Archive for the ‘Pennsylvania Natural Gas Drilling’ Category

By Elizabeth Skrapits (Staff Writer)
Published: August 30, 2010

FAIRMOUNT TWP. – From using non-toxic oil for drilling to installing three levels of blowout prevention, Encana Oil & Gas USA Inc. is trying to ensure nothing happens at its first exploratory gas well site that isn’t supposed to.

During a media tour of the Buda well site off Route 118 in Fairmount Township on Friday, Encana spokeswoman Wendy Wiedenbeck and Owen Stone, one of the company’s essential personnel who lives in one of the on-site trailers, showed the steps the company is taking.

“There are protocols in place to prevent incidents from happening. Owen’s job is to prevent those incidents,” Wiedenbeck said.

By state standards, Encana has been successful so far. Personnel from the Department of Environmental Protection’s Oil and Gas bureau perform unscheduled formal regulatory inspections at natural gas well sites to assess conditions before and during drilling.

The Fairmount Township drilling site has had several inspections, and Encana has no violations, DEP spokesman Mark Carmon said.

The department’s oil and gas division will also inspect Encana’s second exploratory natural gas well site on Zosh Road in Lake Township prior to drilling, he said.

When the drilling is complete at the Fairmount Township site, the rig will go to the Lake Township well pad, Wiedenbeck said.

That will take a few more weeks, she said. Encana’s drilling contractor, Oklahoma-based Horizontal Well Drillers, have completed the vertical portion of the Buda well, and will next be drilling horizontally in a southwestern direction, Wiedenbeck said.

Before doing so, Encana took core samples to see what lies beneath the surface. The natural-gas-rich Marcellus Shale is about a mile and a half underground, according to Stone.

Measurement tools similar to a global positioning system that are used while drilling allow Encana to “know where we’re going at all times,” Wiedenbeck said. The company isn’t allowed to go beneath land it hasn’t leased.

“We did a lot of science on this well,” she said.

But only when the well is complete and the results are reviewed will Encana have any idea of the natural gas production in the area, which will influence the company’s plans to move forward with additional wells, Wiedenbeck said.

Precautions and backups

The drilling rig is hydraulic and can be operated automatically – Stone compared it to a video game – meaning nobody has to be on the rig floor, which cuts down on opportunities for workers to be injured.

The well pad is surrounded by an absorbent cloth, then a thick, durable and impermeable plastic liner was laid and matting boards were set around the well equipment so that in the event of a spill, it can’t run off the pad, Stone said. A “spill shack” behind the well contains materials including pads to soak up fluids and a heavy-duty vacuum.

Underneath the tank of diesel used to fuel the equipment is a plastic “duck pond,” which would contain any fuel that might leak out.

“Almost everything has at least two, and in some cases three, types of containment in the event of a spill,” Stone pointed out.

The well has three blowout preventers. The first one, a “backside stack,” packs off the drill pipe all the way down the hole. The second, a “pipe ram,” hydraulically closes on the drill pipe, Stone said. The third, a “blind ram,” is used as a last resort: it closes and cuts off the pipe, he said.

All three backups are tested at least once every 72 hours. And each of the trailers where the essential personnel stays has a Pason monitor, with a screen that allows them to keep an eye on everything from how much drilling mud is in the tanks to how fast the drill is rotating, Stone said.

“Every physical thing that can happen on that rig is monitored on that Pason,” he said.

Drilling fluid, also called “drilling mud,” is used to clean and cool the drill bit and bring the cuttings up to the surface. Some drilling companies use petroleum-based substances such as diesel fuel.

Air and fresh water were used on the vertical well, Wiedenbeck said. For the horizontal drilling, Encana is using ABS 40, which the material safety data sheet at the site lists as a synthetic food-grade oil.

Stone said it is similar to baby oil. The only additives are barite for weight and clay for viscosity, he said, noting that all the additives are naturally occurring, non-toxic and not environmentally harmful.

The cuttings – material pulled up to the surface while the well is being drilled – are dried out and 99 percent of the oil is removed for reuse on the next well or to sell back to the company, Stone said. The cuttings are tested to ensure they meet state standards for disposal before DEP will allow them to be taken to a landfill, Wiedenbeck said.

The well itself has several strings of casings – layers of steel pipe and cement – to protect the shallow aquifers, Wiedenbeck said. They are run to 100 feet below any known water well, she said.

The cement is tested for compression strength, and DEP is “very diligent” about witnessing that the cement goes to the surface, Stone said. Wiedenbeck said the company has to do integrity testing, cement bond logging and pressure testing.

During the drilling, Encana has been taking water samples from nearby Ricketts Glen state park and nearby residents, Wiedenbeck said. There haven’t been any changes, she said.

Keeping it clean

According to Stone and Wiedenbeck, Encana prides itself on keeping its drilling sites in good shape.

Unofficial aerial photographs taken on random days and times show the Buda well site appears orderly and organized even when the company isn’t giving tours or getting inspections.

“We will continue to monitor both sites and ensure it stays that way,” Carmon said.

He said how a company prepares a drilling site and how they operate gives DEP an idea of what to expect. If the site is sloppy, officials “might want to keep an eye on it.”

Factors include whether the subcontractors know what they are doing, and whether the natural gas company is supervising them, Carmon said. For example, some of the issues with Cabot Oil and Gas Corp. were caused by contractors and even delivery people, he said.

“Given the nature of this business, the company and all its contractors and subcontractors have to be vigilant every minute,” Carmon said. “It’s the law, but it’s also their obligation, period.” He added, “Hopefully Encana will continue along that line.”

If people see anything unusual at a natural gas drilling site, they can contact DEP’s oil and gas office in Scranton, Carmon said.

“Everything is dependent on them continuing to do a good job. That’s they key,” he said of Encana.

eskrapits@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2072

View article here.

Copyright:  The Citizens Voice

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.

Copyright PressConnects.com

Press & Sun-Bulletin
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.

• 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)

Copyright MarcellusCoalition.org

By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

FAIRMOUNT TWP. – Having drilled 8,100 feet straight down into the earth beneath the Buda 1H Well Pad, Encana Oil & Gas is now preparing to begin the horizontal leg of the first Marcellus Shale natural gas well in Luzerne County.

Company officials on Thursday provided a tour of the well pad off state Route 118, out behind Ricketts Glen Hotel, explaining various parts of the drilling operations and noting extra safety measures employed, given the proximity to wetlands.

As an automatic pipe handler lifted 40-foot sections of drill pipe, each weighing about 650 pounds, from a storage area on the ground onto the drill rig, Encana operations engineer Joel Fox explained the purpose of some of the equipment used on-site.

“This is one of the modern rigs with an automated pipe handler. … In the old days, you had roughnecks out there handling that pipe, two or three guys muscling around, fighting that pipe. This system’s a lot safer,” Fox said.

Joining Fox were Encana operations engineer Ashley Lantz and environmental health and safety coordinator Jarrett Toms.

Toms said there have been no health or safety related issues on-site since the drilling began last month.

Fox showed some large steel pipe, called casing, stored there. Surface casing is run down into the well bore about 425 feet and is “what provides the protection of your fresh-water aquifers. That’s been run already and cemented,” he said.

He also showed intermediate casing, which is run down to 2,150 feet. The intermediate casing is cemented inside the surface casing, and cement is also pumped around the exterior pipe to prevent gas from seeping up the outside of the casing and into ground water.

A third string of steel casing – production casing – will be run into the total depth of the well after horizontal drilling is complete. The horizontal drilling begins by drilling a curved path from a vertical well bore to 90 degrees over a 900-foot span.

“The pipe is pretty flexible. It’s stiff and strong, but it will bend,” Fox explained.

During drilling, rock and drill bit cuttings must be removed from the well bore.

Fox pointed out pallets full of bags of chemicals that are mixed with synthetic food-grade drilling oil to make the drilling mud.

“It looks and feels like baby oil,” he said. Emulsifiers are added to the oil and water to make the mud viscous so it will carry the drill cuttings to the surface of the well for removal.

When drill cuttings come up, they’re cleaned, mixed with sawdust, stored in covered containers until tested by the state Department of Environmental Protection and then hauled off to a landfill.

Fox also noted there is no reserve pit to hold the cuttings at the Buda site.

“This is an entirely closed system. In other words, there are no open pits that you hear people talk about a lot in the newspaper. All fluids are contained in tanks; drill cuttings, fluid is all in tanks,” Fox said.

“We consulted with DEP, and because we’re in a wetlands area, a closed system made a lot of sense,” Fox said, even though a closed system is more expensive to operate than using a reserve pit.

It also made sense to use a closed system at the site because the water table is high in the area, so a pit could not be dug very deep, he said.

To protect the ground from potential spills of any fluids on-site, the part of the well pad under and around the drill rig and all of the tanks and equipment is covered with liners hung over berms that look like barricades, Fox explained.

“We call these duck ponds. If something gets spilled, it stays in there. And we have what looks like a large Shop-Vac device. So as soon as any fluid or rainwater gets on that liner, we can suck it up like a Shop-Vac in your basement,” he said.

Fox also pointed out four monitoring wells the company drilled at strategic locations between the site and Ricketts Glen Hotel, which has the nearest water well.

Also on-site are five trailers for office space and to house some staff. There are five people with the drilling contractor – Horizontal Well Drillers – plus two to five Encana employees, drilling specialists and contractors on-site at all times.

It should take 10 days to two weeks to drill the 3,500- to 4,000-foot horizontal leg of the well, also called the lateral, in a southeast direction. The company uses computerized equipment near the drill bit to make sure the well bore is going exactly in the direction the engineers want it to, Fox said.

“It’s like a GPS on the (drill) bit,” he said.

View article here.

Copyright:  The Times Leader

• 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 gas would 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)

Copyright: Marcelluscoalition.org

BY DENISE ALLABAUGH (STAFF WRITER)
Published: August 26, 2010

WILKES-BARRE – Encana Oil & Gas continues its quest for natural gas.

The company remains in an exploratory mode as it drills two natural gas wells in Fairmount and Lake townships, said company Vice President Don McClure.

“It’s very dependent on what we find in those two wells as to what our next steps are going to be,” Mr. McClure said.

Mr. McClure and Brian Grove, senior director of corporate development for Chesapeake Energy Corp.’s Eastern Division, spoke about the impacts of drilling natural gas wells to more than 100 business leaders who attended the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce’s CEO-to-CEO networking breakfast Wednesday at the Westmoreland Club.

Earlier this month, the Luzerne County Zoning Hearing Board granted Encana Oil & Gas conditional use to drill 10 more wells in Fairmount and Lake townships. Mr. McClure says the company is “being very conservative” with the drilling process.

“We’re only going to drill a couple wells and we’ll evaluate what they’re going to produce,” Mr. McClure said.

The company drills wells simultaneously to be efficient and reduce community impact, Mr. McClure said. The potential for water pollution are among the concerns arising from the increased drilling. Yet, Mr. McClure said he sees natural-gas drilling as a “tremendous opportunity” that could reduce dependence on Middle East oil from about 44 percent to 10 percent by increasing natural gas production.

“That’s substantial,” Mr. McClure said. “That’s the kind of impact that Marcellus Shale can have.”

Showing the company’s track record in the United States and Canada on a slide presentation, Mr. McClure said the company takes safety of people and the environment very seriously. As the second largest natural gas producer in North America, he said Encana’s goal is not to be the biggest but the “best we can possibly be.”

“We’re always pursuing a higher safety standard,” he said.

Both Mr. McClure and Mr. Grove touted benefits of natural gas drilling, which they said will be an economic development engine for job growth.

When asked how many jobs could be created as a result of Marcellus Shale, Mr. McClure said studies show for every one percent increase in natural gas production across North America, that correlates to 20,000 to 30,000 jobs.

More than 350,000 oil and gas wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania since the first commercial oil well was developed in 1859, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

When asked what the biggest misconception of drilling is, Mr. Grove was quick to respond, “Hydraulic fracturing.” Fears about hydraulic fracturing, or the process used in wells that results in fractures in rocks, have been driven by a “lack of knowledge,” he said.

Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com

View article here.

Copyright:  The Scranton Times

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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