MOUNT VERNON — Mark Andrew of Knox Energy met with the Knox County Board of Commissioners on Thursday afternoon to discuss two proposals Knox Energy has made to the commissioners.
“There were two different proposals they made,” said Commissioner Allen Stockberger. “One was they wanted to drill a gas well on county property near the old landfill on Thayer Road. The other proposal was for a right of way along Thayer Road and along the Heart of Ohio Trail.”
After the commissioners and the county’s legal team reviewed the proffered lease from Knox Energy, a few concerns needed to be addressed, most notably the safety of the ground water.
“We are under EPA orders to monitor the ground water there,” explained Commissioner Teresa Bemiller. “Our concern was, if they were going to put a well in there it (the gas) wasn’t going to leech out and cause any problems with the quality of the ground water.”
Another issue concerned the offer to give the county free gas if Knox Energy did drill a producing well.
“The county doesn’t have any real use for that much natural gas,” said Stockberger. “We want to know if we can get money instead of the gas.”
Andrew was not able to provide an answer but said he would talk with his superiors to see what kind of agreement could be made as far as monetary compensation.
