Cambridge City Schools approves second oil and gas lease agreement with EAP Ohio LLC

CAMBRIDGE −The Cambridge City School District approved an oil and gas lease agreement with EAP Ohio LLC, at a recently board of education meeting.

The five-year lease agreement began Aug. 15, and expires in 2029. The board previously approved a five-year lease agreement on Feb. 28, 2024, that expires on Feb. 28, 2029, and is specific to 182 acres of property located along Wills Creek Valley Drive, often referred to as the main campus.

The new agreement is for an additional 4.8 acres that sits behind the 11-acre tract of land the district owns on the south side of Wills Creek Valley Drive.

“We are in the early stages of an exploration process that may lead to oil and gas extraction from school district property,” Superintendent Dan Coffman said. “Many school districts in our region have benefited from oil and gas production but we have not had that same opportunity. Now, we are exploring the possibility of how oil and gas production may benefit our district.”

Initially, an in-depth title search will be completed to verify that the school district owns the mineral rights. If it is determined that CCSD is the owner of the mineral rights, a one-time payment will be made to the school district. If extraction takes place, the district may earn royalties based on the amount of oil or gas extracted.

The lease agreements are non-surface agreements meaning production pads will not be built on district property.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Cambridge City Schools approves second oil and gas lease agreement with EAP Ohio LLC