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Chesapeake Energy is paying for upgrades to two Bradford County roads to accommodate heavy-truck traffic related to its Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling operations in the region.

Work has already begun on state Routes 1008 (Crow Hill Road) and 2017 (Marshview Road).

A detour for Crow Hill Road through traffic is in effect weekdays during daylight hours. Local traffic access will be maintained. The detour sends traffic to Route 706, Turkey Path Road and Spring Hill Road.

The gas company’s road contractor will reclaim the existing roadway and roadway base material, which involves grinding of the roadway to a depth of approximately 12 inches, adding cement to the soil, mixing it and compacting it, according to a press release from PennDOT. The reclamation will be followed by the placement of 6.5 inches of blacktop pavement.

The entire 2.7-mile length of Crow Hill Road, from Route 706 near Camptown in Wyalusing Township to Spring Hill Road in Tuscarora Township, will be upgraded. Work is scheduled for completion by Sept. 30.

The work on Marshview Road will take place along its entire 3.2-mile length, from the intersection with North Street in Terry Township to the intersection with Liberty Corners Road in Asylum Township.

An around-the-clock detour will be in effect. The detour will use North Street, Route 187 and Liberty Corners Road.

The contractor will excavate approximately 12 inches of the existing roadway, reconstruct it with 12 inches of rock/sub-base material and place 7.5 inches of blacktop pavement on top, according to PennDOT.

The project is expected to be completed by Oct. 26.

The roads are currently posted with year-round, 10-ton weight restrictions. Chesapeake has excess maintenance agreements with PennDOT and is responsible for repairs to damages caused by its heavy trucks.

Chesapeake has determined it would be more cost-effective to upgrade the roads rather than make continuous repairs, PennDOT reports.

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• Marcellus production “is creating jobs and boosting local economies”

• “Farmers are making investments in farms that were just dreams before the Marcellus Shale”

• “The opportunity for growth, job creation has not been seen since the late 1800s”

Mighty Marcellus “Boosting Pa. economy”: “Forum panelist Kathryn Klaber, president and executive director of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, detailed how the gas drilling industry is creating jobs and boosting local economies, making special note of the steel and rail industries in the state. She also addressed how the industry is working to safeguard public health and the environment and noted that the industry supported the state Department of Environmental Protection significant increase of permit fees to fund the hire of more oil and gas inspectors. (Times-Leader, 8/22/10)

Responsible Marcellus development “could yield millions for Pittsburgh”: “A solution to some of Pittsburgh’s money problems could be just below the surface. Leasing the drilling rights to natural gas trapped in a portion of the Marcellus shale formation under Pittsburgh’s 2,000 acres of parks could net the city $6 million to $16 million in one-time access fees and potentially millions more in royalties if officials make deals similar to those struck elsewhere in Western Pennsylvania and Texas. (Tribune-Review, 8/20/10)

MSC president in-studio on ‘Corbett’s Corner’: “I’m already seeing people hiring in communities where the drilling is happening, all down the supply chain. We see restaurants that are opening that have lines outside, we see suppliers. I’ve had a unique opportunity, as our industry continues to expand, to see businesses who are increasing their top line and revenue and bringing on new people. (WILK-FM, 8/19/10)

“Marcellus Hope”: “I also see the hope that Marcellus Shale brings to these farm families. The relief from financial stress and their ability to make much needed improvements to their farms is a new way of life and is in fact insuring thousands of acres will continue in agriculture for future generations. … Farmers are making investments in farms that were just dreams before the Marcellus Shale. … I see a rebuilding of the Northern Tier agriculture infrastructure that was at risk. … Marcellus Shale will be an important part of America’s energy future as well as an important part of production agriculture’s future in the northern tier. (Williamsport Sun-Gazette LTE, 8/22/10)

Heroic Marcellus worker helps rescue woman, pet from house fire: “A gas industry worker who recently moved to Wellsburg from Oklahoma got an unusual opportunity on his birthday Monday: the chance to save a life. Billy Watts, who turned 37 Monday, was driving home on South Broadway from Troy at about 6 p.m. when he saw black smoke in the air. Watts, a hydrofracturing operator for Cudd Energy Services in Pennsylvania, pulled over and helped a volunteer firefighter at the scene before any fire trucks arrived. … “It’s important for people to stop and try to help out,” Watts said. (Star-Gazette, 8/23/10)

More jobs headed to southwestern Pa.: “Universal Pegasus International, a Houston, Texas, company that provides engineering and project management services to the oil and gas industry, has opened an office at 601 Technology Drive, Southpointe. During brief ribbon-cutting ceremonies Wednesday, Chief Executive Officer John Jameson said the office employs 12 people but is expected to grow to between 50 and 70 employees within the next 18 months. (Washington Observer-Reporter, 8/26/10)

“It’s economics 101”: “Kathryn Klaber, the president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, countered that the shale development will bring “lots of economic activity” but only if the tax is structured to encourage drillers’ continued investment in the state. “It’s economics 101,” she said. “The more you tax something, the less you get of it.” (Times-Tribune,8/22/10)

Ph.D. in petroleum seismology says “hydraulic fracturing can work for NY”: “Hydraulic fracturing – sometimes called “fracking” – involves injecting fluid into tight formations at very high pressures to create artificial fractures. … Fracking has made production from the Marcellus Shale possible and created thousands of jobs. … New York is well able to regulate fracking while at the same time allowing development of natural gas and enjoying the jobs and revenue it brings. (Syracuse Post-Standard, 8/25/10)

Marcellus production “has brought an influx of jobs, business, money to Williamsport”: “The positive impacts include the arrival of new companies, job opportunities and property owners getting lease and royalty checks. “In the past 18 to 24 months, 60 to 70 companies of varying sizes have opened in Lycoming County as a direct result of the Marcellus Shale natural gas industry,” said Vincent J. Matteo, president and CEO of the Williamsport-Lycoming Chamber of Commerce. “I have been in economic development for 30 years and have never seen anything that comes close to what we are experiencing,” he said. The opportunity for growth and job creation has not been seen since the late 1800s, when Williamsport was the lumber capital of the world, he said. Halliburton alone projects hiring up to 300. “We estimate, to date, more than 1,500 jobs have been created and thousands more will be. … We are looking at a generational opportunity that will be creating jobs and wealth for decades to come.” (Patriot-News, 8/24/10)

Marcellus producers educate local business leaders: “[EnCana’s Don] McClure and Brian Grove, Chesapeake’s director of corporate development for the Eastern Division, spoke ofeconomic and environmental benefits of natural gas production – creating jobs, using less water than any other energy-production method and producing cleaner-burning energy than coal or oil. … “So there is clearly a job creation impact associated with the industry. … We’re happy about that,” [Chamber President Todd] Vonderheid said. (Times-Leader,8/26/10)

Marcellus Multiplier: “Task force works to link businesses to gas industries”: “The Clinton County Natural Gas Task Force juggled a large number of issues Tuesday evening. … Estimates by Penn State University experts suggest the Marcellus might contain more than 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Using some of the same horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing methods previously applied in the Barnett Shale of Texas, perhaps 10 percent of that gas (50 trillion cubic feet) might be recoverable. That volume of natural gaswould be enough to supply the entire United States for about two years. (Lock Haven Express, 8/25/10)

Marcellus production bringing an “industrial boom to Pennsylvania”: “All agreed that the gas – with an estimated worth of $1.2 trillion – contained in the Marcellus Shale formation underlying a good portion of the state could bring industrial boom to Pennsylvania. To date, gas extraction has created 88,000 jobs, $800 million in local and state tax revenue and $8 billion in economic value for Pennsylvania. (Beaver County Times,8/27/10)

NY landowners continue to rally for Marcellus opportunity: “The Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development and supporters of natural-gas drilling struck back Thursday during a meeting of the county’s full Legislature. One by one, Partnership officials and county property owners stood up to defend the organization’s position on drilling and to criticize environmental groups for opposing an industry supporters say will boost Sullivan County out of its economic malaise. … Drilling supporters also value the land, he said, and“realists” understand the economic benefits of drilling. (Times Record-Herald, 8/20/10)

Marcellus development in NY could be “incredible”: “The economic benefit to New York could be “incredible,” says Brad Gill, executive director of the Independent Oil and Gas Association. In Pennsylvania towns where drilling has begun, he says, “the motels are filled, the restaurants are filled. It’s flourishing.” … Fracking is “absolutely” environmentally safe, he says. “I would never do anything to destroy my property.” A lucrative gas lease would change everything, he says. “To farm without debt — what a dream that would be.” (USA Today, 8/24/10)

Another local govt. backs responsible Marcellus development: “The supervisors of Lehman Township expressed their support of the industry at Monday night’s meeting. Several township residents were boisterous in their support as well. Carl Kern, who owns trucks that provide service to drillers in Bradford County, said the public should listen to the positive side of drilling. … For example, the companies are maintaining the roads they use, Kern said. … Township Chairman Dave Sutton concurred, adding that if the township must repair a road in an emergency situation, it will be reimbursed for the cost by the drillers. “It’s nice to hear something positive,” Sutton said. (Dallas Post, 8/22/10)

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Groups around the state aired their concerns about natural gas drilling at Woodstock-like event.

LEHMAN TWP. – The Northeast Pennsylvania Citizens in Action Group got a little help from their friends Saturday at their first ever Gas Stock concert and rally.

The concert brought together groups from around the state to air concerns and share and disseminate information about natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

Nine artists performed on the event’s main stage in front of a banner replicating the famous dove and guitar frets Woodstock logo, but with a horizontal drilling rig replacing the guitar.

Covers of activist anthems abounded, and some performed original tunes about opposition to gas drilling.

“Smell of death, all around. Those lousy noisy drills, the only sound. Wish they just kept that shale in the ground,” Drew Kelly, of Scranton, crooned in a song he wrote for the concert, “Talkin’ Marcellus Shale Drillin’ Blues.”

Sisters Val and Erin LaCerra, of Williamsport, performed several songs about gas drilling, including Modern Day Dinosaurs, a song Val LaCerra said focuses not only on environmental concerns, but the economics as well.

“It’s about why people do this, they’re already impoverished, and they see leasing their land as a way to make money. The gas companies didn’t inform the residents of what would happen,” she said of the song, which features the lyrics “hold me back, hold me back. I just wanted Chris and Katie to have nice clothes on their backs. Now I wanna kill, I wanna kill. Cause it’s 25 years later and I’m still paying medical bills.”

The free concert, sponsored by the Northeast Pennsylvania Citizens in Action Group, ran from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., though for one family the day began a lot earlier. Don Williams, of Montgomery County, set out from Wilkes-Barre’s Nesbitt Park at 6:30 a.m. and walked more than 10 miles to the fairgrounds together with his daughters, Lisa and Lauren Williams, and two local bloggers, Mark Cour and Herb Baldwin.

“I’ve attended several of these meetings where the gas industry people basically said, if you drove here and you don’t support what we’re doing, you’re a hypocrite. I remembered that,” Williams said. “That’s why I did it, being able to say I had the lowest carbon footprint here today.”

State Reps. Eddie Day Pashinski and Phyllis Mundy attended the event in a show of support, organizer Roxanne Pauline, of Taylor, said. Canvassers for other politicians also set up tables at the event.

“Clean air and water aren’t party issues. There are a lot of people on both sides of the aisle who have come together to say clean air and clean water matter,” Pauline said.

The event also featured a “soap box” area under one of the fairgrounds pavilions, where speakers could air their views on drilling and other environmental issues, as well as story tellers, a drumming and song circle, a morning yoga program and food vendors.

Organizers said they hoped to raise awareness and educate citizens about the risks of natural gas drilling through the event, which they estimated about 500 attended.

“There are a lot of people who that don’t even know the issue exists,” Pauline said. “This really hasn’t reached the cities, because people in the cities haven’t been affected by it yet.”

Andy Asher, of Larksville, said he was still on the fence about gas drilling, but attending the event has made him more hesitant about natural gas drilling in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

“I’ve been trying to stay open-minded,” Asher said, “but it seems the more I learn, the easier it becomes to at least get behind the idea of at least a moratorium for a year on gas drilling.”

Though some also wished local turnout could have been larger, organizers said environmental activists from as far away as Pittsburg, Philadelphia and upstate New York attended and swapped contact information, making the concert the first step in the formation of a statewide coalition, Pauline said.

Pauline said the groups plan to meet Sept. 14 in Avoca to discuss plans, and that a march on Washington may be in the works.

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Legislator wants conservation districts to play key role in erosion and sediment control in shale.

State Rep. Karen Boback wants to see authority over erosion and sediment control in Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling sites returned to county conservation districts.

Boback, R-Harveys Lake, announced Monday she would introduce a bill in September that would make that happen if the legislation can gain enough support in the state House and Senate.

“When it comes to protecting our water, air and other natural resources, I say the more oversight, the better,” Boback said in a press release.

“Conservation districts have historically been active in implementing programs for pollution and sediment control, and I believe they have a valuable role to play as the natural gas industry in Pennsylvania continues to develop,” she said.

County conservation districts have acted as the primary local government unit responsible for the conservation of natural resources and implementing programs to address soil erosion, storm water management and flood control.

In 2009, the state Department of Environmental Protection assumed some of these responsibilities for sites of oil and gas drilling operations, effectively eliminating the role of conservation districts in the process.

“It is all about protecting the environment and the health and safety of our citizens,” said Boback. “This legislation is about reinserting local oversight into the drilling process. Decisions about our local environment should not only be in the hands of officials in Harrisburg.”

Boback said she is committed to “upholding the Pennsylvania Constitution’s guarantee of clean air and water,” and noted her opposition to forced pooling and other policies that she says would “usurp the rights of individual landowners.”

Forced pooling, which the oil and gas industry refers to as “fair pooling,” would allow drilling companies to extract gas under un-leased properties without the property owners’ consent and then compensate the property owners.

Josh Longmore, manager of the Luzerne Conservation District, said the conservation districts in Susquehanna and Bradford counties had been reviewing and either approving or disapproving erosion and sediment control plans for gas drilling sites until DEP issued a directive in March 2009 indicating the department would take over that responsibility.

“DEP told us it would streamline the process for the gas companies, although we’re all following state guidelines,” Longmore said.

Conservation districts all operate under the same DEP-established guidelines.

And although it might be easier for gas companies to go to one source for approval of sediment and erosion control plans regardless of which county they drill in, it might not be more cost effective for the state, which provides most of the funding for conservation districts.

According to a summary of a June 2005 report of the General Assembly’s Legislative Budget and Finance Committee, the committee found that it “appears highly likely that the conservation districts can provide services at significantly less cost than if the programs were administered directly by commonwealth employees.”

Longmore also said he believes it’s “good for local people to have direction and input over local (earth-disturbing) activities” because they are more familiar with local terrain than state inspectors might be.

“However, it could grow to a level where it would be too big for us to handle. I can see both sides,” Longmore said.

Longmore noted Encana Oil & Gas asked the Luzerne Conservation District to review its erosion and sediment control plans for a drilling site in Luzerne County before submitting them to DEP.

“We reviewed them and made some minor suggestions. So we were appreciative of that opportunity. We have a regulatory hat that we wear, but a lot of our programs provide technical assistance,” he said.

Longmore also noted Encana awarded the district a $10,000 education grant that was placed in its Education and Outreach Fund.

“We would have felt we couldn’t accept that if we were in a regulatory role,” he said.

Copyright The Time Leader By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.com

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A licensed geologist from Tunkhannock says people living near natural gas drilling operations should have their well water tested prior to drilling activities, but he warns that not everyone who offers testing services is qualified to take water samples.

Citing his bachelor’s degree in earth and space science, master’s degree in geology, professional geologist license, water system operator licenses, sewage enforcement officer certification and other credentials, George Turner says he’s come across some water testers who “don’t know anything about anything and they’re claiming they know how to test groundwater.”

The state Department of Environmental Protection and the Penn State Cooperative Extension recommend that people living near future drilling sites have “baseline water testing” done in the event a drilling company causes or allows their well water to be contaminated.

Baseline testing data gathered before drilling could prove that a well was not contaminated prior to drilling activities.

Turner admitted that holding a geologist license isn’t necessary for properly taking samples of well water, but he believes the minimum requirement should be a bachelor’s degree in some environmental field and a few years of experience sampling in the field.

Showing various bottles and vials he uses to collect water samples, Turner explained that some chemicals must be added to collection containers before well water is put into them.

For example, nitric acid in one container, he said, keeps metals from precipitating out from inside the container. Sulfuric acid is added to a glass container that will hold water to be tested for oil and grease.

“The preservatives prevent anything in the water from separating out before it gets analyzed. You can’t use glass containers for the metals because some metals can leach out of the glass. You can’t use plastic containers for the volatile organics because plastic has volatile organics in it that would leach out into the water,” Turner said.

Turner shared some stories of private water samplers he, his customers or his fianc�e have come across.

One man said he had a degree from Harvard and used Penn State recommendations on what should be tested for.

But, Turner pointed out, when drilling into the Marcellus Shale took off in the region about a year and a half ago, Penn State’s list of things to be tested for did not contain methane gas.

“My God, that’s what these people are drilling for. That’s a no-brainer.”

Lead or sodium weren’t on the list, either.

“The Marcellus Shale that they’re drilling into is a marine-derived shale and, as such, is full of salt. And anything coming up out of it is going to be loaded with salt, or sodium. So the first three things you have to test for – and none of them is more important than the other – are methane gas, sodium chloride and barium sulfate,” Turner said.

Barium sulfate is added to drilling mud in large quantities to increase its density, he said.

“Penn State has since revised the list and it’s more along the lines of what I test for. Methane gas is on there now,

Turner said another water sampler told a group of people it wasn’t necessary to pay for a test for methane gas.

“He said all you have to do is light a match and if it doesn’t burn, that’s proof there’s no methane in your drinking water. Can you imagine going into court with that as proof there’s no methane in your drinking water?” Turner said.

Bryan Swistock, a Penn State water resources extension associate, acknowledged that early on in the process of developing testing recommendations, Penn State’s recommendations were “based on what we knew at the time” and did not include some things such as methane.

He pointed out, however, that methane was intentionally left off the list because tests for it were expensive, and there was and still is no standard sampling protocol for methane.

Swistock said it would be appropriate for a water sampler to have at least a bachelor’s degree. He also noted that Penn State has published a list of accredited testing laboratories as well as a sub-list of laboratories that also collect samples of well water that are all approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

He also said it’s in a laboratory’s best interest to ensure its water samplers are properly trained, “or they won’t look very good if a case goes to court.” But, he said, customers should not expect to have to pay an exorbitant fee for just for water sampling in addition to the cost of testing the water.

Turner also said a customer told him about someone sent by a natural gas company to collect well water samples. The sampler told the woman she was an environmental lawyer, yet she left vials of water samples from another residence in the back of her pickup truck while she conducted sampling inside the residence, Turner said.

That, Turner said, broke the chain of custody necessary for a strong case in court.

And, Turner noted, unqualified samplers would be “torn apart” by an attorney if a well contamination case went to court.

He also described sampling methods that caused possible cross-contamination. Turner said it would be in a gas company’s best interest to have a sampler cross-contaminate a water sample to make it appear that a well was contaminated before drilling began. That’s why he recommends private water sampling even if a gas company sent someone out to collect water samples.

Mark Carmon, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said that just as unscrupulous people without proper contracting experience or knowledge will converge on an area after a flood offering to perform repairs, the same thing could be happening with water samplers in natural gas drilling areas.

“In my own personal opinion, I would be a little leery of someone knocking on your door. But I would start asking questions such as who you’re certified by, what you’re certified for and then ask to see it in writing,” Carmon said.

Copyright The Times Leader PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER

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Pa. DEP: Bradford County-based unit can get to incident anywhere within 5 hours.

Experts trained to deal with catastrophic events at natural gas wells now will be stationed 24 hours a day, seven days a week in Pennsylvania.

Recent high-profile accidents at natural gas wells in Pennsylvania prompted the Department of Environmental Protection to arrange emergency response services with a leading company that is opening a new operation in the state, DEP Secretary John Hanger announced Monday.

CUDD Well Control will locate a new facility in Canton Township, Bradford County, which means a highly specialized emergency response crew will be located about five hours from any natural gas well in the state, according to a DEP press release.

By comparison, it took 16 hours for out-of-state crews to address a June 3 blowout in Clearfield County and 11 hours to extinguish a July 23 fire in Allegheny County. In both cases, well operators had to wait for response crews to fly in from Texas.

“Recent accidents in our state have shown that the natural gas industry lacks the training and equipment to respond quickly to accidents. This creates a tremendous danger to the public and the environment. When an accident occurs, we cannot wait 10 or more hours for a crew to fly in from halfway across the country,” said Hanger, adding that CUDD’s presence in the state will ensure fast, expert response to emergencies at well sites.

Dr. Tom Jiunta, founder of the Luzerne County-based Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition, said that although he is happy to hear that expert emergency crews will be located closer to local gas wells, DEP’s response is “an after-the-fact remedy.”

Jiunta said he asked officials at a local zoning hearing how long it would take expert emergency responders to get to a well blow-out in Northeastern Pennsylvania and no one could provide an answer.

“It’s a double-edged sword. It’s good that we’ll have specialty crew in the state, but at the same time, it’s scary that we’re inviting an industrial process that needs to have a specialty response team nearby,” Jiunta said.

CUDD’s new operation will give Pennsylvania 16 specially trained well-control responders and a senior well-control responder in the state at all times. Senior responders can provide an initial assessment of emergency situations, advise local first responders and coordinate emergency response measures with other well control specialists.

Equipment at CUDD’s new facility will include: a 2,000-gallon-per-minute pump; heat shields to protect responders as they work near a well fire; pneumatic cutting devices that clamp onto damaged pipe to allow responders to cut it at a safe distance; and a “hot tap,” which will drill a hole into damaged pipe to either relieve the pressure or allow responders to pump material into the well to kill it.

The state will use CUDD’s services as needed through emergency contracts on a case-by-case basis, so there is no cost to taxpayers unless CUDD personnel are mobilized. If that happens, the state will seek to recoup the costs from the well operator.

Hanger said he expects to have a contract with a well-control specialty company through a competitive bid process by Oct. 15.

He said natural gas well emergencies pose a considerable cost to local emergency crews, but enacting a severance tax would offset the additional expenses.

“When accidents happen, the natural gas industry should be bearing those costs, not the public or our fire, EMT and police departments. That’s one of the main reasons we need a severance tax; so taxpayers aren’t shouldering this financial burden and emergency response crews have the funds they need to respond appropriately, as well as get proper training and equipment,” he said.

While finalizing the 2010-11 state budget, lawmakers agreed to vote on a severance tax by Oct. 1 with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2011.

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Penn State will create the Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research, an education and research center to focus on the growing natural gas industry.

School President Graham Spanier said Wednesday that along with having the faculty who were the first to call attention to the Marcellus Shale natural gas reserve, Penn State has 500 faculty and researchers who do work related to energy and the environment.

Michael Arthur, professor of geosciences in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, and Tom Murphy, Cooperative Extension educator, will be co-directors of the new center. A hydrogeologist has been hired to handle outreach related to water availability and protection.

Spanier said the center does not yet have outside funding, but the university hopes to get financial support from the state and the industry.

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Sen. Bob Casey wants fracking disclosure exemptions repealed for oil, gas industry.

By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

SCRANTON – U.S. Sen. Robert Casey returned to his hometown Thursday to extol the economic benefits of a present-day “gas rush” and, recalling the devastating effects of coal mining on the environment, called for more safeguards and federal oversight of natural gas drilling to prevent a “repeat of the mistakes of the past.”

The Democrat from Scranton joined five other panelists at a forum convened at Marywood University to discuss the opportunities and challenges presented by development of the Marcellus Shale.

Noting that nearly 600,000 Pennsylvanians are unemployed and 70 percent of the workers employed at Marcellus Shale drilling sites are not state residents, Casey said his Marcellus Shale On-the-Job Training Act would fund training programs to help ensure gas drilling jobs go to Pennsylvanians instead of out-of-state workers.

Recalling a well blowout in Clearfield County in June, Casey said a proper emergency response plan was not in place. His Faster Action Safety Team Emergency Response Act would authorize additional regulations to enhance response procedures as gas and oil wells, he said.

His Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act, Casey said, would repeal some exemptions for the oil and gas industry and require disclosure of all chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing – the process of injecting millions of gallons of water with sand and chemicals added into a well bore to stimulate the release of natural gas.

“Pennsylvanians have a right to know what is being injected in the ground. … The intent is not to stop hydraulic fracturing. This is about disclosure,” Casey said, noting that the ingredients of Coke and Pepsi are listed on cans and bottles without revealing “their secret formula.”

“If the chemicals … used in the hydraulic fracturing process are not harmful and cannot compromise health and safety or contaminate drinking water, … why can’t we shine the light of disclosure on that process?” Casey said to applause from the audience.

Boosting Pa. economy

Forum panelist Kathryn Klaber, president and executive director of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, detailed how the gas drilling industry is creating jobs and boosting local economies, making special note of the steel and rail industries in the state.

She also addressed how the industry is working to safeguard public health and the environment and noted that the industry supported the state Department of Environmental Protection significant increase of permit fees to fund the hire of more oil and gas inspectors.

Klaber said the industry is increasing well wastewater recycling; already more than 60 percent is being recycled.

And, she said, the sharing of information between energy companies about best practices is increasing and hydraulic fracturing companies already have a listing of all chemicals used in material safety data sheets at drilling sites.

Timothy Kelsey, a professor of agricultural economics at Penn State University, spoke about the potential economic benefits of Marcellus Shale exploration.

He said a natural gas well can produce royalty income of $2.25 million to $2.8 million over the life of a well but noted that local investment decreases over time as well production declines.

“The lion’s share of the royalty income from each well will occur in the first seven years,” Kelsey said. “So when the drilling is going on, it’s critical that the community think about future.”

Kelsey said research shows that communities with a lack of trust in leadership are no better off following an energy boom than they were before, but those that have strong local leadership and “entrepreneurial support systems” in place fare better.

“Community focus needs to be on the future after the boom, not just the present. Use the Marcellus as a means to improve the economy, social organization … infrastructure. It is not an end in itself,” he said.

State park drilling

John Quigley, secretary of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said more than half of the commonwealth’s state parks are potential natural gas drill sites.

Of the 28 million acres in the state, Quigley said at least 7 million acres are leased for land drilling. The state House passed a resolution putting a moratorium on new large-scale leasing, but the bill has not come up in the Senate.

“We need to draw the line and say enough is enough,” Quigley said.

Quigley said there are currently 10 gas-producing wells on state forestland. Over the next 10 years, that number likely will increase to 6,000. “Add to that 1,000 miles of roadway, pipeline, gathering line … it’s very clear that the environmental impacts will be enormous,” he said.

Quigley also promoted a severance tax on natural gas extraction proposed by Gov. Ed Rendell.

“This is low-cost, high-profit gas any way you slice it. … And facing the imposition of a severance tax, this industry’s not going anywhere. It’s the most productive play in the world. This industry is not going to be taxed out of the state by the very, very reasonable proposal the governor has put in place,” Quigley said.

Jennifer Hoffman, manager of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission’s Monitoring and Assessment Program, explained how the commission is regulating water use by the drilling industry, assuring the audience that commission regulations ensure waterways will not be negatively impacted by industry water withdrawals.

She also detailed a water-monitoring network in place in drilling areas throughout the basin.

Jeanne VanBriessen, director of the Center for Water Quality in Urban Environmental Systems at Carnegie Mellon University, said the technology is available for officials and regulators to manage the water consumption and wastewater treatment needs of the gas drilling industry while protecting the environment.

“The question I have for you, for our government and our regulators is: Will we?” VanBriessen said.

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The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH — City Councilman Doug Shields will introduce a bill next month that would ban corporations from drilling for natural gas in the city.

Shields’ proposal, which one fellow councilman suggested might not survive a court challenge, comes as the number of leases signed by property owners to allow drilling has boomed in recent years.

About 7 percent of Allegheny County’s land parcels have been leased for drilling, mostly for Marcellus Shale exploration, according to the University of Pittsburgh Center for Social and Urban Research. In the city, only about 362 acres have been leased, said Bob Gradeck, the research project’s manager said.

Still, Shields said it’s time to act. He plans to introduce the bill Sept. 5 when council reconvenes after the summer break.

“We as a city don’t want to have drilling operations going on in the city of Pittsburgh,” Shields said on Tuesday. “Because they’re adverse to our rights to the use and enjoyment of our property; they’re adverse to our rights to our health and welfare, because of the environmental degradation that it produces.”

The bill is being drafted by the nonprofit Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund.

Councilman Patrick Dowd said the city law department told him that an outright drilling ban likely wouldn’t survive a legal challenge.

Ben Price, director of the nonprofit helping Shields, acknowledged the Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Act gives the state authority to regulate those industries.

Copyright The Times Leader

Atlas Resources LLC, a natural gas drilling company with operations in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus shale region, has been fined $97,350 for a spill of hydraulic fracturing fluids in the southwest part of the state. According to a press release from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the spill, which occurred late last year, polluted a high-quality watershed in Hopewell Township, Washington County.

DEP officials say Atlas failed to report the spill. The violations were discovered on Dec. 5 and 6, 2009, at the Cowden 17 gas well on Old Trail Road off Route 844. Once the unknown quantity of fluid overflowed the impoundment’s banks, it ran over the ground and into a tributary of Dunkle Run.

This spill violated Pennsylvania’s Oil and Gas Act and Solid Waste Management Act, as well as the state’s Clean Streams Law. Atlas corrected the problem once it was discovered, but failed to report it to DEP, the release said.

“It is unacceptable for drilling companies in Pennsylvania to threaten public safety or harm the environment through careless acts, such as this,” DEP Southwest Regional Director George Jugovic Jr. said in the statement.

The Atlas Resources incident is just one of many that have been perpetrated by gas drillers performing fracking operations in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus shale.

According to a report recently released by the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association, the state has identified 1,435 violations by 43 Marcellus Shale drilling companies since January 2008. Of those, 952 were identified as having or likely to have an impact on the environment. Keep in mind, there are only about 1,458 Marcellus wells drilled in the state at this time.

The violations listed in the report do not include violations incurred by drilling wastewater haulers. According to the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association, during a 3-day enforcement blitz by the DEP in June 2010, 669 traffic citations and 818 written warnings were issued to trucks hauling Marcellus Shale drilling wastewater.

A separate analysis by Clean Water Action released earlier this summer found 565 violations at Marcellus Shale gas drilling sites between Jan. 1 and June 18 this year alone. The violation included some particularly disturbing instances, including improper cementing/casing of wells (11) and “illegal disposal of industrial waste” (80). The largest number of this year’s violations, 166, were “General Violations” meaning violations of the Clean Streams Law, Oil and Gas Act, and permit violations.

Copyright NewsInferno.com