MOUNT VERNON — About 60 people showed up Tuesday evening for a session to learn more about the Mohican Basin Landowners Association and the gas potential of shale formations under Knox County. The Marcellus and Utica shale formations that have been the source of a gas boom in Pennsylvania extend under Knox County.
Some exploitation of the formations has begun in eastern Ohio, and agents representing gas companies have begin approaching landowners in this area to sign lease agreement that will allow the companies to drill on their land.
The Mohican Basin Landowners Association was organized to get landowners in the area where Knox, Ashland, Richland, Holmes and Wayne counties come together to form a united front in dealing with the companies trying to get drilling rights in the area. That way, association President Carl Ayers told the gathering, landowners can get a better deal from the companies and lease terms that will better protect the landowners’ concerns for the future.
