The lease would allow gas drilling on some of their property.
(AP) - A southeast Ohio college is considering leasing some of its land for oil and gas exploration or production.
The chairman of the Hocking College board says Charleston, W.Va.-based Cunningham Energy contacted the school about 1,200 acres of land near the Nelsonville campus, bordering Wayne National Forest. Leasing the land could help the cash-strapped school. The college faces a $2.9 million budget deficit and could get $3 million from a lease deal. A task force is looking into the proposal.
President Ron Erickson says members must consider how leasing the land could aid the college's educational mission before making a decision. He says it's not yet clear how the school can best respond to the workforce needs of the growing oil and gas industry in Ohio.
