LOOK BEFORE YOU LEASE

            The topic of deep shale oil and gas leases continues to develop in our area.  Lease are being signed and some landowner groups are being formed.  Landowners are advised to do their homework before signing any lease and to become familiar with the issues and terminology involved in these leases.  Learn the pros and cons before signing. 

In an effort to provide educational materials to assist landowners in learning more about these deep shale oil and gas leases, Rural Action, Ohio State University Extension in Athens County, Athens County Farm Bureau, and Appalachia Ohio Alliance (AOA) have been working together to develop a “Look Before You Lease” toolkit and web site.  The web site is available at: http://lookbeforeyoulease.wordpress.com/ .  The web site will continue to post current articles and resource materials that deal with oil/gas leases and hydraulic fraking as they become available.  The site already contains a large number of resources and links that look at all aspects of this technology and leasing issues.  On the home page of this site you will find  a heading near the top of the page that says “landowner tool kit”  If you click on that you will be taken to a page that includes a number of different topic headings that you need to be informed about before signing a lease.  Under each heading there are links to materials, articles and resources.

For those who do not have good Internet access, there is a CD available that contains all the articles and resources from the web site, ready to be downloaded and printed, or read from the CD.  Contact the Athens County Extension office (593-8555) or Rural Action (767-4938) for a copy of the CD.