One local school district is asking the Department of Interior to intervene after its more than 40-year access to a natural gas well was disconnected by the Cayuga Nation in February.
The well is located on land behind the Nation’s Lakeside Entertainment gaming facility on Cayuga Street in Union Springs. The Citizen reports the move to disconnect the school happened after months of failed negotiations between the two sides over the amount of money being paid to the Nation.
Union Springs Superintendent Dr. Jarrett Powers says the district’s energy bills have increased by thousands of dollars since the nation cut off its access.
The district began using the well in 1981 through a farmout agreement with an energy corporation that had an oil and gas lease with the property owner at the time.
