Posts Tagged ‘Mosser Tanning Co.’

• “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 Patrick Sweet (Staff Writer)
Published: July 18, 2010

Harry Traver and Doug Brody glanced at each other, stood up and followed their neighbor’s lead.

“We didn’t drive all the way out here to make changes,” neighbor Joel Field responded when Carrizo Oil & Gas proposed amendments to the multimillion-dollar deal the three came to finalize.

Before the men made it very far, the company reeled them back to the bargaining table at its Pittsburgh office and hammered out a natural gas deal that includes the mineral rights to roughly 8,500 acres.

Willing to walk away from a deal worth more than $4 million – with the potential to become much more than $40 million – the three men exemplify the roughly 135 families they represent.

“Ninety-five percent of the people that signed live here,” Mr. Brody said. “I mean, this is our home … It’s been our group’s home for years and generations in some cases. We took our time and I think we did it right.”

Noxen is a community that came together and protested the closing of its post office on a bitter December morning. They embrace the camaraderie of a community that answered the call when its historic train station was threatened with demolition and raised money to protect it.

So, when gas company land agents approached residents in rural Noxen Twp., they demonstrated perhaps their greatest skill: their ability to unite.

Strength in numbers

Residents gathered under the pavilion behind Noxen United Methodist Church to formulate their plan of action. Across the street from his Whistle Pig Pumpkin Patch, Mr. Field found himself responsible for preserving the hopes of his family, friends and neighbors for a lucrative gas lease. The Noxen Area Gas Group was born.

“I kind of stood up and said, ‘Well, we ought to try this and we ought to try that,’ and everybody said, ‘OK. Great. Go do that,’” the 47-year-old farmer said.

“The responsibility was awesome.”

Over a 2½-year span, those responsibilities included innumerable hours of courthouse research, days studying the natural gas industry and negotiating deals that never succeeded. He even traveled to Houston to market the land that their farms, orchards and businesses have rested on for generations.

“We didn’t sign in the end, but for quite a long time we were dancing with Chief,” Mr. Field said. “The only reason we danced with Chief Oil and Gas was because we did courthouse research that revealed they had a couple thousand acres right contiguous to our block.”

Mr. Field didn’t realize exactly what he was getting himself into that day. He never thought he would have to hunt down the estranged brother of a neighboring family to gain his signature on their lease.

“It actually took a couple months to find the brother in California,” Mr. Field said. “They actually tracked him down through his union.”

Just as much, Mr. Traver and Mr. Brody – whom Mr. Field called upon to help organize the group – didn’t think they would be studying geology or helping to cover a several thousand dollar attorney bill.

Two days after the group signed the lease on July 10, Mr. Field, Mr. Traver and Mr. Brody sat down with Times Shamrock Newspapers for an exclusive interview about the experience. It was a complete about-face for the tight-lipped trio who refused to jeopardize any part of the deal before it was done.

Sitting at the wooden picnic table behind Mr. Field’s house, not far from the barn where the group held some of its meetings, the three men smiled as they shared stories.

“Getting up to speed on (natural gas) and keeping the people together was always, I guess, our biggest concern,” said Mr. Field.

“But the people stayed together and that’s what made it happen,” Mr. Traver added.

“Some of our principles in the very beginning, when we first started out, was to stick together as a family, as a community,” Mr. Field continued.

A boomtown again?

It’s not difficult to imagine why the community would unite so well. The tiny farming community has struggled to strengthen its economy ever since Mosser Tanning Co. left town in 1961.

The tannery employed enough people to force the construction of a second hotel and a row of houses nearby. It brought unprecedented life to Noxen’s economy that was once based on just more than a dozen farms and a handful of small businesses.

“When the tannery left, everything left with it,” Noxen resident Pearl Race said. “This was a booming town at one time.”

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.”

Carrizo paid each lessor $500 per acre up front with an additional $4,500 and 20 percent royalty if the company finds a decent supply of gas.

On the day of the signing, Mr. Traver said, an elderly woman who was having trouble getting by stepped up to the table, leased her roughly 1-acre property and took her check. Mr. Traver’s wife, Dawn, offered to take her to the bank.

The woman, Mr. Traver said, declined the offer.

“I want to keep it for a couple days just to look at it,” she said.

The possibility of a check more than 10 times the amount they just received, it seems, has most folks embracing the words of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin: “Drill, baby, drill.”

“We want production,” Mr. Field said. “We’re not just out there to get the bonus money. The value in this arrangement is in the royalty.”

Is the gas there?

The problem is companies aren’t quite sure the gas is there. Carrizo bought 2-D seismic data, senior landman Phillip Corey said, to get an idea of what they’d find.

“Based on what we see, it looks OK,” Mr. Corey said. “You’re trying to extrapolate a picture with three data points, though, when what you really need is a hundred.”

The uncertainty is why Carrizo didn’t pay the full $5,000 per acre up front. The company will drill two exploratory wells to test the area’s potential before cutting any more checks.

The Noxen group is split into southern and northern areas. Carrizo will drill one well in each area. If gas production is strong in the north but not the south, Carrizo will only have to pay northern landowners and vice versa.

Wooden stakes with neon flags tied to the tops mark the location of the northern well in Mr. Field’s pumpkin patch. The Sordoni family’s huge Sterling Farms property will host to the southern well.

The Sordoni property is one of a few properties directly abutting Harveys Lake. A provision in the lease prevents Carrizo from drilling within 500 feet of any structure or water source.

Still, some folks are concerned with what might unfold.

Noxen resident Viola Robbins, 72, has family in Dimock Twp., the poster-child community for environmental disasters caused by natural gas drilling. Thousands of gallons of potentially carcinogenic drilling fluid spilled just outside the town.

“They can’t do nothing,” Ms. Robbins said. “(The gas company) brought them water for drinking and cooking.”

Toxic water forced Ms. Robbins’ great-niece Andrea Ely and her family to move back in with her parents.

“I’m against it,” Ms. Robbins said. “Maybe it’s me. It might be a different story if I had lots of land for them to drill on.”

Still, many others have faith that Carrizo won’t make the same mistakes as Cabot Oil and Gas did in Dimock Twp.

“We all own farms down through here,” Mr. Traver said. “When these people say that they are worried about the water, they aren’t as worried as these guys, because that’s how they make their living.”

Contact the writer:

psweet@citizensvoice.com

View article here.

Copyright: The Scranton Times