Lease agreement allows for Utica Shale drilling in Mahoning, Columbiana counties

The Associated Landowners of the Ohio Valley has signed a lease with Chesapeake Energy Corp. in the Utica Shale region.

About 20,000 acres spanning a six-county area — which includes Mahoning and Columbiana, along with Carroll, Jefferson, Harrison and Belmont counties — were leased to the Oklahoma City-based oil and gas drilling giant.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Chesapeake outbid five other drillers for rights to explore the land.

The deal brings ALOV’s leased acreage total above 100,000.

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