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Belmont County approves 102.845‑acre oil and gas lease with Ascent Resources for $771,337.50
Summary
The Belmont County Board of Commissioners on April 8 approved an oil and gas lease with Ascent Resources – Utica, LLC for 102.845 net leasehold acres in Richland Township at $7,500 per acre, a five‑year term and 20% royalty, for a total payment of $771,337.50.
The Belmont County Board of Commissioners voted April 8 to enter into an oil and gas lease with Ascent Resources – Utica, LLC covering 102.845 net leasehold acres in Richland Township. The lease pays $7,500 per net leasehold acre, carries a five‑year primary term and specifies a 20 percent royalty; the board recorded a total payment amount of $771,337.50.
The motion to approve the lease was made by Commission President Jerry Echemann and seconded by Commissioner Vince Gianangeli; Commissioners J. P. Dutton, Gianangeli and Echemann voted yes on the roll call. The transcript records no public comment or amendment attached to the lease at the meeting.
The lease was presented as a single transaction for board approval; the meeting minutes show the board’s action to enter the lease effective April 8, 2026. The county did not provide further details in the meeting record about how the acreage was selected, whether surface‑use conditions were included in the signed lease, or how revenue will be recorded and allocated in county accounts.
Next steps: the board’s vote authorizes the county to execute the lease with Ascent Resources – Utica, LLC. Any payments and royalty receipts will be handled through the county’s fiscal processes and are recorded in the minutes; additional administrative steps or related approvals were not listed in the meeting record.
