Special briefing highlights issues with oil and gas leasing

  • January 4, 2011
  • 304
                        
Tuscarawas, Carroll and Harrison county business and community leaders, as well as interested residents are invited to attend a special Oil and Gas Leasing Issues Briefing, sponsored by the Tuscarawas, Carroll and Harrison county farm bureaus. The briefing will be held at the First Christian Church, 104 Third Street NW, New Philadelphia on Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. The program will be facilitated by Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) director for energy services, Dale Arnold. “Long-term energy demand and new drilling technology have sparked interest in tapping into the Marcellus and Utica Shale deposits in parts of eastern and central Ohio,” Arnold said. It is estimated that methane and methane liquids in these deposits can address major requirements for fuel for several decades. New drilling technology, production requirements and market demands are translating to newer, and increasingly complex leasing agreements. “Many draft agreements covering lease obligations between individual landowners, aggregation groups, negotiation agents, and/or energy companies are much different that those used in the 1990’s or before,” Arnold explained. “Landowners need to ask key questions and understand a variety of provisions before they enter any agreement.” “Many folks in the area have a number of questions and concerns,” said Michele Specht, organization director for Carroll, Harrison and Tuscarawas county farm bureau. Our County Farm Bureau Public Policy Action Teams are sponsoring this briefing to help local residents gain access to additional, unbiased information before they enter any agreement.” During the course of the briefing, Arnold will discuss current energy trends, oil and gas leasing and drilling developments throughout Ohio, and negotiating lease provisions that create effective relationships between a landowner, possible negotiation groups and an energy service provider that will eventually carry a project forward. Arnold has been OFBF director for energy development since 1995. He represents farm and rural residential energy consumers on a variety of government working groups and public utility advisory boards concerning energy development. He has extensive experience working with county farm bureaus and local residents, helping communities evaluate energy development projects concerning oil and gas exploration, wind farm electric transmission and pipeline development. The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general farm organization, encompassing 87 county farm bureau organizations and more than 225,000 member families statewide. Tuscarawas, Carroll and Harrison county farm bureau leaders are active on state and local action teams working on legislation, regulations and issues that impact agriculture and its relationship with rural, suburban and urban communities. Locally, in the three counties, more than 4,000 member families belong to the county farm bureaus.


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