Strength in numbers.
That's the goal of a group of landowners in Columbiana County. They are trying to take an active role in the mineral rights leasing process associated with the Marcellus Shale.
Bob Rea is the sixth generation of his family to call his land in Columbiana County home. He now farms the 40 acres side by side with his children.
But in the last three months he's taken on a new responsibility. Rea helped form The Associated Landowners of the Ohio Valley, a grassroots effort which represents the interests of local residents in the Marcellus Shale gas drilling boom.
"We began to realize we needed to get educated," he said. "That the terms that were used in there we were ignorant of."
So they called a meeting.
Originally, Rea expected only about 20 people to attend. Instead, 65 people showed up. At their last meeting, about 500 people filled the arena at Armstrong Saddlery on state Route 45.
Rea quickly became a student of horizontal gas drilling and took a crash course in its mineral rights leasing process.
The group is now looking for neighboring land groups to join them. Currently they have 20,000 acres in Columbiana County committed to the project.
Its main goal is for Ohio landowners to become valid partners with the drilling companies, not only allowing them to reap the financial rewards, but also protect the land.
"The terms of the lease must have limits to it," said Rea. "What are you really ascribing to these folks?"
The Associated Landowners is working on a lease of its own. It will help them negotiate with the companies looking to use their property.
