Trumbull residents hope the more the merrier when negotiating gas drilling deals
CHAMPION TOWNSHIP, Ohio - Strength in numbers.
That's what landowners in Trumbull County are hoping for as they negotiate for gas drilling on their properties.
Several hundred residents from Trumbull County filled the Champion High School auditorium for a final meeting to sign with the Associated Landowners of the Ohio Valley.
The organization, made up of volunteers, uses acreage to bargain with gas companies.
Bob Rea is the director of the organization. "The entities that want to get a large chunk of acres at one time; that's why they'll embrace a lease that has a little better clauses in it for the land owner than they would typically offer them," Rea said.
Among those clauses are signing bonuses and a sitting fee that will be paid prior to drilling in the event of any damages that might occur on the property.
The leasing agreement created by ALOV has been seen across the country. It's even been to Harvard. Every lawyer who has looked at it says it's the best agreement for a landowner.
"We used local attorneys, did a lot of research to help us get this lease. And we're grateful for the work that's gone into it," Rea said.
ALOV, formed in August of last year, is made up of neighbors. It is a way for them to educate themselves about leasing with gas companies.
By October, they incorporated as a negotiating entity to represent themselves.
They have signed over 150,000 acres in other parts of Ohio to two different gas companies, one of them being Chesapeake.
In Trumbull County they have at least 80,000 acres to bargain with, but there could be more after people sign on by Saturday's deadline.
Southington resident Alan Tura says, "This group sounds like the best game in town. It sounds like they know what's going on. They're looking out for us."
