Ohio University has added its voice to a growing citywide protest of a land sale that could bring hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” to Athens County.
OU President Roderick McDavis wrote a letter to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management saying OU does not support the sale of leases in Wayne National Forest because it could result in unsafe conditions for OU students and employees.
“Ohio University is accountable for the health and safety of its students, employees and the communities we serve,” the letter states. “To date, there is insufficient research on the effects the proposed activities from the sale of oil and gas leases would have on our community and our campus.”
The leases encompass more than 2,623 acres of land in Athens County. They would be sold for the purpose of oil and natural gas drilling in an auction held in December in Springfield, Va. The proposed sale has raised concern from city and university officials concerning fracking, a way of extracting natural gas from below the surface that has been linked to environmental and health problems.
Some of the land affected is adjunct to the Hocking River upstream from Athens and the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway.
Several city officials also wrote letters of protest regarding the lease sales, including Athens County Commissioner Lenny Eliason and Athens City Council.
“It could ruin our county — people won’t be able to sell their land or get mortgages, no one who can leave will choose to stay, tourists won’t want to come to a stinky industrial zone,” Heather Cantino, chair of the Buckeye Forest Council, said in a September interview. “The county will be a toxic dump.”
In his letter, McDavis said the sale could lead to practices that might harm OU students and employees.
He decided to send the letter after consulting with faculty members on the Ecology and Energy Conservation Committee and the President’s Advisory Council for Sustainability, said Becky Watts, McDavis’ chief of staff.
The faculty members expressed concern about the possible consequences of fracking, including toxic chemicals entering water. McDavis’ letter suggested more time be taken to analyze the risks associated with the sale and with natural gas drilling
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“This is as direct a connection as you can have with the community — through sharing resources,” Watts said. “We have more than 20,000 students living on campus and in the community. We have the faculty and staff. It’s important for the university to uphold its responsibility to the community and the people it serves, including with shared resources like water. … We don’t know enough yet.”
rm279109@ohiou.edu
—Pat Holmes and Will Drabold contributed to this article.
