Posts Tagged ‘DLP Law’

By Libby A. Nelson (Staff Writer)
Published: May 28, 2010

Families appealed decision

GREENFIELD TWP. – A decision on the fate of the first Marcellus Shale natural-gas well in Lackawanna County will be delayed for up to 45 days, as the township’s zoning board considers arguments over a zoning change that allowed the drilling.

Exco Resources (PA) Inc., a gas exploration company formerly named Exco-North Coast Energy Resources, drilled the well in late September and October. In December, a resident complained to township supervisors that the land where the well was located, on Route 247 adjacent to the Skyline Golf Course, was not zoned to permit gas drilling.

The family that owned the land requested a zoning change from commercial recreational to rural agricultural, which would permit drilling as a conditional use, and Exco agreed to stop work until the question was resolved.

The board of supervisors unanimously approved the zoning change in March. A group of six families opposed to the drilling appealed the decision, arguing in a hearing Thursday night that the change was an example of “spot zoning” and should not be permitted.

Spot zoning occurs when a municipality rezones a small parcel of land to permit uses that are not allowed on similar land in the surrounding area. Greenfield’s zoning law permits drilling in rural agricultural zones, but opponents of the change said that the drilling is at odds with the township’s rural atmosphere.

“In my opinion, it is not a compatible use,” said Marvin Brotter, a planning expert who testified that he believed the ordinance constituted spot zoning. “I would not want that use next to my residence.”

In Susquehanna County, drilling has ruined roads and produced “disturbing” dust and noise, said Victoria Switzer, who was party to a lawsuit over contamination allegedly caused by gas drilling near Dimock.

“It’s a total industrialization of a rural community,” Ms. Switzer said.

About 35 people, including some who testified, attended the appeal. The zoning board has 45 days to issue a written decision.

Contact the writer: lnelson@timesshamrock.com

To see the original of this article, click here.

Copyright:  The Times-Tribune

Citing crime rise, truck-damaged roads, Rendell eyes fee. Drillers argue economic benefits ignored.

STEVE MOCARSKY smocarsky@timesleader.com

Pennsylvania’s state police commissioner on Monday raised concerns about an increase in crime associated with the natural gas industry, including the failure of some sex offenders employed by drilling companies to properly register in the state.

 Gov. Ed Rendell’s office cited those crime problems as well as road damage caused by overweight and unsafe trucks serving the natural gas industry as just two reasons a state severance tax should be imposed on the industry.

In a press release from Rendell’s office in Harrisburg, state police Commissioner Frank Pawlowski reported more arrests and incidents involving drugs, assaults and illegal weapons in northern Pennsylvania, where much of the drilling into the Marcellus Shale is taking place in the state.

“More and more, it seems the police reports coming out of the northern tier include arrests because of drug use and trafficking, fights involving rig workers, DUIs and weapons being brought into the state and not registered properly,” Pawlowski said.

“We’ve even encountered situations where drilling company employees who have been convicted of a sexual assault in another state come here to work and do not register with our Megan’s Law website. Each of these issues is unacceptable and places an even greater burden on our law enforcement and local social programs meant to help those in need,” he said.

Another aspect providing additional challenges to troopers working in the northern tier are overweight and unsafe trucks, Pawlowski said.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Allen D. Biehler said hundreds of miles of secondary roads in the northern tier have been damaged or made impassable because of heavy truck traffic associated with drilling activities. And while drilling companies have committed to repairing roads they use, Biehler said, their efforts have not kept pace with the damage in a number of cases.

“In a few cases, such as in Bradford and Tioga counties, we’ve had to close roads and revoke a drilling company’s permit to use those roads because repairs were not made in a timely manner. The condition of some of these roads has made travel a safety concern,” Biehler said.

PennDOT has ordered drilling companies to post bonds for 1,711 miles of roads, and that number is expected to double this year. Drilling companies have posted $16.1 million in security for bonded roads.

Pawlowski attributed much of the road damage to overweight trucks serving the gas industry. He cited a Feb. 9 enforcement effort in Susquehanna County that found 56 percent of 194 trucks checked were found to be over the weight limit. Fifty percent of those trucks were also cited for safety violations.

“These trucks are large and heavy, so for the sake of those drivers sharing the road with them, it’s important that they follow the law,” Pawlowski said. “We’re monitoring these roads closely and targeting areas where we know drilling-related traffic is heaviest, but it’s still important that anyone witnessing unsafe behavior on the part of drilling companies or their drivers report it to the state police.”

Pawlowski and Biehler both said the state and local governments need additional resources to address the problems that have accompanied the arrival of drilling companies.

Rendell has proposed a severance tax, which he says will ensure that the industry “pays its fair share and helps support the programs and services the state, counties and municipalities must provide to accommodate their presence.”

Under Rendell’s plan, the state would take in about $1.8 billion during the next five years, with $180 million of that being shared directly with local governments in areas where there is drilling activity. Local governments could then use those funds to repair roads and other infrastructure, bolster local law enforcement efforts or provide programs to help those in need.

A representative of Energy in Depth – an organization representing natural gas and oil producers – says state officials are ignoring the economic benefits of the industry when considering the severance tax issue.

“There used to be a time, and it probably wasn’t too long ago, when states were thankful for industries that found a way to create tens of thousands of new jobs and billions in annual revenue – especially during a deep recession,” Chris Tucker, a spokesman for Energy In Depth, said in an e-mailed response.

“If this is the way that state administrators show their thanks for bringing enormous economic opportunities to the Commonwealth, they sure have a funny way of showing it,” Tucker said.

Tucker also believes Pawlowski is using too broad a brush to paint an unfair picture of natural gas industry workers.

“The explicit suggestion by the state police that all natural gas workers in the state are a bunch of common criminals is especially reproachable and should be retracted and apologized for immediately,” Tucker said.

Copyright The Times Leader

A few years ago every geologist involved in Appalachian Basin oil and gas knew about the Devonian black shale called the Marcellus. Its black color made it easy to spot in the field and its slightly radioactive signature made it a very easy pick on a geophysical well log.

However, very few of these geologists were excited about the Marcellus Shale as a major source of natural gas. Wells drilled through it produced some gas but rarely in enormous quantity. Few if any in the natural gas industry suspected that the Marcellus might soon be a major contributor to the natural gas supply of the United States – large enough to be spoken of as a “super giant” gas field.

Copyright: Geology.com

Natural gas captured from organic shale formations is not new to the oil and gas industry; shale gas has been produced since the early 1800s (DOE, 2009).  Most shale gas formations have historically been deemed economically impractical to drill due to the available technology and relative abundance of domestic conventional natural gas sources.  However, recent technological advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing along with increasing demand for natural gas and recent price trends for natural gas, have allowed previously inaccessible reserves to become technologically feasible and economically efficient to recover (DOE, 2009).

The Annual Energy Outlook for 2009, recently released by the United States’ Energy Information Administration, projects an increase of 0.5% total primary energy consumption annually through 2030 (EIA, 2009).  The majority of this demand increase will come from the residential sector’s demand for additional electricity (EIA, 2009).  Currently, coal-fired electricity generation dominates the electricity generation sector at approximately 49% of total U.S. domestic generation capacity (EIA, 2009).  However, due to emerging concerns and public policy developments regarding greenhouse gases and renewable portfolio standards for a sustainable energy supply, lower carbon energy sources needed for electricity generation are expected to gain marketplace demand (EIA, 2009).  Unfortunately, conversion from a fossil fuel-dependent energy economy to a low-carbon energy economy will take time and significant capital investment for infrastructure development (DOE, 2009).  A recent Wall Street Journal article cites Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club as viewing natural gas as a “bridge fuel” from carbon-intensive fossil fuels, such as coal and petroleum, to cleaner future fuel sources (Casselman, 2009).

In order to meet the expected increased demand for natural gas without increasing dependence on foreign imports, development of domestic unconventional natural gas sources will need to grow rapidly.  Production from unconventional natural gas sources, namely organic shales, tight sand formations, and coal-bed methane, currently account for approximately 50% of the total domestic natural gas production (DOE, 2009), this total production from unconventional resources was estimated at 8.9 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) per year in 2007 (ALL, 2008c).  Of the 8.9 Tcf of unconventional natural gas produced in the United States in 2007, 1.2 Tcf was from shale formations; however, shale gas production is expected to grow to 4.2 Tcf by 2030, accounting for an estimated 18% of the total U.S. gas production in 2030.  Unconventional sources combined are predicted to grow to nearly 56% of total U.S. domestic natural gas production (EIA, 2009).  To date, four evolving shale gas plays (Haynesville, Marcellus, Fayetteville and Woodford) are estimated to have over 550 Tcf of total recoverable gas resources, these formatiosn are expected to be capable of providing sustainable production of 2-4 Tcf of natural gas annually for decades (DOE, 2009).  Of these four, the Haynesville Shale and Marcellus Shale may have the most significant additions to domestic reserves of natural gas in recent decades.

Copyright: GoMarcellusshale.com

(Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) tracking By Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Mar. 24–The discovery and development of the Marcellus shale natural gas deposits has been big news in Pennsylvania and neighboring states for several reasons.

One is the massive energy resource it represents. Another is the jump in jobs it could create. A third is the tax revenue that might be reaped. And one more is the concern that widespread drilling poses for the environment.

That worry covers a range of issues, but a major one to catch the eye of the Environmental Protection Agency is “fracking,” the hydraulic fracturing technology that breaks the rock deep in the ground to release the gas. The process injects millions of gallons of water mixed with chemicals and sand under great pressure into a gas well to crack the shale. How should drillers best dispose of this water?

While fracking has been used for decades at shallow depths, the EPA said last Thursday it would do a $1.9 million study of the potential adverse effects of the process at a mile or more underground. The EPA wants to gauge the impact on water quality and public health — and that makes this money well spent.

In Pennsylvania alone, 2,500 drilling permits were issued by the state for Marcellus shale gas wells between 2007 and 2009, with another 5,000 expected this year. The Marcellus Shale Coalition, a trade group, says 1,100 Marcellus shale wells have been drilled so far, as a way to get to some of the estimated 363 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

While the coalition and others in the industry say they are committed to ensuring a safe approach to treatment and disposal of wastewater due to fracking, it’s good to know the EPA study will provide an objective, scientific view on how well they are doing.

It’s unfortunate the study could take two years to complete, but Americans should be willing to sacrifice speed for thoroughness on a question that involves community health.

—–

To see more of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.post-gazette.com.

Copyright (c) 2010, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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View the original article here.

Recent reports indicate that the gas industry estimates drilling approximately 1750 new gas wells in Pennsylvania in 2010. The cost of investment is expected to be seven (7) billion dollars according to industry sources. Many new jobs will be created along with ongoing environmental concerns.

Dougherty Leventhal and Price LLP represents workers and citizens injured or killed as a result of gas drilling related activities. DLP is a 12 member law firm serving Northeast and Central Pennsylvania for the past thirty years.

A recent study out of Pennsylvania State University has been quoted by the gas industry as predicting that as many as 98000 new jobs may be created in Pennsylvania as a result of increased drilling for natural gas.

The Pennsylvania personal injury Attorneys at Dougherty Leventhal and Price LLP are committed to protecting the rights of workers and their families for injuries or death suffered while working at drill sites. Attorney Thomas Cummings and Attorney Joseph Price will be attending a seminar at the University of Texas which will discuss issues involving gas drilling. Attorney Cummings handles workers compensation claims for injured workers. Attorney Price handles serious/complex personal injury claims involving injury or death. Both Attorney Cummings and Attorney Price have been named Super Lawyers by Philadelphia Magazine.

Any person or family suffering death or injury as a result of gas drilling in Pennsylvania should contact Dougherty Leventhal and Price LLP immediately for a free consultation.

A recent study out of Pennsylvania State University has been quoted by the gas industry as predicting that as many as 98000 new jobs may be created in Pennsylvania as a result of increased drilling for natural gas.

The Pennsylvania personal injury Attorneys at Dougherty Leventhal and Price LLP are committed to protecting the rights of workers and their families for injuries or death suffered while working at drill sites. Attorney Thomas Cummings and Attorney Joseph Price will be attending a seminar at the University of Texas which will discuss issues involving gas drilling. Attorney Cummings handles workers compensation claims for injured workers. Attorney Price handles serious/complex personal injury claims involving injury or death. Both Attorney Cummings and Attorney Price have been named Super Lawyers by Philadelphia Magazine.

Any person or family suffering death or injury as a result of gas drilling in Pennsylvania should contact Dougherty Leventhal and Price LLP immediately for a free consultation.

Four well drilling workers suffered serious injuries on a drilling rig in Elk Hills, California on February 15th. The workers were performing a pressure test on a well when an unexpected pressure release occurred. It appears that at least some of the injuries resulted from the workers jumping from the rig, according to reports from the scene.
Two of the men injured suffered severe injuries and were flown from the accident by helicopter. Two others suffered less critical injuries and were taken by ground ambulances to hospitals. A fifth worker suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.
Source: The Taft Midway Driller, Tuesday, February 16, 2010.

As a result of the recent Pennsylvania state budget compromise, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources recently received bids for the leasing of state lands by gas drilling companies. The leases were for up to 32,000 acres of land in Cameron, Potter, Tioga, Clinton and Clearfield counties. The land is located in State Forests including Sproul, Elk, Tioga and Susquehannock.

According to the DCNR the leases will generate at least $125 million in additional revenues for the State coffers. The leases will also help create jobs. State environmental groups have raised serious concerns over the leases, but DCNR is confident that a balance has been struck addressing all issues.

Dougherty Leventhal and Price LLP represents individual injured as a result of gas drilling related injuries in Pennsylvania. Contact one of DLP’s twelve (12) Pennsylvania personal injury attorneys if you have any questions regarding injuries suffered as a result of companies or individuals related to the Pennsylvania natural gas drilling industry.