be prepared to accept or protest leases for OU land.
For Trustee Janetta King, fracking on OU property could have an upside.
“This might be an opportunity for Ohio University to be a leader in the community and state and all around the world where this is happening in a responsible way,” she said. “There’s so much we don’t know.”
Both McDavis and Kidder emphasized the need for this to be a scientific-based conversation, adding that the school will continue to collect information from OU’s Eastern Campus, which has already been approached about fracking on its property.
“We the board don’t know what the researchers don’t know, and that makes this a very difficult decision,” Kidder said.
The board will reconvene June 22, where an update concerning OU’s drafted lease is expected.
“We want the best scientific information upon which we base our decision,” McDavis said. “We aren’t focusing on financial aspects at this point in time, we are trying to do the best thing for the environment and certainly for the university.”
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