Bruce Benson, chairman of Metro’s Board of Trustees, is planning to resign his position as chairman, chief executive and president of the Denver-based oil and gas company United States Exploration Inc. DGL Acquisition, a privately held acquisitions firm, is acquiring U.S. Exploration for $53.3 million. According to the Denver Business Journal, the company was hit hard by the slow economy of 2002. The completion of the acquisition is pending shareholder approval and should be completed by the end of the year.

Benson is a 17 percent owner of the company. U.S. Exploration has proved 58.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent in northern Colorado. Benson said in a statement that the sale of the company will “provide more liquidity to our shareholders.”

Benson, a 1964 University of Colorado graduate, is also the owner and president of Benson Mineral Group Inc., a Denver-based oil and gas company. He is also the chairman of the Denver Public Schools Foundation and a 1994 candidate for governor of Colorado. Other positions he has held include president of the Denver Zoological Foundation and chairman of the Colorado Republican Party. He was a major campaign contributor to both Gov. Owens and President Bush, and in August of this year he and Owens hosted Bush’s campaign stop in Denver.

Benson spearheaded the fundraising drive which led to the 1997 construction of the Benson Earth Sciences Building at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The publication of the CU alumni association, The Coloradan, called Benson “one of Colorado’s busiest community service volunteers.”