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Some urge suspension at forum on drilling
U.S. Senate candidate Joe Sestak holds a meeting at Misericordia University.
By Sherry Long slong@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
Published on June 13, 2010
DALLAS TWP. – Property owners concerned about the effects of Marcellus Shale drilling on water reservoirs made their views clearly known Saturday afternoon during a packed town hall meeting at Misericordia University’s library.
They wanted a moratorium enacted immediately on all gas drilling throughout the state until more is known on how to safely drill natural gas wells without using dangerous chemicals in the hydrofracturing process. The process uses between 1 million to 1.5 million of gallons of water per well laced with chemicals and dirt under high pressure to force the ground open to release natural gas, geologist Patrick Considine said.
Considine and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Joe Sestak, whose campaign organized the town hall forum, said that during President George W. Bush’s administration, requirements on oil and gas companies were dramatically lifted. Considine, president of Considine Associates and forum panel member, explained that federal and state officials are not entitled to know what mixtures of chemicals each gas drilling company uses because it is considered a trade secret formula.
He warned that the federal and state governments need more officials to oversee the drilling processes, so the companies are not tempted to cut corners when disposing of the water after the fracking.
“Oil and gas companies need to be held to the same standards as other companies. We don’t need more regulations; we need to find ways to enforce the regulations we have,” Considine said.
People wanting the moratorium drowned out the drilling supporters, including business owner, economist and farmer Joe Grace of Morris in Lycoming County, who sees this industry being one of the biggest Pennsylvania has ever experienced by bringing 88,000 jobs to the state just this year and generating millions in revenue.
Worried about the environment and safety of area water systems, local podiatrist Dr. Thomas Jiunta adamantly disagreed with Grace, pointing to the recent gas well drilling incident in Clearfield County and a gas pipeline accident that killed one worker in Texas.
“This is not a safe activity as we know how to do it right now. We need to stop it first. We are putting the cart before the horse when you are talking about economic boom. You can’t drink gas,” said Jiunta of Dallas, a Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition founding member.
Jiunta added more focus should be put jobs that will support and grow green and renewable energy sources.
Sestak told people he sees gas drilling as an economic boon to the state, yet it needs to be done in a responsible way.
“I think this would be a good way to yes, exploit our resources, but not our communities. Business has to pause. Harrisburg has to stop until we get it right,” Sestak said, adding that he supports enacting a 5 percent severance tax on the drilling companies. He said is in favor of a moratorium
No representatives from the campaign of Sestak’s opponent, former U.S. rep. Pat Toomey, attended the forum.
A statement from the Republican candidate’s campaign staff said Sestak’s plan for taxing the drilling will backfire by pushing those companies to focus on other states.
“Marcellus Shale has the potential to provide Pennsylvania with over 200,000 new jobs and millions of dollars in added revenue, but Joe Sestak’s plan to tax natural gas extraction will chase these jobs out of Pennsylvania. A recent study warned that a tax on Marcellus natural gas output would very likely divert investment to other states like Colorado and Texas. This is further proof that Joe Sestak’s ‘more government, less jobs’ approach is bad for Pennsylvania,” Toomey’s Deputy Communications Director Kristin Anderson said.
State Rep. Karen Boback, R-Harveys Lake, did not attend the forum, but issued a statement Friday stating she was working to develop legislation to protect drinking water from gas drilling practices. Knowing that will take time to become law, she is urging Gov. Ed Rendell to issue an executive order implementing four additional rules before permits can be issued.
Her opponent, Richard Shermanski, a Democrat, attended the meeting, telling people he would not support any form of drilling if he knows it will damage water reservoirs.
Many attending the forum reside in Luzerne County, but some people, including Leslie Avakian of Greenfield Township in northern Lackawanna County, drove an hour to voice their views.
She believes the state’s Department of Environmental Protection needs to be spilt up into two separate agencies because DEP currently issues the permits and regulates the gas companies.
Lynn Hesscease of Dallas told her story of how she became deathly sick after three years of oil leaking in her cellar from a rusted pipe.
She explained how she can’t use any type of products made from petroleum – polyester clothing, petroleum jelly or use plastic cups.
“We have to be very careful it is not near our drinking water and we are not exposed to the chemicals or fumes because if we are, people will get sick,” Hesscease said.
Sherry Long, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7159.
Copyright: The Times Leader
Federal judge lets fraud claim stand in suit against gas driller Cabot
By Joe McDonald (Staff Writer)
Published: June 10, 2010
In a ruling with potentially far-reaching consequences in Pennsylvania’s lucrative and burgeoning natural gas industry, a federal judge in Scranton on Wednesday ruled a Susquehanna County landowner can sue Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. on the grounds it fraudulently misled him into a signing a lease at a lowball rate.
The suit, filed by John Kropa, is one of several cases across the state filed by landowners who claim natural gas drilling companies fraudulently induced them to sign leases that locked them into $25-an-acre rates. In a modern-day version of the California gold rush, companies have been rushing to make deals with landowners across Pennsylvania so they can tap into natural gas from the Marcellus Shale, a geological formation that runs under most of the state.
U.S. District Court Judge James M. Munley, in an eight-page memorandum and order, noted Cabot’s agents told Mr. Kropa that the company “would never pay more than $25 per acre for the lease,” yet his “neighbors were apparently paid more than $25 an acre for leases on their property.”
“They relied on this statement and signed the lease, only to discover later that these statements were false and that others had signed far more lucrative deals” with Cabot, Judge Munley said.
Cabot’s representatives also warned that if Mr. Kropa did not sign a lease, then Cabot would take it anyway by negotiating leases with neighbors and “capture the gas,” leaving Mr. Kropa “without a lease or gas on their land,” the memorandum stated.
Mr. Kropa signed an oil and gas lease with the West Virginia company in 2006 and received a $1,275 payment for allowing the company to explore his 51-acre spread in Brooklyn Twp.
Mr. Kropa’s claims are not unique, especially for many of the leases signed before 2008, said attorney Stephen Saunders, a Scranton energy attorney.
“I think the fraud type claims will most likely be significant in cases where individual plaintiffs own larger tracts of land, say more than 100 acres, or situations where small contiguous landowners control significant areas in the aggregate hundreds of acres or more and are litigating as a group,” Mr. Saunders said.
If Mr. Kropa is successful in proving he was the victim of fraud, he could theoretically renegotiate a new lease, assuming the company still wants the gas under his land.
Judge Munley’s court order also dealt with another volatile issue in the gas drilling business: royalty payments. Mr. Kropa along with other landowers had claimed they were shortchanged by the drilling companies because they were deducing expenses from the royalties.
Judge Munley said that issue had been dealt with by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which ruled the royalty agreement was valid under Pennsylvania law.
Contact the writer: jmcdonald@timesshamrock.com
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Copyright: The Scranton Times-Tribune
Gas-leased land borders dam
By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
LEHMAN TWP. – Back Mountain residents and local legislators knew parcels of land leased to natural gas companies for exploration were close to two major water sources – the Huntsville and Ceasetown reservoirs, but some had no idea just how close.
There is at least one parcel of leased land on the shoreline of the Huntsville Reservoir, and another parcel just a few hundred feet from the shoreline, The Times Leader learned on Monday.
The discovery was made by title searcher Eric Gustitus, of Exeter, and verified by the newspaper through a Luzerne County property records check.
“I was doing a title search on property next to Penn State Lehman and I came across a gas lease on land close to the reservoir. I was shocked,” Gustitus said, explaining that he heard local activists expressing concerns about potential gas well sites being within a mile or two of water sources.
Gustitus located a 3.72-acre property on the shoreline of the reservoir owned by Paul and Janet Siegel, and an adjacent 10.88-acre property to the west owned by their son, Christopher Siegel, and his wife, Maureen.
“Oh my God, am I concerned,” said state Rep. Phyllis Mundy, D-Kingston, when told of the proximity of the leased land to the reservoir.
“I’m very concerned about the potential for drilling so close to the reservoir. If you’ve been following the news about Clearfield County and how frack water spewed from the well for 16 hours, you can see why potential for contamination of our water supply is of grave concern to me. And I know my constituents are concerned,” Mundy said.
A blowout at a natural-gas well in Penfield shot explosive gas and polluted water as high as 75 feet into the air last week before crews were able to tame it more than half a day later.
EnCana Oil & Gas plans to drill two exploratory wells this summer – one next month in Fairmount Township and another in Lake Township. After drilling an initial vertical well on a site, the company will drill horizontally, using a process called hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to release natural gas from the thick layer of shale about a mile beneath the earth’s surface.
Mundy is a co-sponsor of legislation that would create a 2,500-foot buffer around water sources such as the reservoirs to protect them from possible contamination from gas drilling-related activities.
The Huntsville and Ceasetown reservoirs serve as a water supply for Pennsylvania American Water Co., which serves many of Mundy’s constituents.
Mundy said Pennsylvania American President Kathy Pape had expressed concerns to her about water contamination.
Pape said on Monday she is working with Mundy to prepare testimony for the state Public Utility Commission on Marcellus Shale drilling.
Harveys Lake resident Michelle Boice, a member of the Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition and a commentator on environmental issues related to gas drilling at local meetings, said allowing any kind of gas drilling operations so close to the reservoir is “beyond any kind of reasoning., and it goes to show there are no rules or protections in place for the people.”
Dr. Tom Jiunta, a founding member of the coalition, said it’s “insane how close they are with these leases” to water sources.
Paul Siegel said he’s just as concerned as his neighbors about the potential for reservoir contamination, and that’s why there’s a protective clause in his lease with EnCana. “We have the right not to let them on our land, and we wouldn’t do that because we want to live here,” he said.
Siegel said he agreed to lease the land because he got the impression that everyone around him was signing gas leases.
“When everyone around you is signing, it gets kind of like a mad rush. So, if they’re going to be drilling next to us, and they’re going to be down there anyway, we said we don’t mind if they go under us,” Siegel said.
Christopher and Maureen Siegel could not be reached for comment. Neither could EnCana spokeswoman Wendy Wiedenbeck.
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Copyright: The Times Leader
West Virginia gas well blast injures 7; flames now 40 feet
VICKI SMITH Associated Press Writer
Published: June 7, 2010
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — A crew drilling a natural gas well through an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle hit a pocket of methane gas that ignited, triggering an explosion that burned seven workers, state and company officials said Monday.
The blast created a column of flame that was initially at least 70 feet high, but the rig operator said the site was secure and the fire was about 40 feet high by late morning.
A team from Texas-based Wild Well Control, a company that specializes in rig fires, will decide whether to let the methane burn or try to extinguish the flames, said Kristi Gittins of Dallas,Texas-based Chief Oil and Natural Gas.
The explosion occurred about 1:30 a.m. in a rural area outside Moundsville, about 55 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, and presents no danger to any structures or people, said Bill Hendershot, an inspector with the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Oil and Gas.
The operation was less than a week old: DEP records show a permit was issued June 2 to AB Resources PA LLC of Brecksville, Ohio.
Gittins said AB Resources is the operator of the well, while Chief has a “participation interest.” It is Chief’s responsibility to drill and complete the well, she said.
Chief’s site contractor, Union Drilling of Buckhannon, had drilled the first 1,000 feet of a second well on the property and was preparing to install surface casing when crews apparently hit and ignited the methane, she said.
Crews had drilled through the abandoned Consol Energy mine before without incident, she said.
Methane is a known risk when working near old mines, and the company typically takes a variety of precautions, including venting systems. Gittins could not immediately say what precautions were in place at this site.
“Luckily, our response team got there quickly, secured the area and evacuated the workers,” she said. “From all appearances, there weren’t any life-threatening injuries, so that’s a good thing.”
The seven workers were taken the West Penn Burn Center in Pittsburgh and were in fair condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Five were employed by Union and two worked for BJ Services Co. of Houston, Texas, said Jeff Funke, area director of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Charleston office.
A spokesman for Union in Fort Worth, Texas, did not immediately return a telephone message.
The BJ Services workers were among four that had just arrived on site to place the casing, said Gary Flaharty, a spokesman for the parent company, Baker Hughes Inc. of Houston. The crew runs a safety check at the start of each shift and was just preparing to do that when the blast occurred.
Flaharty could not provide any details about the injured employees but said they’re being treated for burns and are expected to survive.
Funke said OSHA learned of the accident shortly after 8 a.m., and two investigators were being dispatched. However, they cannot enter the site and begin work until the fire is out, he said.
OSHA created a program to deal with gas drilling in the vast Marcellus shale fields about five years ago and has been proactively inspecting sites to ensure compliance with safety regulations, he said. The gas reserve is about the size of Greece and lies more than a mile beneath New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.
OSHA knew there would be a lot of drilling in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, “and we did our best to get out in front of that curve,” Funke said. “So we’re well-equipped to respond to this.”
About 98 percent of the region’s drilling now involves Marcellus shale, he said.
Gittins, the spokeswoman for Chief, confirmed the company was tapping into the Marcellus reserves. The company has drilled about 75 Marcellus wells in West Virginia and Pennsylvania so far, she said, with about 15 of them in West Virginia.
This was the company’s first major accident, she said.
However, it’s the latest in a string of accidents related to the rapidly growing pursuit of Marcellus gas.
In Pennsylvania, environmental regulators are investigating what caused another well to spew explosive gas and polluted water for about 16 hours last week until it was brought under control.
A crew of eight was evacuated from the Clearfield County site Thursday, but no one was injured. That accident involved EOG Resources Inc. of Houston.
Copyright: The Scranton Times-Tribune
Carbondale agency advances plans for natural gas rail depot
By Steve McConnell (Staff Writer)
Published: June 2, 2010
CARBONDALE – Plans to develop an extensive railroad facility to serve the natural gas industry in Fell Twp. moved forward Tuesday.
The Carbondale Industrial Development Authority unanimously approved a motion to allow Honesdale-based Linde Corp. to purchase a nearly two-acre parcel in the Enterprise Drive business park. The company intends to use it for unloading materials from railcars for shipment via truck. It also would include storage facilities and on-site processing of drilling fluids.
The company is currently developing an adjacent property, purchased from the local railroad authority, that is part of its overall plan to have a suitable staging area for on-site processing of drilling fluids and a railroad facility capable of serving the industry, said company Vice President Christopher A. Langel.
Authority Chairman Bob Farber said there has been ambiguity as to what exactly Linde Corp. intends to develop on the new property since the company has been meeting with the board about it.
“You’ve never given us site plans,” Mr. Farber said.
Mr. Langel said the company has submitted plans and has been meeting with the board since at least October about the project.
Among plans discussed Tuesday, existing railroad tracks, which run through the heart of the city, will be extended to enable off-loading of materials at the site.
The company, which has invested more than $500,000 in the so-called Carbondale Yards Bulk Rail Terminal, is also partnering with Houston-based Baker Hughes to mix sand, water and chemicals into a concentration needed for prospective natural gas drilling sites in the area.
Mr. Langel described it as a nontoxic mixture.
The company also is eyeing the former Wells Cargo building, a large-scale facility inside the business park, as an additional storage and distribution point related to the overall operation, Mr. Langel said.
The authority board tabled a motion that would give Linde Corp. permission to purchase and develop the Wells Cargo property.
In addition, the company is in negotiations with the Susquehanna River Basin Commission to withdraw water from the Lackawanna River for potential use by the natural gas industry. The industry needs an abundance of water to help bust open underground rock formations to release natural gas, a process called hydraulic fracturing.
City administrators have said they support the project for its job-creation potential. It is expected to be completed by the end of the month.
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Copyright: The Scranton Times-Tribune
Greenfield considers zoning change for gas drilling
By Libby A. Nelson (Staff Writer)
Published: May 28, 2010
Families appealed decision
GREENFIELD TWP. – A decision on the fate of the first Marcellus Shale natural-gas well in Lackawanna County will be delayed for up to 45 days, as the township’s zoning board considers arguments over a zoning change that allowed the drilling.
Exco Resources (PA) Inc., a gas exploration company formerly named Exco-North Coast Energy Resources, drilled the well in late September and October. In December, a resident complained to township supervisors that the land where the well was located, on Route 247 adjacent to the Skyline Golf Course, was not zoned to permit gas drilling.
The family that owned the land requested a zoning change from commercial recreational to rural agricultural, which would permit drilling as a conditional use, and Exco agreed to stop work until the question was resolved.
The board of supervisors unanimously approved the zoning change in March. A group of six families opposed to the drilling appealed the decision, arguing in a hearing Thursday night that the change was an example of “spot zoning” and should not be permitted.
Spot zoning occurs when a municipality rezones a small parcel of land to permit uses that are not allowed on similar land in the surrounding area. Greenfield’s zoning law permits drilling in rural agricultural zones, but opponents of the change said that the drilling is at odds with the township’s rural atmosphere.
“In my opinion, it is not a compatible use,” said Marvin Brotter, a planning expert who testified that he believed the ordinance constituted spot zoning. “I would not want that use next to my residence.”
In Susquehanna County, drilling has ruined roads and produced “disturbing” dust and noise, said Victoria Switzer, who was party to a lawsuit over contamination allegedly caused by gas drilling near Dimock.
“It’s a total industrialization of a rural community,” Ms. Switzer said.
About 35 people, including some who testified, attended the appeal. The zoning board has 45 days to issue a written decision.
Contact the writer: lnelson@timesshamrock.com
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Copyright: The Times-Tribune
Natural-gas severance tax mulled
Citing crime rise, truck-damaged roads, Rendell eyes fee. Drillers argue economic benefits ignored.
STEVE MOCARSKY smocarsky@timesleader.com
Pennsylvania’s state police commissioner on Monday raised concerns about an increase in crime associated with the natural gas industry, including the failure of some sex offenders employed by drilling companies to properly register in the state.
Gov. Ed Rendell’s office cited those crime problems as well as road damage caused by overweight and unsafe trucks serving the natural gas industry as just two reasons a state severance tax should be imposed on the industry.
In a press release from Rendell’s office in Harrisburg, state police Commissioner Frank Pawlowski reported more arrests and incidents involving drugs, assaults and illegal weapons in northern Pennsylvania, where much of the drilling into the Marcellus Shale is taking place in the state.
“More and more, it seems the police reports coming out of the northern tier include arrests because of drug use and trafficking, fights involving rig workers, DUIs and weapons being brought into the state and not registered properly,” Pawlowski said.
“We’ve even encountered situations where drilling company employees who have been convicted of a sexual assault in another state come here to work and do not register with our Megan’s Law website. Each of these issues is unacceptable and places an even greater burden on our law enforcement and local social programs meant to help those in need,” he said.
Another aspect providing additional challenges to troopers working in the northern tier are overweight and unsafe trucks, Pawlowski said.
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Allen D. Biehler said hundreds of miles of secondary roads in the northern tier have been damaged or made impassable because of heavy truck traffic associated with drilling activities. And while drilling companies have committed to repairing roads they use, Biehler said, their efforts have not kept pace with the damage in a number of cases.
“In a few cases, such as in Bradford and Tioga counties, we’ve had to close roads and revoke a drilling company’s permit to use those roads because repairs were not made in a timely manner. The condition of some of these roads has made travel a safety concern,” Biehler said.
PennDOT has ordered drilling companies to post bonds for 1,711 miles of roads, and that number is expected to double this year. Drilling companies have posted $16.1 million in security for bonded roads.
Pawlowski attributed much of the road damage to overweight trucks serving the gas industry. He cited a Feb. 9 enforcement effort in Susquehanna County that found 56 percent of 194 trucks checked were found to be over the weight limit. Fifty percent of those trucks were also cited for safety violations.
“These trucks are large and heavy, so for the sake of those drivers sharing the road with them, it’s important that they follow the law,” Pawlowski said. “We’re monitoring these roads closely and targeting areas where we know drilling-related traffic is heaviest, but it’s still important that anyone witnessing unsafe behavior on the part of drilling companies or their drivers report it to the state police.”
Pawlowski and Biehler both said the state and local governments need additional resources to address the problems that have accompanied the arrival of drilling companies.
Rendell has proposed a severance tax, which he says will ensure that the industry “pays its fair share and helps support the programs and services the state, counties and municipalities must provide to accommodate their presence.”
Under Rendell’s plan, the state would take in about $1.8 billion during the next five years, with $180 million of that being shared directly with local governments in areas where there is drilling activity. Local governments could then use those funds to repair roads and other infrastructure, bolster local law enforcement efforts or provide programs to help those in need.
A representative of Energy in Depth – an organization representing natural gas and oil producers – says state officials are ignoring the economic benefits of the industry when considering the severance tax issue.
“There used to be a time, and it probably wasn’t too long ago, when states were thankful for industries that found a way to create tens of thousands of new jobs and billions in annual revenue – especially during a deep recession,” Chris Tucker, a spokesman for Energy In Depth, said in an e-mailed response.
“If this is the way that state administrators show their thanks for bringing enormous economic opportunities to the Commonwealth, they sure have a funny way of showing it,” Tucker said.
Tucker also believes Pawlowski is using too broad a brush to paint an unfair picture of natural gas industry workers.
“The explicit suggestion by the state police that all natural gas workers in the state are a bunch of common criminals is especially reproachable and should be retracted and apologized for immediately,” Tucker said.
Copyright The Times Leader
Shale coalition president promotes drilling’s economic benefits
Orginally published on May 21, 2010
By: STEVE MOCARSKY
SCRANTON – The president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition on Monday told regional community leaders that development of the Marcellus Shale not only will help the economy on a large scale, but it’s just as important to recognize the effects on the area business owners and the area job market.
Kathryn Klaber, who was hired four months ago as the first president of the fledgling coalition, said it was formed in 2008 to advance responsible development of natural gas from the geological formation that lies more than a mile below a good portion of the state.
She was a guest speaker at the annual Lackawanna-Luzerne County Indicators Report presented by the Institute for Public Policy & Economic Development at the Radisson Lackawanna Station hotel.
The report looks at many factors in the area, including jobs, economics, housing and education. All of those are being influenced by development of the Marcellus Shale, Klaber said.
Klaber said macroeconomics are important, “and every shale play has them. But we also realize we have to make this more understandable, that these are real jobs with real companies in Pennsylvania,” she said.
“Around a well site, you’ve got basically a $4 million construction project for each well. And with that comes all sorts of stuff that we make here in Pennsylvania. This is a chance to kind of rebuild that making-and-doing economy,” Klaber said.
Klaber went through each step of well development and explained the types of companies are involved, the kinds and quantities of materials used, and the opportunities that already are being realized by local and Pennsylvania companies.
With new well cementing regulations being proposed by the state Department of Environmental protection, “there is more cement manufacturing that we could be doing here. Rail has been seeing record months of cargo with their hauling related to the Marcellus, she said.
“When we think of it, we just think, oh, the handful of people running that one piece of equipment to drill the well,” Klaber said.
“Oh my gosh, no. In site operation, who’s going to bring backhoes and graders from out-of-state? No, it’s the companies that own the backhoes and graders that is going to be hired to do the site preparation work. Compressors, we’ve got a lot of companies that build components for compressor stations here,” she said.
“Chief Oil & Gas had a 4,000-ton order they just placed with U.S. Steel in the Mon Valley (near Pittsburgh). It’s 50 miles of pipe and that’s only a fraction of what you need in the course of a year,” Klaber said.
Klaber said the coalition is 92 members strong and “growing by the dozens every month.”
Contact the author: smocarsky@timesleader.com
Copyright: The Times Leader
Test well water before Marcellus Shale gas drilling begins, experts advise
April 5, 2010
EILEEN GODIN Times Leader Correspondent
Well-water testing in advance of natural gas drilling operations in parts of Luzerne County could give homeowners with wells knowledge, a baseline for future testing and a legal leg to stand on if their water becomes tainted, some experts say.
Marcellus Shale gas drilling is coming into Luzerne County this summer. EnCana Oil and Gas USA Inc., based in Denver, Colo., will be starting a site in Lake Township off Zosh Road in June or July.
Drilling could also be coming to other mostly Back Mountain area communities. Some area groups have voiced strong opposition to the drilling, and some landowners in counties where drilling is already taking place have said their water wells have been inversely affected by gas drilling activities.
EnCana Community Relations Adviser Wendy Wiedenbeck said her company has drilled 8,700 gas wells and has not had “any instance of well water becoming contaminated.” She said EnCana takes great pains not to damage water wells.
“It is in our best interests not to impact water supplies,” she said. Wiedenbeck said that besides using the standard cement casing at the gas-drilling site to protect underground water sources, a second cement casing will be used for added protection.
She said the casings are inspected regularly throughout the life of the well.
Encana’s zero tolerance of spills means its employees are specially trained for operating valves at drilling operations or transporting liquids, she said.
All spills are reportable, and the federal Environmental Protection Agency has a toll-free line to report them at (877) 919-4372.
“We are very proud of our environmental record,” she said.
To be prepared, residents within a mile radius of the drilling sites are advised to have their well water tested, Wiedenbeck said.
The trick is knowing what kind of testing is needed and the proper way to take a sample.
Aqua-Tech Laboratory Director Joseph F. Calabro, Mountain Top, said well water owners should have a state Department of Environmental Protection-certified lab do the testing. Someone who is certified with the lab should draw the water and a chain of custody for the water sample should be followed, he said.
A chain of custody for the sample is a log that is signed and dated by the person taking the water sample and given to the lab, where it is signed and dated upon receipt. Calabro said this log will stand up in court.
A listing of state-certified labs, by county, can be found at http://water.cas.psu.edu. Click on “information” on water issues related to Marcellus drilling. Then, on the right side of the screen, click on “find a lab.”
Calabro said homeowners should know what is normally in their well water. He said small amounts of minerals such as barium, sodium, manganese and iron, are already in well water, along with many other minerals.
He said that once this baseline for what’s in the water is established, then testing for industry-specific indicators can be performed.
He advised that if homeowners notice a change in taste, clarity or smell of their water, they should have it tested right away.
Concerned that nervous residents could be charged for more testing that what is really needed, he said he is willing to attend municipal meetings to discuss minerals and industry-specific indicators to watch for.
Wilkes University geologist Brain Ora said he is hoping homeowners will be willing to share their testing results to compile a database, by zip code, to show water quality history. He said that over time the database will track changes of water quality.
Copyright: The Times Leader
What is Shale Gas, and How is it Being Used?
Natural gas captured from organic shale formations is not new to the oil and gas industry; shale gas has been produced since the early 1800s (DOE, 2009). Most shale gas formations have historically been deemed economically impractical to drill due to the available technology and relative abundance of domestic conventional natural gas sources. However, recent technological advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing along with increasing demand for natural gas and recent price trends for natural gas, have allowed previously inaccessible reserves to become technologically feasible and economically efficient to recover (DOE, 2009).
The Annual Energy Outlook for 2009, recently released by the United States’ Energy Information Administration, projects an increase of 0.5% total primary energy consumption annually through 2030 (EIA, 2009). The majority of this demand increase will come from the residential sector’s demand for additional electricity (EIA, 2009). Currently, coal-fired electricity generation dominates the electricity generation sector at approximately 49% of total U.S. domestic generation capacity (EIA, 2009). However, due to emerging concerns and public policy developments regarding greenhouse gases and renewable portfolio standards for a sustainable energy supply, lower carbon energy sources needed for electricity generation are expected to gain marketplace demand (EIA, 2009). Unfortunately, conversion from a fossil fuel-dependent energy economy to a low-carbon energy economy will take time and significant capital investment for infrastructure development (DOE, 2009). A recent Wall Street Journal article cites Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club as viewing natural gas as a “bridge fuel” from carbon-intensive fossil fuels, such as coal and petroleum, to cleaner future fuel sources (Casselman, 2009).
In order to meet the expected increased demand for natural gas without increasing dependence on foreign imports, development of domestic unconventional natural gas sources will need to grow rapidly. Production from unconventional natural gas sources, namely organic shales, tight sand formations, and coal-bed methane, currently account for approximately 50% of the total domestic natural gas production (DOE, 2009), this total production from unconventional resources was estimated at 8.9 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) per year in 2007 (ALL, 2008c). Of the 8.9 Tcf of unconventional natural gas produced in the United States in 2007, 1.2 Tcf was from shale formations; however, shale gas production is expected to grow to 4.2 Tcf by 2030, accounting for an estimated 18% of the total U.S. gas production in 2030. Unconventional sources combined are predicted to grow to nearly 56% of total U.S. domestic natural gas production (EIA, 2009). To date, four evolving shale gas plays (Haynesville, Marcellus, Fayetteville and Woodford) are estimated to have over 550 Tcf of total recoverable gas resources, these formatiosn are expected to be capable of providing sustainable production of 2-4 Tcf of natural gas annually for decades (DOE, 2009). Of these four, the Haynesville Shale and Marcellus Shale may have the most significant additions to domestic reserves of natural gas in recent decades.
Copyright: GoMarcellusshale.com