New Central New York Landowner Coalition Forms with 10K Acres – Targets both Marcellus and Utica Shales

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A new landowner coalition has formed in Central New York representing landowners in Oneida and Madison counties. The coalition’s purpose is to negotiate a contract for drilling on their land for both the Marcellus Shale and potentially in the Utica Shale as well.

Landowners representing more than 10,000 acres in Oneida and Madison counties have formed a partnership with a goal of allowing hydraulic fracturing to safely occur on their property.

Their land includes sections of Oneida County south of Route 5 — property in municipalities such as New Hartford, Paris, Marshall, Sangerfield, Vernon, Vernon Center and Augusta, said Brymer Humphreys, the administrator of the group.

The landowners’ group, which is called the Pine Energy Madison and Oneida Partnership, has contracted with a company called Pine Energy Management, which will represent the landowners in negotiations with natural gas drilling companies, Humphreys said.

Most people in the partnership have wells, so they’re concerned too about whether there would be effects on water and the environment, Humphreys said. That’s part of the reason for forming the group, he said.*

*Utica Observer-Dispatch (Apr 21, 2011) – Landowners join together to prepare for hydrofracking

2 Comments

  1. I don’t want to burst anyone’s bubble, and I may be wrong, but the Marcellus shale is too shallow to drill into for gas north of the Town of Milford in Otsego County, which is roughly in line with Norwich and Cortland…which means the folks in Oneida and Madison Counties are out of luck when it comes to Marcellus shale gas.

  2. It really doesn’t matter anyway. The blowout in PA has finished off NY. The anti-drillers will never let it happen.