What is an oil and gas lease?
DCNRs Oil and Gas Lease for State Forest and Park Lands is a legally binding contract that gives the lessee the opportunity to explore, drill, produce, and sell natural gas encountered within the lands specified in the executed lease agreement. The lease also gives the lessee the rights to any oil encountered, although DCNR estimates the chance of discovering oil is about one or two percent in the Trenton-Black River play.