Why It Matters
Steubenville is the first Ohio municipality known to seek commercial fracking rights on its own public lands, a move that underscores how cash-strapped local governments are turning to energy development as a revenue source. The decision raises questions about the long-term environmental and recreational costs of extracting natural gas from parks and historic cemetery grounds.
What Happened
Steubenville City Council voted Tuesday to accept a $1.1 million bid from Oklahoma-based Ascent Resources – Utica to lease 157 acres across 19 city-owned parcels for natural gas extraction. One council member cast a dissenting vote.
The leased land includes nearly 100 acres beneath Beatty Park, which sits adjacent to Union Cemetery, a site on the National Register of Historic Places. The agreement also covers roughly 20 acres within Jim Woods Park, which borders an elementary school.
The city council had passed an ordinance in October authorizing the lease of public land for fracking purposes. A first attempt to solicit bids in December on four parcels drew no offers. The city received two bids in a second round: Pike Petroleum, a Texas-based company, proposed $249,000, while Ascent Resources offered the higher sum of $1.1 million.
Steubenville has not yet determined how to allocate the lease revenue, which will flow into the city’s general fund.
Council Member Objects to Park Leasing Plan
Council member Greg Burrier, who voted against the measure, expressed frustration with the decision. “I’m extremely disappointed. I feel like I got the rug pulled out from underneath my feet,” he said. Burrier had previously noted the ecological value of the park land, describing Beatty Park as possessing “a nice tree canopy” situated in a geological setting with “shale formations, limestone formations, and sandstone formations on each side.”
By the Numbers
$1.1 million — winning bid amount from Ascent Resources – Utica
157 acres — total land leased for fracking
19 parcels — number of city properties included in the lease
Nearly 100 acres — land beneath Beatty Park subject to extraction
Roughly 20 acres — Jim Woods Park land included in the lease
$249,000 — competing bid from Pike Petroleum
19 incidents — oil and gas-related incidents reported in Jefferson County between 2015 and 2023
2,000 incidents — statewide incidents associated with Ohio oil and gas wells from 2015 to 2023
Zoom Out
While Steubenville appears to be the first Ohio city to lease its own public land for fracking, the state has already approved far larger-scale extraction projects on public property. The Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission has greenlit fracking on more than 15,000 acres of state-owned land, including nearly 13,000 acres in the Egypt Valley Wildlife Area, located approximately one hour from Steubenville.
The move reflects a broader trend among economically challenged local governments seeking revenue from natural resource extraction. As municipalities face budget pressures, energy leasing has become an attractive option, though conservation groups have raised concerns about the cumulative impact on public lands and recreation areas.
What’s Next
Ascent Resources can now move forward with development plans on the leased parcels. The company has not announced a timeline for drilling operations. Public interest organizations, including Save Ohio Parks, have indicated this is the first instance they are aware of an Ohio city seeking fracking bids on its own public land—a development that may signal a shift in how municipalities approach land management and budget gaps.