Archive for the ‘Pennsylvania Natural Gas Drilling’ Category

Centre Daily Times
Promising results from exploratory gas wells in Centre County have focused the interest of some energy companies on the area, making it likely the county will see increased drilling in coming years.

The Patriot-News
The Marcellus Shale Coalition has been trumpeting the fact that the drilling industry is one of the few adding jobs in a sour economy in Pennsylvania. It’s right up there with casino gambling establishments. The economic impact of the drilling industry — particularly in rural areas of the state — is indisputable.

Submitted by Readers
September 18, 2010

In a recent column (“Gas drilling’s threat to our water,” Sept. 12), Edward Smith makes claims about Marcellus Shale natural gas production that aren’t supported by facts.

Hydraulic fracturing, a 60-year-old technology that’s been used more than 1.1 million times since its inception in the 1940s, has never contaminated groundwater. A top Department of Environmental Protection official confirmed that “no one’s ever documented drinking water wells that have actually been shown to be impacted by fracking.” And a top Environmental Protection Agency official recently testified that “he hadn’t seen any documented cases that hydro-fracking was contaminating water supplies.”

Smith writes that “government needs to know the chemicals used in fracking.” But DEP already lists these additives on its website. Truth is, more than 99.5 percent of these fluids are made up of water and playground sand.

Readers should also know that advancements in technology have allowed Marcellus producers to recycle more than 60 percent of the water used in the process; many companies are recycling 100 percent.

It’s difficult to reconcile Smith’s call for a moratorium, and the need to deliver clean-burning Marcellus gas to Pennsylvanians – which is already helping to lower energy costs for Pennsylvanians and creating tens of thousands of jobs during one of the most difficult economic periods in our lifetime.

We do agree with Smith’s statement, “It must be done with every care and protection for our water and citizens.”

That’s not only our goal, it’s our expectation.

Kathryn Klaber

President and Executive Director, Marcellus Shale Coalition

Canonsburg, Washington County

Copyright: http://tribune-democrat.com

This course focuses on the welding process that is commonly used in the oil and natural gas industry. Participants in this advanced training will learn both the theory necessary for success in this process as well as techniques to apply out in the field. Class size is limited to ensure proper participant and instructor time. This course will prepare the participant for the API 1104 6G and T test.

By David Falchek (Staff Writer)

Published: September 17, 2010

A settlement filed earlier this month among pipeline company Laser Northeast Gathering LLC and others in its bid to be dubbed a utility would grant conditional power to condemn private land.

Those conditions and landowner protections, critical to how similar companies throughout the state would wield eminent domain, were heavily redacted from the public version of the settlement. Four pages and 25 items under “landholder protections” were redacted.

The settlement is not final. Because it is non-unanimous, parties are expected to file additional briefs. Administrative Law Judge Susan D. Colwell will make a recommendation to the commission; a final decision is expected early next year.

The settlement attempts to meet the need for midstream companies to connect growing numbers of Marcellus Shale wells to interstate pipelines in ways least intrusive to communities, the environment and individuals.

“The joint petitioners agree that this settlement is an innovative and reasonable resolution of this matter in a way that meets and promotes the public interest,” the settlement reads.

According to the agreement, before pursuing eminent domain, a pipeline company must do the following:

– Exhaust efforts. The company must negotiate in good faith with landowners to obtain easements.

– Notify PUC. The company must notify the PUC at least 30 days before commencing eminent domain and explain why it is being used.

– Selectively condemn. The company may not condemn property where the pipeline would result in the abandonment or destruction of existing structures, lakes or ponds.

– Landowner-initiated remediation. After negotiations have reached an impasse, landowners have the ability to opt for nonbinding PUC mediation before eminent domain is begun.

In the eminent domain process, a local board of view under the auspices of a local judge sets a value on the easement.

Public input

Environmental and natural gas attorney Steven Saunders said it is unusual for the PUC to release a settlement agreement with key provisions redacted.

However, PUC spokeswoman Jennifer Kocher said settlement agreements often are not public and don’t become public unless they are part of a commission decision. She said petitioners have the ability to request items be redacted for competitive reasons.

The decision comes after several public hearings with the vast majority of speakers opposed to Laser’s bid for what is known as a certificate of public convenience. The document would set a precedent allowing natural gas collection and gathering companies to be treated as public utilities permitted to use eminent domain in exchange for another layer of regulation.

Parties agreeing in the settlement were the Silver Lake Association, the Office of Consumer Advocate’s independent Office of Trial Staff, and private individuals Vera Scroggins and William C. Fischer.

The settlement described negotiations as “intensive and time-consuming” and said the result “represents give-and-take by all parties.” Many intervenors refused to sign on, including other representatives of the natural gas industry.

“We hope these conditions that protect landowners, the environment and communities will become part of rulemaking,” said Earthjustice attorney Deborah Goldberg who represented Ms. Scroggins in the process. “That’s why others in the industry didn’t sign on – because they don’t want to grant those protections.”

Contact the writer: dfalchek@timesshamrock.com

• “Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale has been a bright spot in job creation”

• Marcellus development “to create more than 111,000 new jobs and generate $987 million in state and local tax revenue by 2011”
  
• ‘Marcellus Multiplier’ creating “a surge in real estate activity”; “There’s no question it’s having a positive impact” on regional hotels

We’re Hiring: “Shale coalition launches job site”: “The Marcellus Shale Coalition has launched a website intended to connect job seekers with its members – natural gas companies and related businesses. The “job portal” at marcelluscoalition.org offers descriptions of job opportunities and what the required qualifications are, from equipment operators and well tenders to geophysicists and market research analysts, and has links to the employment pages of companies’ websites. (Scranton Times-Tribune, 9/14/10)

“Thousands of jobs listed on a Marcellus Shale jobs website”: “The gas drilling industry is flourishing in the Northern Tier. People at Talisman Energy tell us the company is producing 200 Million cubic feet a day in Bradford, Tioga, and Sullivan counties alone. They expect that to rise to 300 million cubic feet by the end of the year. That’s enough to heat a city three times the size of Rochester. A Talisman spokesman tells us the industry is working with area schools and universities to develop a local work force. “That’s happening right now”, says spokesman, MarkScheuerman: “Penn College is doing some wonderful things in PA. Penn State is working on those things as well. Corning Community College, and Broome Community College are deeply interested in it.” There are thousands of jobs listed on a Marcellus Shale jobs website — from office support, to general labor, to scientists. (WENY-TV, 9/16/10)

Responsible Marcellus Shale Development “a modern-day gold rush” in Pa.: “Pennsylvania is on the verge of what many policy experts are calling a modern-day gold rush, thanks to the Marcellus Shale formation, a natural gas deposit that spans most of the state. … In fact, Marcellus may turn out to be the second-largest gas deposit in the world. It promises great potential for economic expansion and job creation in a state and region sorely in need of both. Development of the Marcellus Shale was one of the few bright spots in Pennsylvania’s economy last year, according to a recent Penn State study, creating44,000 new high-paying jobs and generating nearly $1.4 billion in additional federal, state and local tax revenue. In a state where unemployment has been rising toward double digits throughout the year, hitting 9.3 percent in July, the Marcellus Shale provides tremendous hope for the hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians seeking work. The Penn State study concluded that, in total, development of the site is likely to create more than 111,000 new jobs and generate $987 million in state and local tax revenue by 2011. (Politico Op-Ed,9/16/10)

Marcellus Shale “a bright spot in job creation”: “The natural-gas bonanza inPennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale has been a bright spot in job creation, said Angela Palumbo, an administrator for Mercer County’s CareerLink employment agency. “The Marcellus Shale is just starting to generate interest in training for these types of jobs,” Palumbo said. “Our hope is that this can help our economy turn around.” Companies that service the natural-gas industry — including manufacturers, logistics providers and water-treatment facilities — have started hiring, and more workers likely will be needed, she said. (Youngstown Vindicator, 9/16/10)

350 New Marcellus-Related Jobs En Route to Eastern Ohio: “Bill Turner, Workforce Administrator for the Trumbull County One-Stop job office in Warren, partly attributed the number of jobs to development of the Marcellus Shale natural gas formation under eastern Ohio, Pennsylvania and neighboring states, but also a gradual economic recovery that is bringing jobseekers back into the market. ”A lot of people are looking again due to encouraging news. They have more options than they did six months ago,” he said. … The Marcellus Shale is prompting global steel tubemaker V&M Star to hire 350 workers to staff the new fine-quality tube mill it’s building. (Warren Tribune Chronicle, 9/16/10)

“Shale Gas Development Safe and Beneficial”: “Natural gas production has the potential to make a tremendous positive economic impact in New York. Not long ago the Broome County government commissioned a study to explore the benefits of natural gas production. It found the Marcellus holds enough natural gas just in that single county to pave the way for 16,000 good-paying jobs, $793 million in wages, and $15.3 billion in economic output over the next 10 years. If we look to our neighbors in Pennsylvania, we already see the amazing impact of natural gas production. According to a 2009 IHS Global Insight study,natural gas supported 53,000 jobs and provided almost $13 billion in economic value in 2008 alone. … We look to Pennsylvania where more than 200,000 new jobs will be created from Marcellus development. (Press & Sun-Bulletin Op-Ed, 9/12/10)

Broad Coalition Fights for Responsible, Job-Creating Marcellus Development: “Economic development organizations and landowner groups in Wayne County issued a stinging criticism Thursday against the Delaware River Basin Commission for enacting a moratorium on natural gas drilling and causing a deep negative economic impact by effectively halting development. The pro-drilling groups, including landowners’ alliances that have secured more than 100,000 acres in Wayne County for gas development and the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, also warned the commission not to develop stringent regulations that would exceed current state environmental regulations because it could deter companies from operating there. (Scranton Times-Tribune, 9/10/10)

Clean-Burning Marcellus Shale Natural Gas “the best news” the Region, Economy’s Had in Years: “The best news that has happened again to our region and economy in many years has been the discovery of the Marcellus gas shale formation. … We must open our minds, think, and appreciate this new-found resource. … Oil and gas have played a huge role in our development and will continue; however, we must not allow moratoriums, misinformation and over regulation to rule. (Observer-Reporter Op-Ed, 9/5/10)

MSC president: “Marcellus Shale: Rebuilding our workforce and infrastructure”: “This year alone, the Marcellus Shale industry will invest more than $100 million to repair and repave roads in the communities we operate – and in virtually every case, we’re rebuilding these roads to higher standards, ensuring their ability to handle the increased traffic and weight. These upgrades and repairs are done overwhelmingly by local contractors, another example of our industry’s robust and growing supply chain – the ‘Marcellus Multiplier’ – is helping to give a much-needed shot in the arm to local businesses and to our workforce. (Lock Haven Express Op-Ed, 9/10/10)

“Gas drilling sparks real estate windfall”: “The natural gas-rich Marcellus shale has created a surge in real estate activity in Southwest Pennsylvania. It’s not confined to leasing acres of land for natural gas drilling operations, but extends to the rental of housing and the leasing of office, industrial and warehouse space since the boom in gas exploration in the mile-deep shale began here two years ago. … The industrial and residential real estate boom has come from new companies bringing jobs and people to the region, West said. There has been no exact count of jobs created in Southwest Pennsylvania from the natural gas boom, but one estimate has 44,000 jobs being added statewide. … A survey by the Marcellus Shale Coalition, a trade group representing gas companies, found that 10 companies with operations in Southwest Pennsylvania now have 2,076 employees, and they expect to add 5,185 new jobs through 2011. (Tribune-Review, 9/12/10)

“Natural gas industry a boon to Centre County hotels”: “Occupancy rates at some Centre County hotels are booming, fueled by Marcellus Shale gas. Hotels in areas nearest gas drilling operations are boasting 30 to 50 percent increases in overnight stays thanks to the influx of personnel extracting natural gas from the rich deposits located 5,000 feet or more under the ground. Philipsburg’s Harbor Inn packed gas workers into 25 of its 65 rooms from January through June, according to general manager Dolores Hollabaugh. “Our winters are usually really slow, and having them brought us way up,” Hollabaugh said. “Revenue went up 40 percent.” … Their numbers have increased so much so that several places that previously only filled up on Penn State football weekends now report they’re regularly booked up once or twice a week. … “There’s no question it’s having a positive impact on the hotel,” Purdum said. (Centre Daily Times, 9/13/10)

Top National Energy Expert Confirms Hydraulic Fracturing’s Long Record of Safety: “Over the past 60 years, fracking has been applied to millions of wells worldwide with virtually no incident and without any physical evidence that it can contaminate drinking water. … This war on fracking jeopardizes more than $200 billion per year in U.S. economic activity, and this is just the incremental value added at the wellhead. The multiplier effect throughout the American economy of foregoing production of these valuable resources would be several times greater. (Syracuse Post-Standard Op-Ed, 9/13/10)

Copyright http://marcelluscoalition.org/

By Laura Legere (Staff Writer)
Published: September 16, 2010

The state environmental regulatory agency is pushing a natural gas driller it deemed responsible for contaminating residential drinking water to pay to expand a public water line from Montrose to Dimock Twp. in Susquehanna County.

Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger said after a telephone conference with affected Dimock residents on Wednesday evening that he assured the families the department is “moving ahead” with plans to find a permanent solution to their water issues and that he “supports a public water extension from Montrose.”

That solution – if it is adopted – would be a tremendous undertaking: The centers of the two municipalities are separated by 6.5 miles, and people in Dimock currently rely almost exclusively on wells.

Mr. Hanger would reveal few specifics about the plan except to say that he has not received a final answer about the proposal from Cabot Oil and Gas Corp., which DEP found responsible for contaminating 14 residential water supplies in Dimock with methane as it drilled for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale.

The secretary also said he hopes to join with the families “on or around” Sept. 29 to announce “how this situation is going to be resolved.” Earlier, through a spokesman, he said it would be a “major announcement” that would be made “with or without Cabot.”

“We’ll be ready to talk in detail with great specificity around the 29th when we wrap this up,” he said when asked to describe the proposed project Wednesday night.

Cabot spokesman George Stark said Wednesday the company “continues to work with the department and the residents to make certain that we investigate all the options for fresh drinking water along Carter Road” – the rural Dimock road where most of the affected residents live.

Cabot has said it is not responsible for the methane contamination, which it attributes to natural causes, but has accepted responsibility for restoring the impacted water supplies.

DEP suspended portions of Cabot’s operations in April after it found 14 of the company’s gas wells in Dimock were improperly constructed or overpressured and were causing methane to seep into water wells.

The company has paid more than $360,000 in fines and was ordered to fix the affected water supplies, but at least 11 of the 14 families refused Cabot’s proposed solution – methane elimination systems to be installed in each of the homes – saying the systems are inadequate.

Mr. Stark said the filtration systems are working in the homes where families accepted them and those systems remain one of the options the company is considering for restoring the water for the other residents.

Other options including drilling new drinking water wells and studying “what it would take to have line run from Montrose,” he said.

Dimock residents were relieved and enthusiastic Wednesday after speaking with Mr. Hanger.

“There’s never been a community that’s forced a gas company to really restore water,” resident Victoria Switzer said.

“I am very, very proud of his response to this,” she said of the secretary. “He’s looking out for the citizens of Pennsylvania.”

Contact the writer: llegere@timesshamrock.com

View article here.

Copyright:  The Scranton Times

WILK-FM
Kathryn Klaber, President of Marcellus Shale Coalition, talks to Corbett about a PA Homeland Security intelligence bulletin warning of an increasing threat to the energy sector.

By Laura Legere (Staff Writer)
Published: September 14, 2010

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – Hundreds of people gathered in this Southern Tier city on Monday to advise the Environmental Protection Agency on how to conduct a multiyear study of hydraulic fracturing and the impact it may have on drinking water.

Despite the New York setting, many of the speakers at the first sessions of a two-day hearing about the gas drilling technology turned their attention south of the state border to describe evidence of the promise, or peril, of Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania.

The meeting is the last of four being held in the United States this year to gather public input about the scope and shape of the study, especially where to find appropriate places for case studies of the interaction – or lack thereof – of hydraulic fracturing and drinking water supplies.

Dimock Township in Susquehanna County was repeatedly offered as a perfect place to examine: It is an epicenter of Marcellus Shale gas activity in Pennsylvania, and state regulators have determined that water wells there were contaminated by methane associated with the drilling.

Victoria Switzer, a Dimock resident, testified that water from her household well was recently found by an independent lab to contain ethylene glycol, propylene glycol and toluene – all chemicals frequently used in the hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” process.

“EPA, do your job,” she said. “Please demand accountability. I offer you a case study: myself, Dimock.”

The Commonwealth was also invoked as an example of the benefits of natural gas drilling by New Yorkers who support the development of the industry in their state, which has a moratorium on Marcellus Shale exploration while it develops rules for regulating it.

“Drilling is safe and will bring prosperity to New York,” said Lorin Cooper, a member of the Steuben County Landowners Coalition. “The evidence is in Pennsylvania, Wyoming and everywhere else drilling has been allowed to proceed.”

The sides of the drilling debate were split at the hearing in their advice to federal environmental regulators.

Those in favor of drilling tended to ask for a narrow study – one that looks at the specific moments when a gas-bearing formation is fractured by high volumes of water mixed with sand and chemical additives. The industry and state regulators say there has not been a single documented case of groundwater contamination in the United States that can be attributed to that process.

“All that we ask is that this study be focused and not take forever to complete,” said Broome County Executive Barbara Fiala, who supports drilling and hydraulic fracturing. “I hope the EPA is not going to study the entire natural gas drilling cycle.”

Those opposed to the drilling asked for an expansive study – one that covers everything from how water for fracturing is withdrawn from rivers to the disposal of the salt- and metals-laden wastewater that returns from the wells. Some also encouraged the agency to cover other associated impacts, including air pollution.

“The EPA study must look cradle to grave,” said Barbara Arrindell of Damascus Citizens for Sustainability, a Wayne County-based anti-drilling group.

Prior to the afternoon session, pro- and anti-drilling groups gathered on opposite ends of Washington Street shouting competing slogans of “Pass the gas” and “No fracking way.”

At the anti-drilling rally, where the props included a large plywood derrick, a Mother Earth puppet and a person dressed as “Frackin’stein,” the prop presented by Dimock resident Craig Sautner – a milk jug of brown water drawn from his well after intensive gas drilling occurred nearby – garnered the most response.

“I can’t say this is going to happen to your well. I’m not sure,” he said. “But do you want to take that chance?”

Down the road, Jim Riley, a landowner from Conklin, N.Y., said he does not have a gas lease, but would like one.

“First thing I’d do, I’d fix my house up,” he said. “I’d spend my money right here in the community.”

“I’m not afraid of the drilling,” he said.

The EPA meeting continues on Wednesday, with two sessions from 12-4 p.m. and 6-10 p.m. The agency is also accepting written comments on the study at hydraulic.fracturing@epa.gov through Sept. 28.

llegere@timesshamrock.com

View article here.

Copyright:  Citizens Voice

Home of folks who know a thing or two about clean energy from the Marcellus Shale — and aren’t afraid to tell DRBC how to use it

Before there was a Hoover, Grand Coulee or Niagara, there was a Wallenpaupack – a manmade lake dug out of Pike and Wayne counties featuring a state-of-the-art dam and 44-megawatt hydroelectric generator. It was a project that took 2,700 men and five million board feet of Douglas-fir to complete. But when it was done, folks in northeast Pennsylvania found themselves in possession of a clean energy resource that could be converted safely and efficiently into jobs and opportunity for the region. That, and a lake full of walleye.

Nearly 85 years removed from the dedication of Lake Wallenpaupack, residents of the Upper Delaware are at it again today. Just like back then, they’re looking to harness the promise and potential of clean energy in a way that makes a better future possible for themselves and their grandkids. These days, though, their focus is on the opportunities available through the development of clean-burning natural gas – and specifically, from the world-class shale formation known as the Marcellus.

How much natural gas are we talking here? Across the entire Marcellus, potentially an awful lot – as much as 516 trillion cubic feet if the geologists have it right, which, if actualized, would make the Marcellus the second largest natural gas field in the entire world (behind one in Iran, of all places).

But here’s a little wrinkle for you: News out of Harrisburg this week suggests the Marcellus resource base in Northeast PA may be a lot more significant than some had initially thought. Looking for a sweet-spot? Turns out 19 of the top 20 producing natural gas wells in the state over the past year can be found in a three-county stretch along the northern tier. Laura Legere of the Times-Tribune has more:

Of the top 20 producing wells, all but one are in Susquehanna, Bradford or Tioga counties. Raymond Deacon, an analyst with Pritchard Capital Partners LLC, sorted the wells’ production depending on how long they were on line in order to measure their performance. “It seemed like in every case, all the counties in the Northeast really stood out as being among the strongest in terms of production,” he said.

West to east, that’s Tioga, Bradford and Susquehanna. Can you name the county that comes next? It’s Wayne, with Pike County to the immediate south. So what do you think the chances are that folks up in Wayne and Pike are sitting atop a reservoir with the same sort of natural gas potential as they’re seeing from their neighbors? Pretty good, right? Unfortunately, and as we’ve written in the past, if the West Trenton, N.J.-based Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) has its way, those folks may never get to know one way or the other.

But sort through the weekend boating crowd, and set aside the second-summer-home crew from Manhattan, and you’ll find a group of folks in the area who have been part of that community for three, four, even five generations or more. Folks whose ancestors came to Honesdale back in the day to work on the railroads; others who can trace their lineage back to 19^th century bridge builders from Milford. And guess what? Turns out these people aren’t all that keen about letting an out-of-state commission deny them the ability to develop their private mineral rights without a fight – or at least an explanation.

What exactly do they want, and why exactly do they want it? Take a look for yourself. Released earlier this week by the Northern Wayne Property Owners Alliance, and co-signed by more than dozen local landowner, farmer and small business groups, the document linked to above (and here again) puts forth 10 separate requests that, under any other normal circumstance, before any other normal commission, would likely have already been incorporated as a matter of course. That’s not the case with the DRBC. But that’s not stopping folks on the PA side of the river from making their position on the matter crystal clear.

The natural gas industry offers unparalleled economic opportunities for the region with extremely limited impacts on the natural environment. No industry offers so much, with so small a footprint on the land that supports our tourism industry and lifestyle. … Our three principal counties suffer incomes that are 30-65% below those of the remainder of the DRBC region, with a median household income of only $44,000 a year. … The benefits to the nation from development of such clean energy here at home … compel us to insist the DRBC move forward promptly with regulation to ensure responsible gas drilling can take place now.

As you’ll see, the document not only stands up as a powerful public statement, but it’s also just dripping with substance. How does natural gas stack up with other energy when it comes to water usage? “It requires 0.84 to 3.70 gallons of water to produce one million BTUs of natural gas energy … compared with more than 2,500 gallons per one million BTUs of biofuels energy” – and according to federal reports, that’s on the conservative end. What about those who say the area’s lost too much forestland over the years? “A detailed land use study … found forest cover increased by 44,458 acres or 16.7% between 1959 and 2008.”

But wait, there’s more. Looking to catch up on the latest trends in the world of well-spacing? “Three years ago, the speculation was that each gas well might serve 40 acres. Two years ago, a 640-acre unit with four wells became standard. Today, Marcellus Shale companies are proposing 1,280-acre units on which they can potentially drill dozens of wells on less than a single five acre pad.” Sit down and listen up, DRBC. You may actually learn something here.

Of course, despite a high-profile EPA study that confirms the safety of fracturing technology, and more than 60 years of history and experience backing those findings up, DRBC finds itself today under a good bit of pressure from the naysayers as well. Their demand? DRBC must conduct a “cumulative” (read: multi-year) examination of the Marcellus before even thinking about issuing anything close to a permit. A letter sent to the Commission this week by Congressman Maurice Hinchey, a reflexive opponent of shale in particular and non-subsidized energy in general, makes this point abundantly clear:

I am writing to express my concerns regarding the Delaware River Basin Commission’s proposed regulations for natural gas exploration and production in the Delaware River Basin. … [I]t is difficult to understand how the DRBC can consider the release of gas drilling regulations without a comprehensive assessment of the possible impacts in the Delaware River Basin.

Delay, deny, and fight ‘til it dies — it’s strategy that’s as old as time itself. You know how it goes: An extra study here, an extended comment period there, a request for injunction if all else fails — anything to save opponents of affordable, job-creating energy from being put in the uncomfortable position of having to defend that proposition honestly, directly and on its own merits.

But good luck trying to bleed the air out of the tires on the NWPOA, fellas. These guys won’t be denied, and if Scott McConnell’s Times-Tribune article today is any indication, they won’t be ignored either. To wit:

Economic development organizations and landowner groups in Wayne County issued a stinging criticism Thursday against the Delaware River Basin Commission for enacting a moratorium on natural gas drilling and causing a deep negative economic impact by effectively halting development. … “We want to get the debate started and put our position out,” said Peter Wynne, spokesman, Northern Wayne Property Owners Alliance.

It’s never been bad advice to come loaded for bear when visiting Wayne Co, Pa. But don’t expect to find any bull.

Copyright http://marcelluscoalition.org/