Guest Post: Why PA HB 1391 Bill is Bad for the Marcellus

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guest postWe don’t mind telling you that the royalty issue in Pennsylvania, specifically passage of House Bill (HB) 1391 to ensure landowners are guaranteed 12.5% royalty checks regardless of post-production costs, is a thorny issue for MDN. We can see both sides of the issue, but tend to favor the landowner side–slightly. The drilling industry knows that there is no bigger booster for them than MDN. So our periodic coverage and editorializing in favor of 1391 is a bone of contention. Drillers are not happy with your faithful editor. A long-time MDN subscriber and friend who works for a sizable driller in PA recently wrote us an email that (a) lays out the case for not tampering with existing, signed contracts, and (b) gently chides MDN for taking the landowners side in this issue. We asked for and received permission to bring you his email. As we responded to our friend, we are interested in getting this issue settled quickly. It breaks our heart to see allies divided. We all need to be firing at the other side, not within our own ranks. MDN is happy to run guest posts and views on this issue (or any issue). This letter writer does a good job, and makes a compelling case, for NOT passing HB 1391. Does he change your mind on the issue?…

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