Egypt Valley, Jockey Hollow, Salt Fork Oil and Gas Leases Nets State $242 Million
COLUMBUS – The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission approved 22 oil and gas leases Monday selecting bids from Texas- and Oklahoma-based companies. The new leases will immediately result in almost $242 million in leasing payments to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The leases include exclusive rights to develop those tracts. If oil and gas is produced, royalties will also be paid averaging between 18 and 19 percent.
The five-member commission approved the winning bids without public discussion as members of Save Ohio’s Parks loudly protested the votes.
Winning bids for 15,000 acres of the two state-owned reserves were Grenadier Energy, of Texas, for 8,236 acres of Egypt Valley; Gulfport Energy, of Oklahoma, for 4,360 acres of Egypt Valley and 383 acres of Jockey Hollow; and Ascent Resources, of Oklahoma, for about 1,461 acres of Jockey Hollow.
The board also selected a bid from Infinity Natural Resources, of West Virginia, for an additional 513 acres of Salt Fork State Park.
The Commission also rejected applications to open another 8,000 acres of adjacent land given crossover between those parcels and some that were bid out.
A spreadsheet of the approved leases is available on the Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission website. View it here.
The official agenda for the meeting may be viewed here.
The meeting was covered by Signal Ohio, formerly known as the Ohio Local News Initiative. It is a network of independent, community-led, nonprofit newsrooms backed by a coalition of Ohio organizations, community leaders and the American Journalism Project. Read Signal Ohio’s article here.
Barnesville Area News shared news of the impending leases for the state-owned wildlife areas and state parks in January. View it here.
In December 2023, the Ohio General Assembly passed a bill allowing oil and gas leases on state lands.
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