University Of Tennessee Opens Bidding For Natural Gas Drilling

WUOT | By Chrissy Keuper

Published June 10, 2013 at 7:30 AM EDT

The University of Tennessee has formally begun to seek bids from companies wanting to lease natural gas rights in Morgan and Scott counties. UT owns about 8,600 acres in its Cumberland Forest research area. UT officials say the move is for research into the environmental effects and best-practices for extracting natural gas from the Chattanooga shale. The State Building Commission has to approve any contracts; UT officials hope to shore up a contract by October. Meanwhile, the Southern Environmental Law Center has sent a letter to the UT Board of Trustees raising questions about that research, citing conflict-of-interest and environmental concerns over fracking, a controversial method of drilling for natural gas.

Chrissy Keuper

Chrissy served as WUOT's News Director and host of monthly public affairs talk show Dialogue from late 2021 to early 2023. Her first job with the station was as weekend student announcer while earning her bachelor's in Anthropology from the University of Tennessee. She had previously been the station's local host for NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered news programs; occasionally filled in as host for WUOT's Morning and Afternoon Concerts; and won multiple awards for her interviews, feature stories, and Dialogue.

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