Posts Tagged ‘gas drilling industry’

The debate over the fairness of imposing a gas drilling severance and or property tax in Pennsylvania continues. Tax proponents cite all other gas producing states and the fact that all, including Texas–with gas property and severance tax revenues estimating four (4) billion dollars per year—have imposed taxes..  Gas drilling industry insiders cite the need to freely permit the gas drilling industry in Pennsylvania to take root, expand on the 3000 plus drill sites already in production and expand infrastructure including pipe lines without burdening the gas industry with over taxation.  The issue continues to be debated in Harrisburg and at the local level.  DLP. Pennsylvania truck accident lawyers and Pennsylvania gas drilling rig accident/injury lawyers continue to monitor this and other gas drilling rig industry issues.

The gas drilling industry in Pennsylvania continues to suffer from growing pains.  There has been a rash of serious truck accidents in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania involving gas drilling industry trucks.  There has also been a series of leakage incidents resulting in various levels of pollution.  Industry leaders and environmental groups has all expressed serious concerns.  DLP, Pennsylvania Truck Accident Lawyers and gas drilling injury lawyers is handling many gas industry related accident cases.

People monitoring the gas drilling industry in Pennsylvania are debating whether the lack of government regulations in Pennsylvania may actually end up harming the gas drilling industry.  Pipeline construction, gas drilling on state game lands, gas drilling near rivers and lakes supporting homes and vacation communities and other areas at risk for devastating pollution events could result in multi billion dollar exposure to the gas drilling industry if not performed properly. Environmental regulation proponents note that  well thought out regulations may actually protect the gas drilling industry from unnecessary liability exposure.  New York State is currently working on just such regulations prior to issuing drilling permits.

In a tragic accident in Susquehanna County a tanker truck affiliated with the gas drilling industry in Pennsylvania collided with a car occupied by local residents resulting in the death of one of the car’s occupants and serious injury to the other.  Initial reports place blame on the truck driver.  Investigation is continuing.  The twelve lawyers at DLP are experienced in handling serious truck/tractor trailer accidents.  Recently the firm has resolved several cases for well into the seven figures.*  DLP is investigating several new truck accident cases in Northeast and Central Pennsylvania at this time.

*Past results do not guarantee future results.  All cases are different.

A new study out of Penn State finds that the new gas drilling industry in Pennsylvania is generating tremendous benefits for the entire state.  The study notes a significant increase in tax revenues and job opportunities spurred by gas drilling throughout the Commonwealth.  Opponents of gas drilling note that the study was funded by the gas industry and fails to take into account environmental concerns.  The twelve lawyers at DLP continue to monitor the gas drilling industry for gas drilling accidents, gas drilling injuries and death, tractor trailer,truck accidents in Pennsylvania and other serious accident matters.

All sorts of issues related to the gas drilling rig industry are heating up in Pennsylvania and New York.  State and Federal officials continue to debate the extent and nature of gas drilling to be allowed in the Delaware River Basis which supplies drinking water to millions of people including New York City.  Meanwhile, Pennsylvania officials with the Fish and Game Commission announced plans to lease land and water supplies to the gas industry for gas drilling and water outtake.  Officials believe they have no choice in light of private leases surrounding state game lands.  The twelve lawyers at DLP continue to monitor all issues involving the gas drilling industry while representing people involved in tractor trailer/truck accidents, gas drilling rig accidents and other major injury claims.

Recently, tractor trailer/truck accident frequency has increased on the roadways in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania.  Increased truck traffic in the gas drilling industry may be a factor in the increased number of tractor trailer/truck accidents.  The twelve lawyers at DLP represent many truck accident/tractor trailer accident victims throughout Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania including Potter, Tioga, Susquehanna, Sullivan, Lycoming, Wyoming, Wayne and other counties.

In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania  anti gas rig drilling advocates rallied yesterday citing water polution as the number one concern in the fight against the gas industry.   Wyoming County Pennsylvania officials held an informational meeting at which a DEP representative answered question about the gas drilling industry, gas drill rig accidents, truck traffic, truck accidents and water quality.  Dallas township, Luzerne County Pennsylvania held a meeting on the proposed construction of a thirty mile gas transit pipeline in the community.  The twelve lawyers at DLP continue to monitor all issues involved in the gas drilling rig industry including representing clients injured in Pennsylvania/Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania truck accidents, drilling rig injury and death cases and othe gas drilling accident cases.

By Laura Legere (Staff Writer)
Published: September 3, 2010

The growing Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling industry is taking hold in Northeast Pennsylvania, but the state’s newest economic player is not yet big enough in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton metro area to save the region from recording disappointing unemployment numbers in July.

Joblessness for the metro area has increased to a seasonally adjusted 10.4 percent – far higher than the seasonally adjusted 7.6 percent unemployment rate in Bradford County, a hotbed of Marcellus Shale drilling where unemployment dropped nearly 1 percentage point since last July.

Teri Ooms, executive director of the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development, said the industry did not improve the region’s unemployment numbers because much of the drilling activity is not happening in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties.

She expects that active drilling in Wyoming County – the third county in the metropolitan statistical area – will spur some improvement in future unemployment numbers.

“I consider Lackawanna to be adjacent to the core drilling counties at this point,” she said. “There will be some residual employment improvement” because of that proximity, she said, but “we’re not going to see an immediate impact.”

She added that as the closest urban centers to drilling in more rural counties, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre will benefit from the influx of drilling nearby.

“People don’t do all of their living and working and procuring of goods and services within a single jurisdiction,” she said.

One factor that will improve the employment picture for local workers looking for jobs connected to the industry is the expansion of area training centers and programs for Marcellus Shale jobs.

Lackawanna, Johnson and Keystone colleges have all begun offering courses, programs and other training for industry-related jobs, while Pathstone, a human services agency, is coordinating training for more than 200 people in welding and diesel mechanics for jobs in the industry.

At Johnson College, which recently reopened its Welding Training Center after an eight-year hiatus, three students are currently in a four-month certificate program to learn the welding skills necessary for natural gas pipelines, Continuing Education Director Marie Allison said.

The college also is taking applications for its next session, which will begin in September.

But it takes time for welders to be trained in a new skill, and more time for them to master it, which means new gas industry welders will not be able to match the pay grade and ability of workers being brought in from other drilling states immediately, she said.

Once trained, local welders will be able to transfer their skills to other industries in the region even as drilling activity moves to other parts of the state or country.

“They won’t have to take (those skills) to other states,” she said. “They could stay local.”

Contact the writer: llegere@timesshamrock.com

View article here.

Copyright:  The Scranton Times