Posts Tagged ‘gas drilling industry’

• Marcellus production providing “a bright spot for Pennsylvania’s construction companies”

• “The region has benefited from the jobs created by the natural gas industry”

• Marcellus production “could bring hundreds of jobs to the area”

Marcellus development “a boon to local businesses”: “Activities around the Marcellus Shale have provided a bright spot for Pennsylvania’s construction companies in the midst of a recession that flatlined commercial and residential construction. In rural Lycoming County, construction crews are working around the clock to develop the infrastructure — usually in the form of improved gravel roads and large, stone drilling pads — to access the gas deposits deep under the ground. The building activities in the rural northern tier have been a boon to local businesses, as well as the region’s larger industrial contractors. … Outside of Waterville, Hawbaker’s crews are working night and day to keep pace with the gas exploration activities. “We’ve been able to provide a good wage to our truck drivers … and these guys are getting 50, 60 hours a week,” he said. Even more dollars are filtering into other companies that provide the storage containers and water for drilling. (Centre Daily Times, 7/26/10)

Area jobs ‘picture getting better’ thanks to the Marcellus: “The Pittsburgh region continued to show signs of economic recovery in June, with employers adding jobs for the third consecutive month and the unemployment rate falling by 0.3 percentage point, the state said. Moderate gains in jobs over the past three months “tells us that the picture is getting better,” said Robert Dye, vice president and senior economist at PNC Financial Services Group Inc., Downtown. The region has benefited from the jobs created by the natural gas industry as it explores the Marcellus shale reserves, Dye said Monday. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 7/27/10)

Annual meeting spotlights benefits of gas industry: “A Penn State study, released May 26, updated a study on the industry that was completed last year. Some of its conclusions included that for every dollar the gas community spends in the state, nearly $2 in economic output is generated. Also, the study shows that natural gas production in the state could generate more than $8 billion in economic benefits this year alone and another $10 billion in 2011. In addition, it could add more than 88,000 jobs in the state next year, doubling the number created in 2009. … The influx of the gas industry couldn’t have come at a better time, with the major job losses the county experienced because of the recession, along with cutbacks in state funding for many of the grants the corporation has depended upon to cover its operating expenses, said board President David E. Cummings. (Williamsport Sun-Gazette, 7/27/10)

New Study Shows Positive Effects From Marcellus Shale Drilling: “A new study says natural gas production in the Marcellus Shale region — if developed — could create 280,000 new jobs and add $6 billion in new tax revenues to local, state and federal governments. … Natural gas production in the Marcellus grew considerably during 2009, adding 57,000 new jobs mostly in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. (WOWK-TV, 7/24/10)

Marcellus development creating real jobs now: “The opportunity for jobs and money and all the collateral growth that goes along with a booming industry is real and is happening now. (Washington Observer-Reporter Editorial, 7/27/10)

“Marcellus Multiplier” creating new jobs across the Pennsylvania’s supply chain: “A new joint venture in Hanover Township may yield up to 50 new jobs, with some related to the gas drilling industry. In what could be the first local sign of the natural gas industry’s economic impact, Plains Township-based Medico Industries Inc. is teaming up with Venezuelan company Equipetrol to expand to a manufacturing site in the Hanover Industrial Estates business park. … The two companies plan to introduce a new product to the Marcellus Shale region, a multi-port valve and production system that allows up to seven wells to be connected to the same system. (Citizens Voice, 7/27/10)

“Hydrofracking has safe record and spurs economy”: “Hydrofracking is an environmentally responsible way to stimulate the flow of energy from new and existing oil and gas wells. It is well-regulated and has been employed over 1 million times without a single incident of drinking water contamination. … Having the gas industry present is bringing in jobs, money and has improved many aspects of the local economies. President Barack Obama and New York Gov. David Paterson both fully support natural gas development as a means of reaching energy independence, while reducing the population’s carbon footprint. Drilling the Marcellus shale is an important aspect in reaching this goal. (Syracuse Post-Standard, IOGA-NY’s Michelle Blackley, 7/24/10)

“There are plenty of jobs available on drilling rigs across the border in Pa.”:”Drilling in the Marcellus shale for natural gas could bring hundreds of jobs to the area. That’s why Corning Community College’s Office of Workforce Development and Community Education has created a training program designed to help people get jobs in the field. “For the actual person who is going for the curriculum, they have an awareness of the job they’re going for to be getting in to. They have some basic knowledge about blueprint reading, safety, those types of things that they’re able to demonstrate as they’re interviewing,” said Brenda English, director of the center. (YNN-TV, 7/26/10)

• “Business is booming thanks to the lucrative gas drilling industry tapping into the Marcellus Shale”

• Marcellus development “enables those of us who have farms to keep our farms so they can be passed on to our families”

• “Safe and responsible gas development could provide the three counties with much-needed jobs and economic growth”

• WV small business “having a banner year in 2010”

“Marcellus Shale region creating growth of business and industry”: “With the development of the Marcellus Shale region creating growth of business and industry within Bradford County, we feel there is tremendous opportunity for this new hotel. In addition to our locations in State College and Lock Haven, it becomes our third Fairfield Inn and Suites in the region.” (Star-Gazette, 7/14/10)

Marcellus development positively impacting local businesses; WV small business “already is having a banner year”: “Assuming the landowner group agrees to $3,000 per acre, the resulting $79.2 million could have a major impact not only on landowners, but on local businesses. Karen Knight, a partner at Knights Farm Supply in Glen Easton, said her company already is having a banner year in 2010 as both property owners and the drilling companies themselves scramble to acquire heavy equipment and other items. “We have seen a big increase in tractor sales, farm equipment sales, grass seed for reseeding at the drilling sites, straw for reseeding and other items. It’s a better year than 2009 for sure,” she said. “Our counter is swamped every day with residents and representatives from the drilling companies. In fact, our parts and counter people are about done in. We’ve been extremely busy.” (News-Register, 7/18/10)

“Prosperous Plans For Bradford County”: “As gas companies tap into the Marcellus Shale in Bradford County, businesses are looking to cash in on what many now consider a booming local economy. … A once abandoned warehouse is now the home for a trucking company. A hotel — gutted for refurbishing. And a excavator sits in this empty lot ready for its next construction project. One thing is clear in Bradford County — business is booming thanks to the lucrative gas drilling industry tapping into the Marcellus Shale, as thousands of workers and their families flock to the area. “I think there are many small towns across America that would die to have a natural resource that they can sell and revitalize their economy,” said Mike Holt of Red Rose Diner in Towanda. (WBNG-TV, 7/13/10)

Marcellus Shale helping to keep family farms in tact: “Nearly 600 residents attended Wednesday’s day-long DRBC meeting to plead their clashing cases: That drilling is needed not only to produce relatively clean energy but to save economically desperate communities … Landowners like Judy Ahrens of Hanesdale, Pa., argued that they should be able to lease the mineral rights to their land. “It enables those of us who have farms to keep our farms so they can be passed on to our families so they don’t have to be split up and developed,” she said. (Associated Press, 7/15/10)

“Gas drilling not only creates local jobs, but increases the nation’s energy independence”: “Gas drilling not only creates local jobs, but increases the nation’s energy independence, pro-drillers say. “I support gas drilling,” said David Jones, as part of a three-hour public comment period with more than 250 speakers. “I also believe that the industry is being unfairly treated. This process has been delayed for too long. Let’s get the regulations out,” he said, to the jeers of most of the crowd. “We don’t need further studies. The process should move forward.” (Bucks Co. Courier Times, 7/15/10)

Responsible Marcellus development “a win win situation all around”: “Some landowners in Wayne County want natural gas drilling to start and start now. They are upset over a decision to halt drilling by a group watching out for the land and water in the Delaware River Basin. Landowners are ready for the halt on gas drilling to be lifted in Wayne County. “It will help to maintain open space and keep our forest grounds grounded and our farms farming.The influx of cash is desperately needed in the state of Pennsylvania, and particularly in the depressed areas of Wayne County, said Alliance Executive Director Marian Schweighofter. … “The effect this has had is its given us the ability to make a college fund for our family members. We think it’s a win win situation all around, most definitely for the economic ability of Wayne County,” said Schweighofter. (WNEP-TV, 7/13/10)

Marcellus production providing “much-needed jobs and economic growth”: “The bottom line is this: If natural gas drilling has economic benefits for Wayne County and can be conducted safely with people mindful about protecting our natural resource, the Delaware River, then shouldn’t we explore the possibilities? … Mary Beth Wood, WEDCO’s executive director, said it best in stating that the coalition — through pooling resources — can gather the best information available. “Safe and responsible gas development could provide the three counties with much-needed jobs and economic growth,” Wood said. (Wayne Independent Editorial, 7/14/10)

Marcellus economic “ripple effect will benefit everyone”: “The Marcellus shale gas drilling boom drew companies from across the country. More than 100 of them packed the Indiana County Fairgrounds Wednesday. The PA Gas Expo was a job fair, a networking event, and a chance for folks to find out what Marcellus shale gas drilling means in employment for thousands. County Commissioners said they have already noticed hotels and restaurants in Indiana County filling up with gas company workers. They said ripple effect will benefit everyone. “The growth element for the region will not be in just one area, but in many areas. And we need to be prepared for that,” said Rod Ruddock. (WJAC-TV, 7/14/10)

“Is this a golden era for Pennsylvania? Absolutely it is.”: “In a sour economy, the word out of Renda Broadcasting Corp.’s first Pennsylvania Gas Expo was sweet: Now hiring. Several companies at the expo, held Wednesday at the Mack Park fairgrounds, reported thatthey are in a hiring mode as they ramp up operations in the Marcellus shale fields underlying the region. The expo brought together 120 or so natural gas producers, drillers, land brokers, well-service companies, suppliers and job seekers. … “Is this a golden era for Pennsylvania? Absolutely it is,” said Rod Foreman, Vanderra’s director of growth and corporate development, speaking during a panel discussion. (Indiana Gazette, 7/15/10)

Pa. landowner on Marcellus development: “I think it’s a wonderful thing”: “The tiny farming community has struggled to strengthen its economy ever since Mosser Tanning Co. left town in 1961. … So, when a gas company comes and injects millions of dollars into a community that has seen half a century pass by since its industrial backbone collapsed, residents are more than excited. “I think it’s a wonderful thing,” Ms. Race said. “It’s got to help financially; much more taxes, much more money. “We’re going to finish paying our mortgage off.” (Times-Tribune, 7/19/10)

Homeowners getting in on Marcellus Shale benefits: “In this struggling economy homeowners have been coming forward hoping to make a big buck from Marcellus shale natural gas drilling boom. Mary Elwood and her husband own a farm in Saltburg, Indiana County. They already have three gas wells and a lease with PC Explorations. Elwood said it is a very profitable endeavor. She wants to sign a lease with another gas company for Marcellus shale drilling. “We get a nice check four times a year,” said Elwood. (WJAC-TV,7/14/10)

Filling county coffers: Marcellus “lease, permit fees good for tens of thousands of dollars”: “The governmental fees related to natural gas drilling that industry officials have been dangling as a cash carrot of sorts to local officials are starting to add up in Luzerne County. A review of county Zoning Office records revealed that just on Wednesday, the office took in $4,450 in permit fees for the construction of a natural gas metering station on property owned by Thomas Raskiewicz near Mossville and Hartman roads in Fairmount Township. … Butthe big winner among county offices to date – as far as revenue associated with natural gas drilling – is the Office of the Recorder of Deeds. (Times-Leader, 7/19/10)

Copyright: Marcelluscoalition.org

BY STEVE McCONNELL (STAFF WRITER)
Published: June 28, 2010

With the boom in Marcellus Shale natural gas development throughout the region, area educational institutions are growing to keep up with work force demands.

New training, certification and degree programs are being created at local schools to ensure local job skills are tailored to white- and blue-collared job needs related to the natural gas drilling industry.

Already, Lackawanna College and Johnson College in Scranton, Keystone College in LaPlume and the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport represent the growing trend of educational institutions offering course work and the hands-on training needed to become employable in one of Pennsylvania’s growing industries.

And, college administrators agree the reason for the trend is simple: There’s a demand for it by both the industry and potential workers who want the training and the jobs that come with it.

An industry-financed study conducted by Penn State’s department of energy and mineral engineering, which offers an undergraduate degree in natural gas engineering, expected Marcellus Shale natural gas extraction efforts to create more than 200,000 jobs in the state and have an overall $18 billion economic impact by this year.

“Marcellus Shale is going to be big business,” said Christopher Kucharski, Lackawanna College spokesman. “Problem is there is just nobody trained to handle the positions they want filled.”

It appears a change is under way.

Larry Milliken, director of Lackawanna College’s energy program and a natural gas instructor, just finished guiding the first class of 18 students through its first year of study to earn an associate degree in natural gas technology.

Based at the college’s New Milford campus in the center of the action near gas fields in Susquehanna County, the program is preparing students for well tender jobs – a position that requires monitoring and maintaining natural gas wells during their lengthy production phase.

There is generally one well tender employed for every 20 to 40 natural gas wells, Mr. Milliken said, and the entry-level annual salary is $36,000. Sixteen students have paid internships with natural gas drilling companies this summer in western Pennsylvania, he added.

“The industry has been very supportive of wanting to get (our students) on board,” he said. The college also is hiring three additional instructors this year to accommodate the increase in students who have enrolled in the natural gas technology degree program for the 2010-11 school year.

At Lackawanna College’s new campus in Hawley, college administrators recently announced a new certificate course for fall centered on training accounting assistants, accounting clerks and administrative assistants specifically for the oil and gas industry.

Tracy Brundage, managing director of work force development at Pennsylvania College of Technology, said administrators decided to take the leap into offering natural gas drilling-related courses this year. The decision followed an in-house study that determined growing employment opportunities because of the prevalence of natural gas development under way in the region.

“The jobs are going to be around for a long time,” Ms. Brundage said. “We’re just getting started … to get our arms around what is happening … and how we need to respond.”

Pennsylvania College of Technology has just begun offering training and certification classes in welding specialized for the industry’s infrastructure and commercial driver’s license classes, and has tweaked some of its academic majors – including diesel and electrical technology – to include natural gas drilling-related coursework.

So far, about 350 students have enrolled in the non-degree programs.

The college plans to expand its offerings, perhaps to include training for natural gas well operators and emergency response technicians, Ms. Brundage said.

Keystone College, known for its focus on the liberal arts, is also jumping on board.

Robert Cook, Ph.D., the college’s environmental resource management program coordinator, said the college will be offering a handful of new courses early next year that include mapping underground natural resources tied specifically to natural gas.

The environmental resource management degree, a four-year Bachelor of Science, has had its “highest level of interest this year” in part because of the Marcellus Shale boom and an expectation that jobs will be available for graduates, Dr. Cook said. The degree, which includes environmental law courses, can also prepare a would-be environmental regulator, he added.

“It’s clear energy is going to be an important subject for decades,” said Dr. Cook, a professional geologist. “It’s thrilling to see our discipline become an important skill set.”

Keystone is also hiring a new instructor to teach undergraduate courses within a new natural gas and petroleum resource curriculum that is now under development.

Marie Allison, director of continuing education at Johnson College, said the college will be offering its first class in pipe welding next week tailored to techniques needed by the natural gas industry. The college also will offer a class for advanced welders to prepare for certification in a specific style of welding demanded by the industry.

The college’s welding program had been defunct since 2001, because of declining enrollment, but the multitude of pipes and fittings that will be laid by the industry in the coming years yields greater demand for skilled welders, she said.

“They need welders,” Ms. Allison said. “We want to give someone the fundamentals and give them the opportunity to find a job.”

Contact the writer: smcconnell@timesshamrock.com

View this article here.

Copyright:  The Scranton Times

That situation could shift, says co-author of study of political donations.

By Andrew M. Sederaseder@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer

While natural gas companies and their related political action committees have given millions of dollars to elected officials throughout Pennsylvania since 2001, the donations have not flowed as heavily into the coffers of politicians serving Luzerne County.

One of the authors of a report that looked at the correlation of campaign contributions and legislation related to the natural gas drilling industry predicted they soon will.

A study released this week by the non-profit organization Pennsylvania Common Cause, takes a look at the link between gas firms and political donations and finds that since 2001, the industry has contributed $2.8 million to political candidates in Pennsylvania.

The study, titled “Deep Drilling, Deep Pockets” also reports that since 2007 the industry has spent $4.2 million to lobby members of the state legislature and the Rendell administration.

“I think part of the industry’s success is cultivating people at the very top,” said James Browning, director of development for Pennsylvania Common Cause and one of two men who put the report together.

The report includes a list of the top 25 recipients of the funding from Jan. 1, 2001 through April of 2010. At the top of the list is state Attorney General Tom Corbett, a Republican candidate for governor. He received $361,207, according to the report. Two previous gubernatorial candidates also made the list – Mike Fisher, who lost his bid in 2002, accepted $98,386, and Lynn Swan, who lost his bid in 2006, took in $351,263. Both men are Republicans.

Gov. Ed Rendell is sixth on the list. The Democrat from Philadelphia has accepted $84,100 in campaign contributions over the past nine and a third years. Current Democratic candidates for governor Dan Onorato, $59,300 and Jack Wagner, $44,550, ranked seventh and 10th respectively.

Others on the list include current and former judges, a former lieutenant governor, a candidate this year for that same post, a former candidate for the state House and numerous current members of the General Assembly.

Not one of the seven state House members or four state senators who represent Luzerne County made the top 25 list. In fact, according to records on the Department of State website and those provided by Pennsylvania Common Cause, campaigns for four of the seven House members did not receive one dime from the gas companies. The four are: Jim Wansacz, D-Old Forge; Phyllis Mundy, D-Kingston; Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre; and Mike Carroll, D-Avoca.

Rep. Karen Boback, R-Harveys Lake, accepted $250 from Chesapeake Energy Corp. Fed PAC on Oct. 9, 2009. Boback said that money was accepted by mistake and returned two months later. She said it is her policy “not to solicit or accept contributions from oil or gas companies.”

Rep. John Yudichak, D-Plymouth Twp., accepted $250 on April 10, 2008, from the PAC affiliated with Dominion Energy. Rep. Todd A. Eachus, D-Butler Township, accepted $500 from EQT Corp. PAC on July 2, 2009; $500 from EXCO Resources PAC on Oct. 20, 2008; and $250 from Equitable Resources, Inc. PAC on Sept. 30, 2008.

Of the four senators who represent a portion of Luzerne County, Bob Mellow, D-Peckville, took in the most at $3,000. That encompasses eight total donations, four from the Equitable Resources, Inc. Political Involvement Committee totaling $1,750 and four from the NFG PA PAC, affiliated with Seneca Resources, totaling $1,250. He declined comment through a spokeswoman, saying that he had not yet seen the report.

Sen. John Gordner, R-Berwick, accepted three donations of $500 from Dominion PAC. One came in 2004, another in 2006 and the third in 2008. His term does not expire for another two years.

Sen. Ray Musto, D-Pittston Township, accepted $500 from the Marathon Oil Co. Employees PAC on Oct. 20, 2008. Earlier this year, the veteran lawmaker announced he was retiring and not seeking another term in Harrisburg.

Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, accepted three donations at $500 apiece. One came from Cabot Oil and Gas on April 22, 2009; another was from EXCO Resources PAC on Nov. 19, 2008; and on April, 22, 2009, she accepted one from NFG PA PAC.

Browning said that as pressure from the public is placed on officials to tax the industry and approve more regulations, the elected officials at all levels of government, even those in non-leadership positions, will begin to see the money.

“I will predict that as there are more votes and as drilling expands, the money will come,” Browning said.

It will not head to Baker anymore.

The senator, who is seeking her second term in office this year, said, “Because of the sensitivity of the issues revolving around gas drilling, I am not asking for contributions from the gas drilling interests, nor am I accepting them.”

Barry Kauffman, executive director for Pennsylvania Common Cause, said the report illustrates the “power of political money in the governing process.” He said that as discussions about securing access to state forest land for drilling and severance taxes on natural gas production have popped up the past two years, lobbyist and campaign contribution spending have increased. The results have been no taxes have been approved and the state leased state land for drillers.

Baker said that she votes in response to her constituents, not her contributors.

“My legislative decision-making takes into account a variety of factors, but campaign contributions are never one of them. If anyone who contributes believes they are gaining special access or assuring a result, they will be sorely disappointed. That no-connection principle applies irrespective of the size of the contribution,” Baker said.

Andrew M. Seder, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 570-829-7269.

Coyright: Times Leader

Industry may pay to upgrade plants that handle waste water from process.

By Rory Sweeneyrsweeney@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

The state is contending with a multibillion-dollar water-treatment problem, and the growing gas-drilling industry might be part of the solution.

A roughly $7.2 billion deficit exists for repairing or upgrading waste-water treatment facilities in the state, according to a task force created by Gov. Ed Rendell to solve water-infrastructure issues. Gas companies might help defray that cost as more wells are drilled because the companies will need treatment facilities for waste water.

The process to drill gas and oil wells, called hydraulic fracturing or simply “fracing,” involves shooting sand and water down a well to fracture the rock containing the oil or gas.

The contaminated water is separated out and can be stored and reused, but must eventually be treated. The state Department of Environmental Protection categorizes it as industrial waste, agency spokesman Mark Carmon said.

In western Pennsylvania, where many shallow wells exist, privately operated treatment facilities handle such waste, but none has so far in the northeast area, said Stephen Rhoads, president of the Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Association.

Exploring the Marcellus Shale, which runs from upstate New York into Virginia, including the northern edge of Luzerne County, generally requires far more water than shallow wells because the wells can be 8,000 feet deep

Companies working in this region have reused the water in multiple wells and then shipped it to the facilities out west, Rhoads said, but “obviously, moving it across the state with the fuel prices the way they are, is not economically” viable. The water can also be injected deep into the ground, but no one has sought such a permit in this region, Carmon said.

That leaves sending the water to public facilities, but since many of them are already near or at capacity, the industry is considering paying to upgrade plants. About 30 of the largest regional treatment facilities have been notified by DEP that they might be approached with the idea and that they’d first need to modify their liquid discharge permits and receive approval from the agency, Carmon said.

The idea hasn’t escaped the gas companies.

“We’ve talked about that in various areas throughout the state,” said Rodney Waller, of Range Resources Corp. “We’re investigating that, but … there’s nothing on the horizon.”

Upcoming events

• 10:30 a.m. today the state Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Susquehanna and Delaware river basin commissions, and county conservation districts are meeting in Harrisburg with industry members to discuss environmental regulations.

• 7 p.m. June 23 the Penn State Cooperative Extension is holding a gas-lease workshop for landowners at the Lake-Lehman High School.

Rory Sweeney, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 970-7418.

Copyright: Times Leader

By Steve Mocarskysmocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

As energy companies and lease holders extol the benefits and safety of natural gas drilling in the state, and environmentalists and people who live near drilling operations point to chemical spills, water pollution and noise, a congressman last week called for an effort from opposing sides in the energy debate to work together for compromise.

U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Delaware County, who is running for the U.S. Senate, came to The Peace and Justice Center in Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday to host a forum on Marcellus Shale development.

Panelists included James Shallenberger, a Pennsylvania-licensed geologist and senior project manager at consulting firm Princeton Hydro who spoke on behalf of the gas drilling industry; David T. Messersmith, an extension educator with Penn State Cooperative Extension in Wayne County who is an expert on Marcellus Shale; and Dr. Thomas Jiunta, a Lehman Township resident with a podiatry practice in Kingston who founded Luzerne County Citizens for Clean Water.

“There was a lot of passion in that room. … One side is saying one thing, one side is saying another. I want to be a person who brings people together for a principal compromise, not a compromise of principles,” Sestak said last week in a phone interview.

“I personally believe this is a great economic opportunity for our state, particularly if we are able to benefit by a proper excise tax and if we put the proper protections in place,” Sestak said.

Sestak also said a priority should be enabling community and area colleges to train people for gas industry jobs to ensure Pennsylvanians are getting jobs associated with the drilling industry, rather than leaving energy companies with no choice but to hire experienced people from out-of-state.

Sestak said he learned much about the economic benefits as well as the environmental problems associated with natural gas exploration when he visited several counties in which Marcellus Shale drilling has been ongoing while he was on the campaign trail.

He noted that former Sen. Rick Santorum and Sen. Arlen Specter voted for “the Halliburton Loophole,” which exempts the gas and oil industry from complying with the Safe Water Drinking Act. And he said he supports the “FRAC Act” – Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act, which would amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to include the gas and oil industry.

Steve Mocarsky, a Times leader staff writer, may be reached at 970-7311.

Copyright: Times Leader

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.

On WVIA show, members of industry admit not telling public about methods.

By Rory Sweeneyrsweeney@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

PITTSTON TWP. – Members of the gas-drilling industry acknowledged on Thursday evening a failure to inform the public about their procedures, and the audience at the WVIA call-in show reminded them of that often.

Viewers of the “State of Pennsylvania” program repeatedly questioned – through the Internet, phone calls and in person – potentials for polluting, environmental justice issues and the industry’s willingness to abide by regulations.

There were even sporadic bursts of applause when in-house questions touched on contentious issues. “I don’t want it (Marcellus Shale drilling) in Luzerne County,” said Audrey Simpson of Shavertown “Take a trip up to Dimock (Township in Susquehanna County) and see what the hell is happening to those people up there.”

There, methane contamination in 13 wells is being attributed to gas-drilling activities. Those affected have brought a lawsuit against the local driller, Cabot Oil and Gas.

A Cabot representative was not among the panel.

In fact, the only driller there was Chesapeake Energy, represented by David Spigelmyer, the vice president of government relations for Chesapeake’s Eastern Division. The company has defended the industry by itself at several similar public-input meetings.

Early on during the hour-long program, the vehemence was foreshadowed by Gary Byron, a former state Department of Environmental Protection official and the president of Dux Head Environmental Services, a consulting firm for the drilling industry.

“The industry and the DEP don’t agree on a lot, but the one thing they do agree on,” he said, is that information has lagged behind drilling activity so much that “there are a lot of misconceptions about the industry.”

He added that many of the companies need to be educated about regulatory methods in Pennsylvania. “They want to comply,” he said.

Bruce Bonnice, who has worked for several resource-conservation groups but also leased his land to Carrizo Oil and Gas and now consults for them, likened the risks to everyday transportation. “I’m not sure I’m going to have a car accident every time I get in my car, but I still travel,” he said.

Spigelmyer noted plans for taxing the industry are premature because the Marcellus hasn’t yet shown it’s worth refocusing capital from other gas shales in southern states. He added that regulatory overhead would further stunt that process.

Copyright: Times Leader

Firm with substantial holdings in Luzerne County taking next step toward exploration.

By Rory Sweeneyrsweeney@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

WhitMar Exploration Co., the only gas-drilling company so far to have leased substantially in Luzerne County, plans to begin drilling by the middle or latter part of next year, according to the company’s president.

“Right now, we’re just filing for some permits for two, possibly three wells we want to drill,” said Whit Marvin, who heads the Denver-based company. “We do plan on drilling it and testing it for the Marcellus Shale.”

Throughout 2009, WhitMar has leased more than 22,000 acres in, among other places, Fairmount, Ross, Lake, Lehman, Union, Hunlock, Huntington and Dallas townships with little money upfront by offering landowners a contractual guarantee to begin drilling within two years.

The contract also guaranteed permitting within the first year, and Marvin said that process is on track. The company is filing for drilling and water-consumption permits from the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, and is looking into any other permits it might need, he said.

From there, the company will negotiate with the individual landowners about siting for the well pads and gaining access to them, he said.

Much of that will be based seismic testing that’s being done, the results of which Marvin expects before the end of the year. “In essence, you’re using ultrasound. You’re looking for anomalies under the surface … that would be attractive to drill into,” he said. “We can make some geologic interpretation, (but) it’s definitely not an exact science.”

A drilling contractor hasn’t been hired yet, he said, but the company has begun work elsewhere in the shale. It has leased “large blocks” in Lycoming, Wayne and Susquehanna counties, as well as in some counties in New York’s southern tier, he said. Of that, wells are being drilled in Chemung County, N.Y., and preparations for drilling are being made in Susquehanna and Lycoming counties, he said.

In Lycoming County, the industry is moving so fast that companies needing and offering services aren’t able to connect, according to Jeffrey Lorson, an industrial technology specialist at the Pennsylvania College of Technology.

For that reason, the college and a group of organizations interested in the industry are sponsoring a business-networking expo today. Lorson, who heads the college’s Marcellus Shale Education & Training Center, said about 130 vendors are scheduled to be at the free-admission event at the Hughesville Fairgrounds.

If you go

What: Business-networking expo for the gas-drilling industry

Where: Hughesville Fairgrounds, Lycoming County

When: Today, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Description: About 130 vendors are meeting to display their goods and services, and to see the goods and services other companies are offering.

Rory Sweeney, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 970-7418.

Copyright: Times Leader

Needs assessment says most workers would be general laborers with basic skills.

By Rory Sweeneyrsweeney@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

As the natural-gas drilling industry ramps up in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale, it could employ perhaps 13,000 workers by 2012, the vast majority of them general laborers with basic skill sets, according to a needs assessment released last week by the Marcellus Shale Education & Training Center.

“There’s going to be a significant amount of folks needed across many occupations, but the bulk of the activity when it’s in the drilling phase – up to 75 percent – is going to require some entry level of the industry, but not necessarily a degree, which is a good opportunity for most folks who are displaced … by the economy,” said Jeff Lorson, an industrial technology specialist at Penn College in Williamsport.

The report focuses on the 13 counties in the Northern Tier and Central regions of the state Workforce Investment Board, but Lorson noted that the report assessed only direct employment by the industry, so jobs created in other industries to serve or support the drilling industry would raise the number.

The 13 counties do not include Luzerne, but do include all those on its western and northern borders: Wyoming, Sullivan and Columbia.

The report made “low,” “likely” and “high” estimates for positions in three phases: pre-drilling, drilling and production.

The vast majority would be needed in the pre-drilling and drilling phases, in which jobs are short-term and require regular relocation but limited skills. The assessment found that each well drilled would require “more than 410 individuals working within nearly 150 different occupations,” the total hours worked by them equaling about 11.53 full-time workers. The number of workers is linked to the number of wells drilled, however, so it would be reduced whenever the industry contracts.

A much smaller number of jobs would be required for production, but those jobs would be long-term and require more-specific skills. It would take about six wells to create one of these jobs, the assessment reports, but the jobs compile, so new jobs are being created over the years whenever wells are drilled.

Using a multiplier created by the Pennsylvania Economy League, the report suggests that nearly 20,000 non-industry jobs would be created by industry activities in the Northern Tier and Central regions.

Penn College is using the report’s results to refine its educational offerings through the shale training center. It will begin a “roustabout” program, Lorson said, that will provide general industry knowledge, occupational safety training and environmental awareness.

“They have a real feeling in the industry to start at the bottom and work their way up,” he said.

The report’s results jibe with the industry’s own assessment in 2006, according to Stephen Rhoads, the president of the Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Association. “They’re finding out what we’ve already known,” he said, adding that the industry is talking about setting up a statewide education program in high schools, vocational schools and higher-education institutions to prepare basic workers but also provide the education needed for advancement.

He pointed to a program in place at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in which rig workers take night classes to earn an associate’s degree needed for jobs to assist geologists and engineers.

“Many of the jobs in the industry that are in highest demand are people who man the drilling rigs and well servicing crews and people” who manage well sites, he said. “They don’t require advanced degrees. You need a good worth ethic, a high school diploma, and in many cases you have to be able to qualify for a driver’s license.”

TO LEARN MORE

To find the report, go to: www.pct.edu/msetc and look for the “Needs Assessment” link about halfway down the page.

Rory Sweeney, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 970-7418.

Copyright: Times Leader