Will ‘Clipper Crude’ be coming?
Columbiana Schools give go-ahead for seismic surveys of school property
COLUMBIANA -- "Clipper Crude" could be coming.
During Tuesday's school board meeting, Columbiana schools Superintendent Don Mook got the go-ahead to allow Hilcorp Energy to perform seismic surveys on several tracts of school property to see if there is any oil.
If district land contains oil -- or valuable minerals from shale -- then it would be a financial benefit.
The Houston-based company is one of the largest privately-owned oil producers in the United States, operating throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas and Wyoming, according to its website.
Hilcorp first entered Ohio and Pennsylvania in 2012, focusing on the Utica Shale and touting having topped $440,000 in community-giving since 2020.
The company currently has 165-plus production wells across Ohio and Pennsylvanice. It has provided more than $200,000 in college scholarships to Ohio and Pennsylvania high school seniors since 2013.
Board members Angie Jeffries, Anthony Roncone and Kelly Williamson gave Mook their verbal blessing to proceed with the seismic survey on lands not occupied by district buildings or track.
Members Scott Caron and Michael Clark were absent from the meeting.
Seismic surveys reflect sound waves to produce a CAT scan of sorts of the Earth's subsurface. The surveys are used to locate ground water, potential locations for landfills, or even how an area will soak during an earthquake, according to the Utah Geological Survey.
But they are primarily used for oil and exploration --generating images through recording and analysis of the sound wave instead of the procedure used by early "wildcatters," who found oil by drilling into exposed rocks.
The seismic technology can find the less obvious oil and gas traps.
According to the website, geology.com the Utica Shale is currently receiving a lot of attention because it is yielding large amounts of natural gas, natural gas liquids and crude oil to wells drilled in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
"The United States Geological Survey's mean estimates of undiscovered, technically recoverable unconventional resources indicate that the Utica Shale contains about 38 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, about 940 million barrels of oil, and 208 million barrels of natural gas liquids," the site explained.
In other action, Mook requested abolishment of an individual aide position, retroactive to the last day of the contract via attrition after another instructional aide moved laterally into the position vacated by Jennifer Brown. Her resignation was accepted earlier in the meeting.
Board members also approved:
-- A contract with Maxim Healthcare Services Inc. tor provide nursing services for a special needs student at the Robert Bycroft School as required by his Individualized Educational Program (IEP).
-- Supplemental contract for Kristen Orr, outdoor education, as well as Mark Bush, Jennifer Fry, Zach Hertel, Allison Moran, Trisha Nord, Austin Saverko and Ronald Stallsmith for VLA.
-- The resignations of Cynthia Heaver as both cook/cashier and custodian,
-- Charles Miller to serve as the artistic and musical director of the high school musical as well as the music accompanist and Zach Hertel to both morning and lunchroom duty at Southside Middle School.
-- Volunteers Holly Guy and Rachel Thomas McCool for the band; Eli and Teresa Masters for Math 24; and Sean Sich for the middle school speech and debate team.
-- A permanent appropriation resolution, as well as an amended certificate of estimated resources for the upcoming school year and August 2024's financial reports.
The next school board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, in the high school media center.